If you’re a business owner, you know a website is essential to success. A website not only helps you establish an online presence, but it can also help you connect with potential customers and grow your brand. But creating a website from scratch can be intimidating, especially if you need to become more familiar with web design and development.  

That’s where becoming a Power Pages Pro comes in. With this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to build a professional, effective website for your business. From choosing the right platform and design to optimizing your site for search engines and improving the user experience, this guide covers all the essential elements of creating a successful website.  

Whether you’re just starting or looking to improve your existing site, this guide will give you the knowledge and skills you need to become a Power Pages Pro and take your online presence to the next level. So, let’s get started and build a website that will help you achieve your business goals!  

What is Microsoft Power Pages?  

Microsoft Power Pages is the latest addition to the Microsoft Power Platform family. It helps users build low-code, secure websites regardless of their coding expertise swiftly and effortlessly. Through Power Pages capabilities, users can customize their websites with advanced features and aesthetics, surpassing the previous capabilities of portals. Moreover, organizations of all sizes can benefit from Power Pages’ extensibility, which enables pro-developer customization.  

Want to know more about Power Pages? Check out the previous blog: How to Build Your Own Website Using Microsoft Capabilities | New and Planned Features of Power Pages  

The New Features and Functionalities of Microsoft Power Pages  

< Explore new capabilities in Microsoft Power Pages>  

• Application lifecycle management (ALM) – Using a designated solutions area for Microsoft Power Pages components, makers can transfer site configurations between different environments. It simplifies and improves the visual experience and maintains consistency with other applications in the Power Platform. 
• Virtual table support – Using Microsoft Dataverse, you can securely connect external enterprise data without duplicates and develop low-code websites in the desired formats. 
• Governance controls – Through governance controls, administrators can implement extra security measures to prevent anonymous access. Organizations can establish comprehensive data security and avoid unintentional data exposure by setting a data policy at the tenant level. 
• Multifile support – Developers can now modify Microsoft Power Pages site code in Visual Studio Code for the web without switching to Visual Studio. 
• Cloud Flows – Using an API, developers can call cloud flows securely from webpages, authorize specific flows, and set up security through the Setup workspace. A connector in Microsoft Power Automate can also be activated on demand from Power Pages events to facilitate bidirectional data exchange. 
• Detect and resolve conflict reliability – The latest feature added to Microsoft Visual Studio Code for the web enables secure collaboration between developers. It minimizes the chances of unintentional removal or modification of code by detecting and alerting users of any alterations made by multiple people on the same file. 
• FAQ Template – You can quickly generate websites containing frequently asked questions (FAQs) by utilizing a template that can be customized to your preferences. 

In regard to the websites the tool can be utilized for, Microsoft has stated that it can support the development of enterprise-level, professional solutions on a large scale, with potential applications including:  

• Microsoft Power Pages for Customer self-service: Enable customers to access self-service options throughout the day, including tasks such as warranty registration, returns, support inquiries, scheduling appointments, and making bookings. 
• Microsoft Power Pages for FAQ sites: Furnish responses to frequently asked questions regarding products, services, special events, policies, and procedures. 
• Microsoft Power Pages for Community Services: Engage and cater to a vast number of citizens by offering community services on a large scale, which includes self-service functionalities for licensing, permitting, reporting incidents and outages, as well as grant applications. 
• Microsoft Power Pages for Partner Support: Simplify collaborations with partners by optimizing business processes, such as supplier onboarding, sustainability monitoring, inquiry management, and vendor support. 

The Latest from Microsoft Power Pages  

One of Microsoft’s guarantees is that it stays current. Relatively, they recently announced the 2023 release wave 1 plan scheduled to be launched between April 2023 and September 2023, and included in that is the Microsoft Power Pages update. However, it is worth noting that since some of these features may still be under development, their delivery timelines may be subject to change, and some of the proposed functionalities may not be released as initially planned. 

Administration and Governance  

The ability to administer and govern websites equips administrators with efficient tools to manage, configure, and sustain them.  

General Availability – June 2023 – Provide website inventory data for tenants and environments  

General Availability – July 2023 – Disable anonymous access in Power Pages  

Core Platform  

Makers are empowered by the primary platform’s abilities to configure, modify, and use in low-code or no-code manners, to satisfy business requirements as-is.  

Public Preview – May 2023 – Use cloud flows with Power Pages sites  

Public Preview – July 2023 – Use Bootstrap version 5 in Power Pages  

Professional developer experiences  

Developers can create sophisticated customizations and configurations for their websites.  

Public Preview – April 2023 – Edit webpages with new features in Visual Studio Code for the web  

Public Preview – April 2023 – Manage Power Pages ALM using solutions  

Public Preview – September 2023 – Perform website actions using Microsoft Power Platform CLI  

Collaboration with other components within the Microsoft Power Platform  

Power Pages offer seamless and extensive collaboration with other Microsoft Power Platform components.  

• Dataverse allows for safe storage and efficient data management utilized by business applications and Power Pages sites. Leverage model-driven app elements like forms, views, charts, and dashboards to present Dataverse data effortlessly. 
• Power Apps empowers individuals to develop custom mobile and web applications without extensive coding knowledge, facilitating data sharing and streamlining business processes. Utilizing Power Apps to build apps that store content in SharePoint is a prevalent method for rapidly creating fundamental intranet sites. On the other hand, Power Pages is better suited for websites that target external audiences and necessitate secure access to business information. 
• Power Automate streamlines the process of designing automated workflows. When using Power Pages, Power Automate can be utilized for various functions, including plug-ins, workflows, automated cloud flows, or enhancing business logic and managing data and events flowing in and out of Dataverse. 
• Power BI enables easy access to visually appealing and interactive insights derived from business data. By using Power Pages, you can integrate with Power BI and gain access to components like reports, dashboards, and tiles. The embedding capability of Power BI can be utilized to display data that is stored outside of Dataverse. 
• Power Virtual Agents simplifies creating and releasing chatbot experiences that utilize AI technology. Using Power Pages, chatbots can be incorporated into your business’s external websites to serve various functions. 

Join the Power Pages Movement with ECF Data  

Experience building low-code, secure websites with Microsoft Power Pages and the Power Platform Suite. With the potential to revolutionize your business, it’s time to discover the true value of Power Pages and its suite of products. Schedule a free one-hour consultation with our expert team today to explore the possibilities and uncover how Power Pages can significantly benefit your organization.  

 During the Discovery Call, we can dive into the specifics of Power Pages or provide an overview of the entire Power Platform suite, depending on your needs. We aim to help you achieve your business objectives, so don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can assist you.