The purpose of this article is to make it easier for new web owners to understand the stages of the web development process and explain related terms most efficiently. From there, they can easily discuss their wishes and requirements with developers and follow the dev to complete the development process as required.
Contents
What Is Web Development?
Web development is generally developing a website for hosting via the Internet. The web development process includes web design, network security configuration, client/server scripting, and content development.
Generally, web development includes all the activities and operations required to build, update and manage a website to ensure its performance, user experience, and speed at the best level.
Web Development Process
1. Detailed business project
The first step in the website development process is defining your project’s goals, usually including:
Business details: define your product, purpose, unique value proposition, mission, vision, investment budget, etc.
Business goals: Set clear and measurable goals for your website to develop the most effective strategy, including KPIs to measure performance.
Target audience: Define your target audience and research their preferences, likes, and dislikes, research their online habits, etc., to understand them and their expectations.
Competition: Research your competitors, analyze strengths and weaknesses and develop plans to position your brand in the market.
This stage determines what the next steps will look like. The most important task at this time is to clearly understand the purpose of your future website, the primary goals you want to achieve, and the target audience you want to attract to your website.
2. Requirement analysis
In this section, the web owner needs to list the requirements they want for the website:
Website Platform: Depending on your goals and the credibility of that platform in the market, you can find the right one. Some suggestions for you are Magento, Wix, Shopify, WordPress, etc.
Sitemap: A sitemap is a bird’s-eye view of your site. It determines the list of pages, their location on the site, and their relationship. Also, it includes user-oriented elements and web crawlers (such as Google).
Wireframe: A wireframe is the layout of each page of the site. From the title to the CTA and subscription box, it outlines the elements and content. The wireframe should cover both the desktop version and the mobile version.
Design: You need to choose the color, theme, and style. Will it be customized from a ready-made theme or built from scratch? Is there any website to demonstrate the style you want?
Function & Extension: What default functions do you want? Do you want any custom functions? It is necessary to list out the extensions that need to be installed and how they work.
Payment & Shipping: Websites need to have specific and appropriate payment gateways and modes of transportation.
Language: Determine what the main language of the website is. Should it be available in other languages?
Currency: Which default currency will the website use? Does it support multiple currencies?
Third-party integration: Does the site need to be integrated with other management software like ERP or CRM?
Timeframe: What is the estimated time for the project? The more specific the timeline is, the easier it will be for web owners and developers to work.
A detailed plan based on this pre-development data can protect you from spending extra resources to solve unexpected problems, such as design changes or adding features that were not originally planned.
3. Implementation & Development
Content creation
The first part of the implementation process is content creation.
In this step, you need to write the very essence you want to convey to the audience on your website and add a call to action element. Content writing also includes creating catchy headlines, composing the text, writing new text, translating existing text, etc., which takes a lot of time and effort.
Frontend development
By default, the first production step is design; any completed programming and content work will not be executed accurately without this procedure.
The design step starts with building a wireframe for the website. The wireframe shows the element’s position on the page and serves as an essential guide for the final design that will be developed.
In this stage, the design team should figure out which elements work and what don’t to add them to the website.
After completing the wireframe and planning the site layout, the design team can start working on specific design elements, adding text, buttons, and images to let the project team and customers understand how the final product will look.
Web design is the development of the client-side part of the website to interact with the user, and website layouts are the result of a designer’s work.
During the design phase, your website will take shape. All visual assets, such as images, photos, and videos, are created in this step. Again, all the information collected in the first phase is vital. The client and target audience must be kept in mind while working on a design.
The primary function is to represent the structure of information, visualize the content, and represent the basic functionality. The layout contains colors, logos, and images and can give a general understanding of the future product.
Make sure the planned interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Backend development
The backend processes the data that enables the frontend functions. It consists of two key components:
Database: The database is responsible for storing, organizing, and processing data so that the server request can retrieve the data.
Server: The server is responsible for sending, processing, and receiving data requests. They are the intermediary between the database and the client/browser.
These components work together to lay the foundation for each website.
As for building your website, backend developers are responsible for :
- Create and manage databases
- Implement webserver technology
- Create software using a back-end framework
- Use server-side language to write code
- Handling API integration
- Supervise cloud computing management
- Establish and maintain a content management system
- Monitor security settings
- Backup and restore website files and databases.
- Generate reports and analyses for stakeholders.
- Integrating site with selected payment gateway(s) and shipping carrier’s system
- Configure site language, currency, store information, email templates, etc
The backend is the interaction of the user-side and the server-side, interfacing the whole website. It is more considered the engine room. The code at the backend development stage is responsible for the database, server-side, integration of business logic, and so on, depending on the website’s purpose.
*Note: Front-end and Back-end development can take place simultaneously.
