Web development is a critical aspect of business development. Almost all industries and sectors use web applications to transform their existing infrastructure into more efficient automated processes. It would not be easy to imagine the company selling the product in the modern ecosystem without using web applications.
Web apps enhance business functions while serving clients with excellent services. It boosts the business and allows the company to drive fast in the growing economy. Therefore, every business must be aware of the necessity of high-speed websites to cater to the customers on digital platforms. Also, advance planning will tell you about the need to hire web developers for the specific job.
Large enterprises are generating millions of dollars of revenue through their website. Once you establish a web portal, you do not need a physical store to sell your product. The entire operation is managed by the automated web application from product purchase to delivery. Additionally, the web application reduces human errors. Data will be stored at each checkpoint which makes quality control easy. Based on the generated data, the company can decide to improve its infrastructure for better services.
The web development process goes through a series of steps involving planning and final website launch. There is a misconception that web development only consists of coding, but in reality, several aspects run in the background and are not visible to the viewers. It is imperative to consider small things while developing a website to avoid roadblocks in future development.
The web development life cycle begins with the design strategy, planning, and vision to build an innovative web application that delivers top-notch services to back-end users and customers. A coalition between the management team and end customers will boost the company’s growth. The article will elucidate the web development process to comprehend the challenges and scope of web development.
What is a Web Development Life Cycle?
A web development life cycle represents the entire start-to-end process of developing a single application. Team allocation, design planning, layout creation, and final quality check. Every single step consists of a vital process contributing to building an excellent product for your business.
Designing to development is the critical phase in web development. Web development begins with formulating the vision for the entire journey. A designer will turn your vision into visual art, and the layout design is sent to the developer to add a functional element to the coding.
All the inputs, operational changes, and improvisation are done during this step. Once the final design with the functional changes is placed on the server, the testing begins to verify the proper operation of each element.
The web development team is fully responsible for the operation of the website. Errors are fixed, and the quality check team will approve the top managers. These are the standard steps followed in every organization.
A checklist allows the organization to avoid bad experiences for the customers before deploying the website on the web. Errors during the operation will give a bad experience to the users. A company cannot risk losing customers; thus, they ensure the website is fully functional and ready to serve the customers globally.
Stages of the web development cycle
- Research
- Planning
- Designing
- Content creation
- Development
- Testing
- Maintenance
Research
Before you begin actual coding, research should be conducted to find the trending design in the industry. Most organizations omit this part and use the closest reference they see in the industry.
Copying what other players are doing in your industry is easy, but it will not add a unique experience for your customers. Customers will consider you as an ordinary website that looks similar to any other website on the web.
Research and analysis give your development a distinct identity. New elements will be discovered during the research process. A team of experts should be involved in the research and analysis to list the element the organization wants on its website. The information will help the designing team and the developer make the corporate website more functional and creative.
Think about the customer while doing the research. See how you can offer a unique experience to the customer and make their buying journey time-saving. Your client should feel like coming back to the store to purchase a product again.
Elements of the website should work seamlessly without any errors. A client facing errors on the website will lose interest in browsing the site and may decide to buy the product elsewhere.
Planning
Once you are done with the primary research, planning is the next step in the web development process. Every project goes through varied web development phases. Design, technology selection, content for the website, marketing, and data analysis team will join the planning process.
Divide the process into different stages and allocate the team for the job. The web development team structure will determine the outcome and time it will take to complete the project. Thus, the organization should spend more time planning to avoid future problems.
Assign roles to every individual working on the projects, so the entire team knows the responsibility of the person working in the team. Planning solves many critical problems and permits the team to execute the task smoothly without considerable challenges.
Designing
The web design team takes charge of designing a layout for the website. The front and back-end are designed separately because each of them is going to serve a specific purpose. The creative UI-UX designer team will decide on the elements for improving the customer experience.
The company’s primary objective is always put forefront to meet the expectation. Designing will begin by drawing a rough sketch, which will work as a base for the future website. After that, the graphical elements are introduced, the color for the site is picked, and the design starts taking shape.
Content
Web development companies understand the importance of content. Whenever there is a project to design a website, the content selection is made by experts. Editors are hired to work on creative content writing. Content on the website makes people buy the products and stay longer to find more details about the company.
An organization that cannot communicate what it sells through its platform loses potential clients. The fancy design would not be helpful if your client cannot understand the purpose of your presence on the web. So spend some time brainstorming about the content for the website’s front page.
Code and Development
The development team comes into the picture when the design phase is over. Once a senior management team approves the design, the final layout is assigned to the programmers.
The development team is divided into two divisions: front-end and back-end developers. Coding of the front end is done by the front end developer, who makes the website compatible with all the smart devices and computers. Another team works on the back-end system.
The team is responsible for server-side scripting and functional development. Website development is accomplished in two stages. Both the development work is merged to create a smooth functioning website. This phase of the web development life cycle is critical.
Testing
Once the development is done, the testing is conducted by experts. Every element, button, slide, and function is double-checked to ensure the website is working as expected. Errors on the website are identified and fixed during this step. The website will not go live until the testing team gives final approval.
Maintenance
Regular maintenance is necessary to keep the website fully functional even after the site is launched for the customers. Script upgrade, new element injection, and error fixing would be part of the ongoing maintenance. There will be a time when you encounter the error after the site is launched.
In summary
Web development agency are aware of all the challenges they will face while working on web development projects. Hiring an experienced Web development company would save a tremendous amount of your time because expert developers with years of experience working on big development projects will manage your project. Hope you have learned about the web development life cycle procedure and its importance in modern businesses.