The digital landscape evolves rapidly, and market conditions can change overnight. Traditional website development cycles may struggle to keep up with complex customer lifecycles, emerging technologies, shifting consumer behaviors, and new industry standards, leaving websites outdated and unable to meet evolving user expectations.

Acquia is #1 in G2 Global reports for Enterprise Managed Hosting, Enterprise Web Hosting, and Enterprise WebOps Platforms. The company is also a Leader in Global reports for Digital Experience Platforms, Web Content Management, Digital Asset Management, and Product Information Management. Acquia's solutions like Site Studio empower businesses to manage content, assets, and product information cohesively. With its holistic approach, organizations can speed up development cycles and present a unified and engaging digital presence, to build stronger connections with their diverse audiences.

What is Acquia Site Studio?

Acquia’s web development studio- Site Studio is the only low-code, Drupal add-on available for Acquia subscribers that is more inclusive, collaborative, and agile. It provides developers with the ability to build reusable components to enable business users to assemble web pages and create content for personalized digital experiences.

Top Features of Acquia Site Studio

Here are the key features and capabilities of Drupal web development studio that empower both developers and non-technical users to design, build, and manage engaging websites.

Rapid page design and publishing:

• ReactJS-powered UI: The drag-and-drop interface utilizes ReactJS for smooth and responsive editing, enabling developers to design and publish pages efficiently.
• Pre-built component library: A readily available library of pre-built components like buttons, forms, and sections serves as a robust foundation for webpage creation and tailoring the front end for individual visitors.

Brand consistency tools:

• Component-level styling: Site Studio provides consistent brand presentation across all pages by allowing style definitions at the component level. This ensures consistency in the visual identity, irrespective of who implements the component.
• Theming system: Site Studio integrates seamlessly with Drupal's robust theming system, enabling developers to create custom themes and apply them to components, further enforcing brand cohesion.
• Style guide integration: Developers can connect Site Studio with Drupal's Style Guide module to centralize brand guidelines and ensure consistent component implementation across the website.

Component reusability:

• Modular component architecture: Site Studio components are self-contained units with defined data models and behaviors, allowing for seamless reuse across different pages and contexts.
• Drop-in convenience: Components can be easily added to pages using drag-and-drop, saving time and ensuring consistent implementation.
• Version control: Site Studio enables component versioning, allowing developers to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed.

Content management:

• WYSIWYG editing: Site Studio's intuitive WYSIWYG interface allows non-technical users to edit content within components without needing to directly modify code.
• Content fragment management: Content fragments can be created and stored for reuse across different components, facilitating consistency and catering to all stages of the customer lifecycle.
• Role-based access control: Site Studio supports granular access control, allowing administrators to define specific permissions for content editors and marketers, ensuring data security and content integrity.

Custom component flexibility:

• ReactJS and Node.js support: Developers can leverage their existing ReactJS and Node.js skills to build custom components, empowering them to extend Site Studio's capabilities and address specific project requirements.
• Component Development Kit (CDK): The Site Studio CDK provides tools and libraries to streamline custom component development, simplifying the process of web development and ensuring compatibility with the platform.
• API integration: Site Studio exposes RESTful APIs that developers can utilize to interact with components and data, further broadening the platform's customization potential.

Streamlined helper templates:

• Reusable page layouts: Helper templates group specific components together to represent reusable page layouts. This enables content editors to quickly drag-and-drop entire sections, accelerating page creation.
• Improved content flow: Helpers provide a structured approach to page building, encouraging consistent content organization and ensuring a user-friendly experience for both editors and site visitors.
• Centralized management: Helpers can be easily updated and managed centrally, ensuring uniformity across all instances within the Drupal site.

Component tracking and analysis:

• Component usage stats: Site Studio provides detailed reports on component usage, revealing which components are actively employed on which pages. This data empowers developers to make informed decisions about component maintenance and optimization.
• Impact analysis: By knowing where a component is used, developers can easily assess the potential impact of any changes made to its functionality or styling. This helps avoid unintended consequences and ensures smooth website evolution.
• Versioning history: Site Studio tracks component version history, allowing developers to roll back changes if necessary and maintain control over the website's evolution.

Advantages of Site Studio in Drupal

The above features of Site Studio provide can help accelerate the businesses in these ways:

• Increased agility: Site Studio enables rapid iteration and prototyping, allowing teams to test and refine concepts swiftly, leading to faster time-to-market for websites and quicker adaptation to market changes.
• Improved collaboration: The platform bridges the gap between technical and non-technical teams, fostering closer collaboration and empowering non-developers to contribute to website content and design.
• Enhanced developer productivity: Site Studio's pre-built components and drag-and-drop interface free up developers to focus on complex logic and custom functionality, reducing time spent on routine tasks.
• Reduced costs and overhead: By empowering non-technical users and minimizing reliance on extensive custom development, Site Studio can lead to significant cost savings in resource allocation and project management.
• Scalability and performance: The platform's robust Drupal cloud platform foundation, coupled with caching mechanisms and serverless functions, ensures smooth performance even for high-traffic websites.
• Improved security and compliance: Drupal Site Studio inherits Drupal's strong security features and offers FedRAMP authorization, making it ideal for organizations with strict security and compliance requirements.

How to create a new website with Acquia Site Studio?

Follow these steps to create a new website with Acquia Site Studio:

Step 1. Install Acquia Cohesion with composer: Navigate to the Terminal & require the module & theme. Once done, enable Cohesion module from the administrative Dashboard. Enable Acquia Cohesion core and all dependent modules.

Step 2. Connect to the Site Studio API: Upon installing the Site Studio modules, a new menu option in Admin toolbar called Acquia Cohesion will appear. Add your account details (API key, Agency key) by navigating to Site Studio > Configuration > Account settings. After filling in the required details click Save and Import. It will connect the Drupal website to the API.

Step 3. Enable the Cohesion minimal theme: For working on new Drupal site with Site Studio, we need to install the Cohesion minimal theme. It provides various features (minimal CSS for the search block and login page, Drupal regions).

Step 4. Ready to start using Site Studio: Start from building a Drag and drop component & adding the Layout canvas field. Now the component can be used to add content.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a powerful and versatile low code platform that brings agility, customization, and control in your web development cycles, Acquia Site Studio is a must have for your Martech stack. Its robust technical architecture, component system, API integration, security features, and scalability make it a compelling solution to streamline Drupal website development and deliver exceptional digital experiences.

As a certified Acquia partner, Altudo stands as a reliable partner to navigate the complexities of digital transformation. Get in touch today to get expert guidance and implement Acquia Site Studio seamlessly for your Drupal website.