4. Web testing & reviewing
After the three implementation phases are completed, they are usually placed in a staging environment. The temporary environment is designed to be close to the actual operating environment without allowing all Internet users to access it.
Generally, when developing a Web project, the development company will conduct multiple rounds of testing in a staging environment before granting access to the ordering client. These rounds are designed to catch all significant errors in the application before the client tests the application.
There are usually two types of testing at this stage: functional testing and design testing. In the early stages of testing, design testing is performed to ensure that the design is acceptable. After the general design test is completed, it can be submitted to the customer for any final comments.
Once these comments have been made and implemented, the design checking process is much more robust, checking the correct designs to ensure that they meet the original designs delivered to the programming team.
With functional testing, the test intensity is switched. Intensity testing is done before presenting to the customer and after the function is approved – functional testing is done more comfortably. This is intended to simulate the experience that real users experience on the website.
5. Site optimization
In this step, developers will correct according to customer feedback; they will optimize the speed & performance of the site. And if the customer has additional requirements for SEO, the developers also optimize according to that request.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the optimization of website elements (e.g., title, description, keywords) that can help your website achieve higher rankings in the search engines.
Finally, we will send the final draft to customers for the last review before launching the website.
6. Web launch
In this stage, the only team involved will be your programming team because the real-time environment for hosting the project should have been established and ready for them to install the application.
If you have set a specific launch date and time for the project and the date has been announced, please be sure to launch the launch version and set the landing page at least one day in advance.
This ensures that you have enough time to make any necessary minor adjustments to the design or text. If the development team does encounter any obstacles, they will have time to fix them before the website goes live.
At this point, your website will have an IP address. It also requires a domain name, a memorable website name, and your visitors can use it to find your website.
7. Web post-deployment and maintenance
The role of the web development team does not end with the launch of the website. The developer will continuously manage and update the project to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.
They also monitor project performance for clients and initiate recommendations based on site usage that may lead to additional development work for the project.
Usually, the support period will last between 3 and 6 months. And during this time, the web owner needs to keep in regular contact with the web developer.
How To Have A Successful Web Development Project?
It is challenging for a new web owner to operate and develop a website for the company by himself because of many factors of time and programming knowledge. This is not to say that it is impossible. However, you need to be a tech-savvy person, a web programmer, and have plenty of time to build a website because, as you have seen, the steps in web development processes are pretty time-consuming and complex.
Therefore, the best solution you can apply is hiring a legit web provider who builds a solid and eye-catching website for your company. And Tigren is proud to be a reliable companion to your company.
We have nearly ten years of experience providing website development services for many brands worldwide. Our services are all competitively priced and of excellent quality, with a wide range of service packages to suit a wide range of companies and your requirements.
Cooperating with Tigren, your website will be taken care of carefully and carefully. And if you are a new web owner, they will help you reduce your worries about complicated and time-consuming web development processes. Hand over your website to us, and you will be surprised by the results.
Web Development Process: FAQs
1. How long does it take to build a website?
The length of time required to create a fully functional website depends on many factors. Custom design work may take 2-4 weeks, depending on the complexity of the design and the number of modifications you need. The development phase requires an additional 3-6 weeks, depending on the number of pages and the required features.
2. How much does a new website cost?
There is no single answer to this question. Refer to the website design according to the needs of each project. Every website is unique and requires different components; we design and develop customized websites specifically for your small business. Most sites operate in the range of US$3,000 to US$5,000, but they can be run more or less as needed.
3. Who writes the content for the website?
Usually, it’s you. You’re an expert in your business, so it’s best if you do. If you need help, a web development company can refer copywriters who can help clean up or write original content for you for an additional cost.
4. Isn’t web development just a matter of user interface design?
No, because the Web is more than just an object without social or rhetorical context. Developing a Web site isn’t just about screen layout, optimizing ergonomics, choosing the right colors, and labeling links and buttons correctly.
A whole set of processes covers what one might call “project management” – planning, analysis, design, implementation, promotion, and innovation – but concerns the ancient art of rhetoric and human communication techniques.
5. Which Tigren’s e-commerce web development service is suitable for start-ups?
So if you are a start-up with low investment costs or in shortage of time, then using our all-in-one e-commerce web development packages – starting from $2,499 is highly recommended.
Bottom Lines
Every business owner wants to stand out from the competition; you can’t settle for a simple template website in 2022. The web development process includes many primary stages to develop an effective website.
Consider that every website development step is essential, no matter the size of the project. Understanding these steps can help you understand the entire process, understand why and how things are done, and give you control over the project.
Hiring a web developer is the best way to keep your business online. The developer is responsible for all the details needed to design the website that you might overlook. You can quickly get a mobile device-friendly web design that suits your business needs.
