APIs & Integrations
Connecting your website to other systems — CRM, email, payment, shipping, analytics.
What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a contract between two systems. It says: "Send me data formatted this way, and I'll respond with data formatted that way." APIs allow your website to talk to external services.
Instead of manually copying customer data from your form into your CRM, an API does it automatically. Instead of manually downloading reports, an API returns data your dashboard can display live.
API Types
Uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to perform actions. Stateless. Request-response. Easy to understand and implement. Used by Stripe, PayPal, Salesforce, most services.
POST /api/customers → Create a customer
Query language. Client specifies exactly what data it needs. Single request. More efficient than REST for complex queries. Growing adoption. Used by Shopify, Twitter, GitHub, Contentful.
query { customer(id) { name email orders } }
Reverse API. Instead of you asking "any new orders?", the service tells you "new order arrived" by sending HTTP POST to your URL. Real-time notifications. Used for payment events, status updates, chat messages.
Common Website Integrations
| Integration | Purpose | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing | Send newsletters, automate sequences | Easy | $0-500/mo |
| CRM / Salesforce | Store and manage leads | Medium | $50-500/mo |
| Payment Processing | Accept credit cards | Hard (PCI) | $0 + 2-3% per transaction |
| Shipping | Get rates, print labels | Medium | $0-200/mo |
| Accounting / QuickBooks | Sync invoices and payments | Medium | $0-100/mo |
| Chat / Support | Live chat, chatbot | Easy | $0-200/mo |
| Analytics | Track user behavior | Medium | $0-500/mo |
| Social Media | Share buttons, social login | Easy | $0 |
| Maps / Location | Store locator, directions | Medium | $0-100/mo |
| Video Hosting | Embed videos | Easy | $0-100/mo |
| Search | Site search functionality | Hard | $0-1000/mo |
| AI / Recommendation | Product recommendations | Hard | $0-500/mo |
| Scheduling | Book appointments, calendar sync | Medium | $0-200/mo |
| Survey / Forms | Feedback collection | Easy | $0-100/mo |
Integration Methods
Three ways to connect your site to external services:
Platform officially supports direct connection. No setup. Automatic sync. Limited to what platform allows. Example: Shopify → Mailchimp.
Drag-and-drop workflow builder. Connect any app to any app without code. Cost: $15-100/month depending on task volume. Good for simple automations. Limited by platform capabilities.
Custom code makes HTTP requests to external APIs. Full control. Requires developer. Fragile if external API changes. Most flexible. Cost: developer time.
Integration Platforms
Largest catalog (5,000+ apps). Most integrations you'll ever need. User-friendly. $19.99-99/month free tier limited. Best for non-technical users.
More powerful workflows than Zapier. Lower cost. More complex. $0-99/month free tier generous. Better for technical users.
Open-source. Self-hosted or cloud. Most control. Steepest learning curve. Free self-hosted or $25+/month cloud.
Enterprise iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service). Professional support. $500+/month. For large organizations only.
Platform API Access
| Platform | Public API | Webhooks | OAuth | Developer Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Limited | Limited | Limited | Small |
| Webflow | Good | Good | Yes | Growing |
| WordPress | REST API | Yes | Yes | Huge |
| Shopify | Excellent | Yes | Yes | Excellent |
| Custom | Full control | Build yourself | Build yourself | N/A |
The No-API Problem
Some platforms don't expose APIs. Wix is notorious for this. No API means:
- Can't automate data flows to your CRM
- Can't build custom integrations
- Migrating away requires manual data export/import
- You're locked into the platform's ecosystem
- You can't build custom applications on top