Since the launch of the first website in 1991, website design and development have experienced exponential growth.
A strong website is an essential element to modern success for any business; yours serves as the avenue through which potential clients learn about you and understand more about your services or products. However, creating one is no simple process.
As development is the practice of creating websites from start to finish - from selecting domain names to designing front and back ends - creating one that's both user-friendly and represents your company effectively requires much hard work.
In this blog, we discuss website development, its types, steps, and much more. So, keep reading for valuable insights.
Website Development
Establishing a website entails two primary steps: website development and design. Additional components include programming, publishing and database administration.
Web development refers to the functionality of a website while web design refers to its look. Both disciplines play an equally crucial role when building one; even with an elegantly-curated site designed specifically to your brand, if its function doesn't function optimally it won't succeed either way.
Website development encompasses all of the activities and processes related to creating and maintaining a website, from markup and coding through scripting, network configuration and CMS development.
From our years of coding and experimentation with websites, we've come to view web development as more than mere markup and coding; rather, it is an art form and way of giving life to our ideas.
While web development usually refers to website markup and coding tasks only, website development includes all related development tasks, including client-side scripting, server security configuration, ecommerce development, CMS Development etc.
What Makes Web Development Crucial?
Can you believe we live in a world with over 5.30 billion Internet connections, representing half the global population actively engaging with research, networking, learning and entertainment via this massive digital medium? For many of us, Internet usage has become an essential component of life itself and should not be seen as just another luxury item on our daily to-do lists.
Given the continuing surge of Internet users, web development is unsurprisingly expanding as an industry. Over the next 20 years, employment of web developers is projected to experience 13% annual growth - much faster than most technology-related careers.
Now is an exciting time for being involved with this field and we feel proud and lucky to be part of such an innovative field.
Website Development Types
There are various approaches to website development, with two being especially prevalent - front-end development and back-end development.
This refers to what users experience on a website compared to what goes unseen from within it. Read out some types of Website development:
Front-End Development
Front-end development refers to what users will experience and interact with on a website, from design elements such as colors and fonts, through layout and images - usually all created from front-end development professionals like yourself.
As a front-end developer you are responsible for making sure a website looks the way that users expect.
Front-end development utilizes Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for website design purposes. A front-end developer must also possess knowledge in various programming languages like HTML, CSS and JavaScript so users can interact with buttons and navigation menus on the site.
Back-End Development
It entails all the behind the scenes activities behind websites. Back-end developers work on how they function rather than their appearance - such as user authentication, network and hosting configuration, database interaction or any other task which takes place behind a webpage's scenes.
Back-end developers are responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly within a website, including managing user uploads of data onto it.
In such instances, back-end developers need to have knowledge of server-side languages like Ruby, .Net or Python as an essential requirement to fulfill their role effectively.
Full Stack Development
Full stack developers specialize in both front-end and back-end web development; they create websites, applications and software programs from start to finish using various technologies that manage different functions on one website; "Stack" refers to these technologies such as servers, interfaces etc.
Full stack developers require years to gain the required experience, making this role highly sought after by companies looking to construct or update their websites.
Full-stack developers use their comprehensive knowledge to optimize performance, identify any unforeseen problems before they arise and assist team members in understanding different parts of a web service; usually this skill set can be taught via full stack developer courses.
Website Development
Website developers may specialize in front-end, back-end or full stack development; these professionals usually focus on creating websites instead of mobile applications, desktop software or video games.
Desktop Development
Desktop developers specialize in designing software apps that run locally on devices rather than being delivered over the web browser.
However, their skillset may cross over with that of web developers should a particular app work both ways.
Mobile Development
Mobile developers specialize in the creation of applications designed specifically for smartphones or tablets. Because mobile apps operate differently from websites or software programs, requiring specific development skills as well as knowledge of specialized programming languages.
Game Development
Game developers specialize in writing code for video games ranging from console titles (Xbox and PlayStation), PC titles and mobile titles meaning this specialty may overlap somewhat with mobile development.
Embedded Development
Embedded developers specialize in working with all hardware other than traditional PCs (those characterized by keyboard and screen).
