If you are a business owner on the fence about developing a website, you have come to the right post. This gives you an insight into developing a website according to the web development life cycle. A professionally designed website can enhance online presence, increase traffic, and generate leads. Despite conventional wisdom, the web development life cycle outsteps coding. Read on to learn what stages you need to go through before launching a website;
Here are the holistic six stages of the Web Development Life Cycle
Riya Yadav
Before you hire custom website developers
, you need to understand the web development life cycle.
So, what is the web development life cycle?
The software and web development life cycle adheres to a specific standard that has to be followed to move in the right direction. There are frameworks, methodologies, modeling tools, and languages involved.
Let’s discuss web development life cycle stages one by one;
Stage 1: Gathering Relevant Information
The first stage is the most important as it involves understanding the client’s requirements. Identify their needs and help them in providing the perfect solution. Have a clear idea about the target audience. What the business goals are and how the website will be utilized to accomplish those objectives.
Here are the considerations:
Purpose:
1. What is the purpose of the website that the developer will be building?
2. What is the actual plan: to provide information solely, sell a product or service?
Objectives:
1. What is the main goal of building the website?
2. Whether it is informational or promotional?
Target Audience:
1. Is there is a specific group of people that will help in accomplishing your objectives?
During the website design and development process
, it is important to visualize what type of people would you like to visit the website. Consider their age, gender, likes, and dislikes. This will certainly help in designing the best website according to their interest.
Content:
1. What type of content do you post on the site?
2. Is the audience looking for a specific type of information?
3. Are they looking for promotions, deals, or offers to avail?
The news portal is different from an entertainment site, and online sites for teenagers are different from adults.
Every website is different from the other, so gathering relevant information regarding the project is very important. So, it is vital to get insights so that an aesthetically appealing website is created.
Related Read: Top 10 Solid Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website (Bonus Tip Included)
Stage 2: Planning – Sitemap and Wireframe
With all the information that has been gathered from stage one, the design and implementation strategies are planned according to the type of website and target audience. A site map is created in this phase.
For building a full-fledged website having impeccable features and functionalities, it is important to plan wisely. There has to be a detailed list of all the areas of the website and the sub-topics. This is a guide that describes what content will be there on the site, and there is an easy to understand navigational system.
Think of the best user interface that is created for easy navigation. The wireframes give an outline of the pages of the website.
Take the help of tools for creating the wireframe. All the planning process should have the involvement of the client. So, the client has an idea about the blueprint of the project.
Stage 3: Design & Layout
Next is to determine the look and feel of the website. In the design phase, it is essential to embed elements like the logo of the company and the colors that help to enhance to identify the company on the website.
The designer gives life to the graphics, typography, colors, animations, buttons, drop-down and pop-up menus, and more as per the project requirement.
It is the responsibility of the web designer to create one or more than one prototype for the website. This is basically a jpeg image of the final design. Designers give companies access to the workflow so that they can view the progress of the development.
Meeting the demand of the audience with the help of web design is also crucial. If the design is mundane, the website will not be able to capture the user’s attention, and this will increase the bounce rate. The elements should reflect the brand image as well as the business vision.
Related Post: Website Redesigning Tips
Stage 4: Development
The development is a stage where the website is built while maintaining the essence of the website’s purpose. All the graphic elements are taken into consideration and are used to generate a functional website.
The process begins with first developing the home page followed by the interior pages. The main focus is given to the navigational structure of the site.
Content Management System, interactive contact us forms, shopping carts are made functional in this development step. The web design & development company suggest changes that are done after consideration.
Do you know that a successful website needs an understanding of the front end web development and backend development? This means valid HTML/CSS codes are compiled as per the web standards to enhance the functionality for a larger audience.
Stage 5: Testing, Review, and Launch
After the completion of web development, it is tested. The functionality is tested along with the device compatibility.
The web designer should be well-versed with the current trends and standards so that the design and development are done accordingly. The technologies used are HTML and CSS. The tester validates the codes written for the website.
When the designer is given the final approval, the website is ready for delivery. The quality assurance team tests for functionality, compatibility, and performance to ensure that the website is ready for the launch.
Other testing includes integration testing, stress testing, scalability, load testing, resolution testing, and cross-browser compatibility. Once the green flag is shown, it is deployed to the server using FTP.
Stage 6: Maintenance and Updation
The web development stages don’t end after deployment. There are many post-deployment tasks that take place. Some elements are changed as per the user’s feedback, support, and maintenance.
One good way to grab potential visitors and repeat their visits is to keep updating the content and adding new products on a regular basis. The website drives by CMS allows the customer to edit the content.
Hire the Best Website Design & Development Company!
Web development is a constant journey that can be made better every day. Web development life cycle involves understanding the client’s requirements, market research, knowledge about the target audience, planning, design, development, testing, and maintenance.
Hire an outsourcing team of web developers in India that adheres to all the steps mentioned above and develops an aesthetically appealing website.
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