Websites play an integral part in connecting with the user/customer base. It is the identity of your business and brand. Moreover, users expect businesses to have a website for ease of eCommerce. A well-crafted website increases the online presence, credibility and strengthens your business.
Having a website generates more leads, high retention, and increases traffic for your business. Irrespective of the business, the website development process is the same. A well-executed website leads to the success of your business.
You can build or hire a web development company to develop a website. Before we get to know the steps involved in the web development process, let’s see what web development life cycle is.
A website development life cycle is the process that directs you to develop the best website based on market trends. It guides us through the entire process of web development from the initial to the final stage of the project.
Before starting the development of the project we have to be clear of the requirements. If we have no clear idea about the project, it might deviate us from the ultimate goal of the project. Before the development process, the client and the development team should sit together and discuss the project. This will be an exclusive research and discovery session, where some of the general consultations, questions, and clarifications are made as it is vital for the development process. In this period, it is important to define the strategies of the project as it impacts the entire process.
We have to analyze the purpose, content, and target audience to build the best website that suits the business.
What is the purpose of the website? We will find the reason/use of the website, whether it is a promotional site, service website, product selling (eCommerce) website, or an informative site.
Who is the targeted audience of the website? Depending on the purpose, we can identify the targeted audience of the site.
What is the content of the website? Based on the website’s purpose and target audience, we can analyze the type of content we have to use on the site.
These three factors will influence the choice of technology and functionality of the website. This paves the way for the development of the life cycle.
With research and discovery, we have a clear understanding of what kind of website we are going to design and develop.
There are several stages in the web development process, but we are going to discuss the essential phases of the development process to ensure the professional level of the web development process.
The entire development team should be aware of the need and purpose of the project to guide them through the roadmap towards crafting the website. In the planning phase, we decide on the technology to be used, development methodologies, deliverables, and the estimated timeline for project completion.
We also work on the content structure, sitemap- which is crucial for the entire project, wireframe, layout planning, and UX/UI Design.
After the initial stage of planning(sitemap, wireframes, roadmap), we work on the overall look and feel of the website. The aesthetic feel of the website has significant value in attracting the targeted audience to the website.
In this stage, we work on the UI design for the website based on the client’s requirements. The UI designers transform the wireframes into animations, color graphics, button menu, typography, etc. The design phase solely focuses on the target audience and a unique way to enhance the user experience and increase user retention rate. The color combination of the website triggers the user's emotions. It is said that more than 90% of the users judge a website visually based on color.
Once we decide on the design of the website, we can start the implementation and development process. While we start with the frontend and backend development, we have to simultaneously prepare the content of the website.
Content plays an important role in website development as it is the essence of communication and relates to the user interface.
Front-end development is the interaction between the user and the website. In this process, the initial designs are transformed into reality by integrating the function and animation using related tools and technologies. Backend development is the server-side and user side. This process is responsible for the database, server-side interaction, and integration of business requirements.
After the development phase, the quality assurance team starts their work. Before deploying to the server, the website should undergo a meticulous and rigorous testing process to eliminate bugs. The team checks for the compatibility, functionality, usability, and performance of the website.
The major purpose of this phase is to make sure the website is ready for market use. The website must be clean without any glitches, and ensure that all the scripts are fine and the website loads smoothly on all platforms and devices. With comprehensive testing, we can upgrade the website based on future requirements.
The web development team does the final touches for the website like page speed optimizations, on-page SEO, plugin installations to optimize the performance and functionality. Furthermore, the website is deployed on the server.
The work of the web development team does not end with the launch of the website, there are more things to be taken care of. The team should be ready to support and maintain the website with updates, general maintenance, or adding new features and functionalities.
It is possible to enhance the user experience by collecting user input to facilitate the website. Through the support and maintenance process, we can effectively take care of the website and adhere to the respective business requirements.
Building a website is an interesting process that is more than just the design and development process. The web development life cycle comprises the essential phases that help in building the best website that enhances the respective business.
