The 7 stages of website development
There is more to web designing and development than just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A well-functioning and user-friendly website has many steps that are needed for the website to work properly for the users. However, there are seven main steps to developing a website, and here’s a detailed review of all seven steps. This comprehensive guide will help you create your website in no time and also help you learn from the experience.
Seven stages of website development
1. Research and define the layout of your project
Every website is developed with a goal and some needs; what are your requirements? Your project needs goals to know whether it’s a success or not. These goals can include, but aren’t limited to:
- Defining what you offer, your purpose, and your vision to the audience. Help them understand the values and goals of your business and later convert them into loyal customers.
- The purpose can also be setting goals such as measurable deliverables and setting up KPIs.
- Another goal is to target a set of audiences and lure them to the digital world of your business. Getting to know your audience can help you sell better, and that’s a fact.
- Competition is yet another goal; through your research, you will be able to understand your competitors and what makes them tick more. This will help you solidify your position in the market.
2. Planning the project
Once you are aware of your project and its goals, the next step is planning the layout of your website. Don’t leave anything hanging; plan all the pages, from the landing to product pages, theme, colour, and even the font of your website in advance. Planning a sitemap will help you in this regard. A site map will give you a wide image of how your website should look and an idea of how it should work for the audience. You can hire a professional to bring your vision to life. The designer will also help you with the wireframe, which is the layout of each page, the CTAs, and subscription boxes.
3. Designing
Designing is the most exciting part of web development, but it’s not easy. Designing will add the final look and feel to your website and help you see how it will look to the audience. Keep it classy yet simple and user-friendly. You want your customers to spend more and more time on your website. Use ample videos, animated texts and visuals to keep the customers engaged. However, to keep the branding consistent, make sure all your visuals and themes are consistent across all channels. Here, you can get inspiration from bigger brands like Nike, Puma, and others.
4. Creating and planning content
The one aspect most people take very lightly is the creation of content to go on the site. Most people believe you churn content as you go or after the website is live; this isn’t a very wise move. Here’s a list of content you need to plan ahead of time and create before you live your website for the audience,
- Landing pages
- Product/service profiles/descriptions
- Reviews from customers
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Images
- Newsletters
- Social media posts/stories
5. Develop your website
Once all the above steps are in order, you will be ready to develop your website. You will need a professional if this is your first time doing this. Let your designer and developer work hand in hand with your vision to create your digital identity.
The development of a website includes:
- Backend and frontend development
- features and functionalities
- Digital silk developers
Your website should be able to engage your audience, project your offerings, and be comprehensible for your targeted audience.
6. Testing
This is by far the most grueling aspect of developing the website. You will need numerous test runs to ensure your website is fully functional before going live. Get as many people on board as you can to test and give you feedback on the design and functionality of your website.
7. Maintaining the website
Planning, developing and getting your website live for the audience to choose isn’t the end of it. You will also need to keep a close eye on the website once it’s live. Keep adding to it, improving the design and maintaining the look of the website routinely. Maintenance may include Editing existing content.
- Adding content
- Fixing bugs and issues
- Dosing site backups
- Installing plugins
And there you have it; you now know the basics of website development, and you are now ready to start building your first website.
