The basics of website development

Businesses all around the world have many functions and departments operating within them. One of the crucial departments or functions of any business is Marketing. This discipline has many aspects. But the most current and relevant aspect of marketing is Digital Marketing. Furthermore, digital marketing is executed in many ways. One of these ways is known as Website Development.

In this article, the steps of developing a website will be accounted for. Also, the types of website developments will be explained. Moreover, the skills that lead to a successful website development will be analyzed. Finally, the different careers under website development will be outlined. 

Steps of website development

Step 1: Information Gathering

This is the pivotal stage as it influences all of the other stages that follow after it. While performing this step elements like the main goal or target market should be kept in mind. Others choose to use some sort of questionnaire in order to gauge the necessary components that will breed success. 

You should also be aware of the fact that there are different kinds of websites that serve different purposes. That implies that diverse technologies and softwares should be put in place so as to attain the desired goals. Properly outlining the plan and purpose prevents you from squandering resources or time on irrelevant things.

Step 2: Planning

At this phase the website developer gives the target audience a glimpse at what the website will look like. With the help of the information that was previously gathered, the sitemap is created. 

The sitemap should serve as an instrument that describes the correlation between the prime areas of your website. It can demonstrate the connection between several pages of a website, thus you can determine if it will be easy for end-users to locate the desired information or service all the way from the home page. The most important reason behind creating a sitemap is to come up with a website that is easy to use by your target audience. 

Step 3: Design

In this stage, the website assumes a form. All the visuals such as colors, videos and images are created at this stage. Just to reiterate, all the data that was collected in the first stage comes in handy in the design process. Website developers must keep their target audience in mind while they are designing their websites. 

The layout of a website is the product of the work of a designer. The essential function of a layout is to show the data framework, the visual content and illustrate the fundamental functionality. Logos, colors and images are part of the layout and they give a picture of how the future product will look like. Next, the target audience can give their opinions about the layout, and the website developer can take it from there. 

Step 4: Writing Content

Writing content usually merges with the other stages of website development, and the role it plays should not be underestimated. It is necessary, at this stage, to write exactly what you wish to convey to the target market. Writing content also entails creating catchy headlines, editing and gathering information for texts which is time-consuming. It is advantageous to provide the website content prior to or during website coding.

Step 5: Coding

This is where the actual website is created. All the visual elements that were designed in the foregoing steps should be used to “bring the actual website to life.” In most cases, the home page of a website is created first, then all the other sub-pages follow, according to the sitemap that was created in the previous step. Frameworks and CMS should be executed to ensure that the server can withstand installation and set-up easily.

Using CMS for creating the website, gives another option to install CMS plugins at this phase if it is necessary. The other essential stage is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO is the process of optimizing the components of your website (e.g., keyword or title) that can assist your website in achieving higher rankings in a search engine. 

Step 6: Testing, Review and Launch

Testing is part of almost all the processes that are implemented. Every unit should be tested to ensure that the whole is substantial. You should examine every text and use a spell-checking software to detect any typos. To analyze if the code follows the current web standards you can use code validators. Valid code is very important.

After the process of examining your website, it is time to upload it to a server. For this purpose, people use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) software. 

Step 7: Maintenance 

It is critical to remember that a website functions as a service not a product. That is to say, it is not only about delivering the website to the end user. Everything should be checked and examined regularly to ensure that it works properly and the customers are satisfied. 

The feedback system serves as a device that enables you to know what customers or users are unhappy about. The top priority, in this instance, is to solve the problem as soon as possible. Because if you don’t, you risk losing your customers to another more convenient website. The other important element is to keep your website updated when it is appropriate. 

Types of website development

Front-end website development

This is the type of website development that is responsible for the layout and experience of a website. That includes colors, shapes and icons. This types of website development is also responsible for how a website looks across different devices i.e. laptop, tablets or mobile devices. Developers of front-end websites strive to keep up with the latest trends in web development and design to ensure that websites are optimized for search engines and users. 

Back-end website development

This type of website development is responsible for constructing and sustaining the code that is running the website. The code’s work is to connect the server and the website. Moreover, it is responsible for ensuring that information flows smoothly to the website and that transactions are accurately processed. Back-end website developers can keep up with updates in technology by taking part in network communities that give out coding advice and tips. 

Full-stack website development 

Full-stack website development involves a combination of front-end and back-end elements. It depends on how complex a website is, a full-stack website developer might be appointed to deal with all aspects of its developments, from the server to the interface.

The majority of full-stack website developers might specialize in one element of website development, but their wide experience is needed in troubleshooting or speeding up a website redesign. The responsibility of full-stack website developers is usually to identify recent technologies, like new programming languages and blockchain.

The necessary abilities for success

• Programming skills: Substantial coding skills are a necessity. Mastery of programming languages is just a stepping stone. Technology changes frequently, thus being prepared to learn something regularly is important. 
• Being attentive to small details: Testing and deciphering codes needs patience and strong thinking skills to comprehend issues and to rectify them.
• Creativity: In order for a website to be successful it has to draw users, it also has to be visible to search engines. Thus, website developers are responsible for being creative in the manner in which they design the website, SEO and other components that make a website successful.

Different website development careers

Website designer

Websites designers are also known as digital designers, their tasks involve building an appealing layout and experience of the website. They must possess aptitudes in art, design and coding, they should also understand the aspects that make a website successful. Moreover, website developers work with graphic design software programs to design their websites

Web programmer

If you are a website programmer your responsibility is to write codes that will make a website function properly. Front-end website programmers construct the pages that will be designed by website designers. Back-end website programmers are the ones that write the server code that will run the website. What is more, website programmers are familiar with the concepts of website design.

Content developer

A website content developer comes up with the content that appears on the website. That involves blogs, images, videos and product descriptions. Content developers are also likely to have programming abilities like SEO that enable them to position their website successfully. 

Webmaster

Webmasters are involved in all elements of an organization’s website, including security, coding, architecture and design. Furthermore, webmasters join forces with marketing teams, designers and programmers to make sure that the website as one of the business strategies is successful. Finally, a webmaster should understand sales and marketing, coding and design.

Businesses all around the world have many functions and departments operating within them. One of the crucial departments or functions of any business is Marketing. This discipline has many aspects. But the most current and relevant aspect of marketing is Digital Marketing. Furthermore, digital marketing is executed in many ways. One of these ways is…

Businesses all around the world have many functions and departments operating within them. One of the crucial departments or functions of any business is Marketing. This discipline has many aspects. But the most current and relevant aspect of marketing is Digital Marketing. Furthermore, digital marketing is executed in many ways. One of these ways is…