When you think of web development, coding languages like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML come to your mind first. True that these technologies shape the web and define how users interact with it, but there is much more going on behind the scenes. Web development is a structured journey that follows a strategic life cycle. From gathering information, planning, launch, and post-launch maintenance, each phase of the web development process plays a critical role in bringing a website to life.
To simplify things, we have curated this article, explaining the 7 crucial stages of the website development life cycle that every developer must be aware of to deliver custom and highly-functional websites.
So, without further ado, let’s begin.
7 Stages of Web Development
A web development life cycle comprises several stages, starting from crafting an idea, to designing, coding, deploying, and maintaining. It is a methodical way followed to develop highly functional websites.
Here are the 7 crucial stages that you should be aware of -
Step 1: Research and Analysis
Most people tend to avoid the research and analysis phase. However, it defines the entire experience of the website development process. Gathering information on the project and client is crucial to ensure that websites perform as per the requirements of the users.
Unless your developer has a clear idea about what they are working for and what the requirements are, they will not be able to provide the right solution for your website needs.
Before moving on to the next step, ask yourself these questions -
- What is the purpose of the website?
- What type of website will it be — commercial, informational, portfolio, etc.?
- Do you understand the differences between CMS vs custom-built website?
- Which type do you aim for?
- Who is your target audience?
- What do your users need?
- What do you expect to achieve from your website?
- What are the features you wish to include?
Having answers to these questions will help you understand the nitty-gritties of your website and plan further. Ignoring research and analysis as the core of your web development best practices will make the following steps irrelevant and your goals difficult to achieve.
Step 2: Planning and Strategy
Once you have a proper understanding of your website’s what and why, building a web application development plan is what you should do next. Based on the information gathered in the above stage, make informed decisions and strategize every aspect of the website — design, content, technology, marketing, etc.
The best way forward is to have different teams, with defined roles and delegated tasks. Have them decide on the content structure, the wireframe, the website development technology stack, and the methodology. Here, create sitemaps, estimate timelines, define deliverables, and allocate resources accordingly.
Step 3: Designing and Wireframing
This stage in website planning and development involves crafting website layouts and defending the UI and UX. The layout of the website includes designing a rough sketch that gives developers the look and feel of the web design. The aim behind drafting a layout is to present a visual tour of your website for your team and clients.
Step 4: Content Creation
Content is what communicates with the customers. Content curation is a crucial aspect of every web development project. Without quality content, no matter how fancy the designs, you cannot achieve what you desire — engagement and conversions.
Content promotes your company in an easy-to-understand and attractive manner. Content updation, including CTA changes, creative headline curation, format changes, line editing, updating texts, and changing images, goes throughout the development lifecycle.
Step 5: Code and Development
Once your designs and content curation are completed, the next step in the website design and development process is coding and development.
This phase is often defined as the actual development phase, where the above steps take shape. Here, the most time-consuming part, the client-side and the server-side of the website, is built.
Several web development frameworks, tools, and technologies are leveraged in this step to ensure high-performing and customer-centric websites. Here, the front-end and the back-end of the website are developed, including transforming the design into interactive elements and building actual features.
Step 6: Testing and Quality Assurance
Testing and quality assurance are at the core of the website development checklist. Once the website is built, it is essential to thoroughly test it to identify and eliminate any bugs and errors. Some of the important testing types include -
- Stress testing
- Unit testing
- Integration testing
- Load testing
Additionally, as part of the web development methodology, the app's functionality, usability, compatibility, and performance are thoroughly tested.
Here, project consistency is also maintained to ensure a seamless user experience. Small plugins and SEO additions are also considered in this step.
Step 7: Deployment and Maintenance
Once your website development workflow has completed all the above steps and your quality assurance manager has approved it, the next step is to launch the website for end-users to browse.
However, the work of the custom website development professionals does not end with deployment. Continuous maintenance and support are necessary to ensure the website performs as desired. The best way to identify the scope of improvement is to seek constant feedback and work on it.
The above steps define how websites are developed from concept to deployment. Every step of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is crucial, regardless of the project's size. Although coding is essential, every web developer should also focus on these stages to ensure that websites are built in alignment with user requirements, thereby ensuring engagement and conversions — the ultimate goal of websites.
Conclusion
Website development is a complex process and requires defined steps and a methodology to build sites that perform and convert. Understanding the differences between a custom website vs template-based website defines the entire process.
Depending on your requirements, you can modify the development process. To ensure seamless development, you can invest in tailored development solutions and build high-performing and functional websites that attract, engage, and convert.
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