We live in a digital age where people have access to information about anything and everything at their fingertips. The advancement in technology has allowed people to use the internet either through desktops, laptops, or smartphones with complete ease.
Today, people have easy access to internet connectivity and can search for a particular product or service they need without any difficulty. Traditionally, an established company had the luxury of spending a significant amount of money on marketing and advertising, giving them an advantage over small business companies.
But today, small and startup firms can give tough times to established companies by using cost-effective digital strategies. Once you begin a startup business, one of the essential steps is to design and develop a website that can help potential customers learn about your products or services.
Why is a website so important for business?
Every business and every organization needs an exclusive website to mark its online presence and reach out to possible customers. A website makes it easy for both a business company and consumers.
A customer can easily search for and find information on the products or services of a company from its website without calling or visiting the retail store. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur bringing a wide range of cosmetic products for women and men, then you need to employ the services of a web development company that can develop a website for you.
Many startups have a limited budget and tend to engage freelance designers, which can be risky. Freelance designers tend to take on numerous projects at one time but find it difficult to timely deliver them. Some of the freelancers focus on the money and less on the quality of work.
On the other hand, the top web development companies in California have a team of qualified, trained, and skilled designers and developers. The team is not only skilled but also knows about the trends and best-suited web design according to the business. A website must
- Make a good impression on the target audience.
- Fulfill a particular need or want of the consumer
- Reflect the expertise and quality of the business organization.
- Compel the online user to make a buying decision.
There are several elements in website development, and a website a common person sees on the internet is a result of several processes that comprise both back-end and front-end web development. As a startup business owner, you need to write precise details about your business, upload photos, write product descriptions, set prices, explain the online delivery method, and many other factors.
The Three Key Aspects of Website Development
Web development is a term that defines the processes that enable the smooth appearance and functionality of a particular website on the internet. The three fundamental elements of website design and development are
- Front end, or client/customer, and defines the local computer, device, or browser that a person is using to gain access to a website. One of the key things is to ensure that the website functions the same across different devices and browsers. The tools include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- The back end or server acts as a remote computer and necessary to manage database and site code generation. The tools include Ruby, PHP, Python, and Java.
- The database is the information that is used or generated every time a potential customer visits the website. For example, the page an online user opens, the products he may click on, and the purchase he makes are all recorded in the database.
Due to the extensive elements of a website, some skilled individuals deal with one aspect of the website. For example, a graphic designer is responsible for seeing how a website looks by determining the fonts, layouts, themes, and images. A front-end developer is responsible for all the coding needed for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Web designers are an integral part of website development and deal with the appearance and usability of the website. The front-end developers act as a bridge between the web or graphic designers and back-end developers; they also manage client-side programming and apply the designs given by the web designers.
The back-end developers also manage a huge list of tasks, which include
- Develop server-side logic.
- Designing an API (application programming interface)
- Manage connections with the database.
- Manage security and authorization.
The web development company also employs a full-stack developer who’s an expert in managing both client and server-side. You may think that a web developer may spend an entire day writing complex codes, but there are other important activities that he may perform, such as
- Analysis
A web developer needs to constantly engage with the client from the start of the project. The purpose is to gather all the functional and non-functional details so a seamless website can be made. A web developer needs to have all the relevant details about the website to plan the architecture more profoundly.
- Code Review
Before a new code is added to the main codebase, it needs to be reviewed by other experienced developers. The code is tested, and then changes may be made accordingly.
- Mentoring
Once a web developer becomes a professional, he needs to train other junior developers and mentor them.
Final Thoughts
Once you have found the best web development company to work with, you need to have a meeting to discuss the content and structure of the website. Some of the common things to discuss are
- The design of the home page, landing page, and other pages
- How many pages should it have?
- The design of layout, fonts, and images
- How will an online user click from one place to another?
It would be best if you mentioned your goals so that the developer knows exactly what website design you want. The web development process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the type of website design you want.
If you want to integrate online shopping features such as shopping carts and payment processing, it will take more time to develop a fully functional website. You need to test the website’s functionality and ensure that it runs smoothly across different devices and browsers.
You also need to update the website regularly and add information about the changes in your business offerings. You need to employ a web development company that not only designs the website but also performs timely checks and updates.