This may include electronic interfaces, consumer devices, IoT systems and real-time systems, among many others. With an increase in interconnected devices such as smart appliances, Bluetooth technologies and virtual assistants becoming commonplace today, embedded development has become an invaluable service to provide.
Security Development
Security developers create methods and procedures for the secure operation of software programs or websites. Often working as ethical hackers to expose vulnerabilities without harming systems, they build systems that detect and eradicate security risks.
What Steps Are Involved In Developing A Website?
Development can vary for every website but generally follows these eight steps for Website development:
Gather Information
Before creating a website, it is necessary to gather relevant data such as its purpose, goals and target audience.
Your purpose for building this website can range anywhere from self-promotion or providing information on a certain subject to providing services on it. Your goals for the site can guide the creation process as you set clear expectations on what should go in and on what content.
Your target audience for the website needs to be defined before creating anything; think about your ideal customer and include their age, gender and interests when doing this exercise.
Planning
Once you have amassed all the basic information for your website, step two is planning it out. From that information gathered during step one, create a sitemap - this list shows every topic and subtopic on your site with how users may navigate from page to page - this step is essential in crafting an attractive yet user-friendly site.
Design
Once your outline for the website has been finalized, the next step should be designing it to look its best - including all visual content like photos and videos.
Be mindful to consider who your target audience will be when planning its appearance. Public relations businesses will require very different websites than brands with pet owner target audiences since you want yours to reflect their needs and wants.
Content
One of the key aspects of any successful website is its content. Your words conveying a message or persuading visitors to use your website will have an enormous effect.
However, before writing any copy at all it's crucial that your goals and purpose have been identified in step2. In terms of relevance and interest, your content must keep users coming back again and again for another look.
Functionality
In Step 5, the actual site construction begins. All of your prior efforts come together at this point to form the look and functionality of the website you envision for users to navigate easily; in order to ensure this occurs efficiently.
Often the homepage will be created first before subpages follow suit - in either case making sure access can be granted from both desktops as well as mobile phones is important.
Testing
Now that your website has been successfully constructed, it's not quite ready for public release just yet. First, it must be tested thoroughly to make sure it's running efficiently.
Testing may seem time-consuming, but it is crucial to make sure all links and buttons function as intended and that everything looks the same on a phone as on a computer screen.
Launch
Now comes the exciting part - actually launching your website. To launch it successfully, upload it to a server before performing one last test just to double check that everything works as intended before opening it for public view.
Continuous Monitoring And Updates
Once your website has gone live, it is still vitally important that you go back and inspect it on an ongoing basis.
Mistakes happen and staying abreast is vital in making sure it remains in good shape - you want any issues or glitches quickly repaired while always staying informed as to any updates for it.
Tips For Website Development
Now that you understand all of the different forms and processes associated with website development, here are a few helpful hints so you can begin developing websites efficiently and successfully.
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Plan Your Site: Without an outline or plan in place, building your website could become hauntingly overwhelming, and you might end up frustrated or feel like giving up altogether.
A strategic approach will make the building of your website go much smoother for an end product that you are proud to display online.
- Stay Mobile-Friendly: Most Internet access occurs via mobile phone devices, so your website must be mobile-friendly. In essence, its appearance should look the same on a small smartphone screen as it would do when displayed on a larger laptop display screen - only smaller.
- Content Should Be Easy To Read: No one likes spending more than two or three minutes browsing a website, so your text needs to be straightforward if you want their attention. Avoid fluff; focus on communicating your point quickly through words alone.
- Use Developers: Need some assistance creating your website? Be sure to explore Developers.dev. With its website builder tool, it makes creating, customizing and promoting websites simple - without needing design or code expertise - we do it for you.
Want More Information About Our Services? Talk to Our Consultants!
Conclusion
At Developers.dev, we recognize the significance of having an excellent website is integral for business success; and we are here to assist with that goal.
As an all-in-one marketing platform, we provide assistance from building a site to devising product growth strategies with tools like an online content studio where business owners can manage digital assets easily and grow their company to new heights. So if you want to expand your business and create your website, take a look at Developers.dev today and discover our website development services today.
