Web Development (original) (raw)
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Explore one of these categories to go more in-depth on a specific web development topic or keep reading for our beginner’s guide to web development, complete with additional development resources.
Learn the basics of web development
Learn key web development terminology
Get the latest web development statistics
Learn about web development technology and tools
Learn about web development for SMBs
Learn about web development for B2B companies
Learn about web development for B2C companies
Learn about web development for ecommerce companies
Learn about web development for enterprise companies
For your digital marketing to succeed, you need a professional, high-quality website. And to achieve that, you need professional web development.
Web development forms the backbone of a business’s online presence, so it’s essential to get it right.
Check out the free web development resources on this page to learn about this topic, from basic definitions to explanations of web development services.
Learn about the basics of web development
There is so much information online about web development, but what does it actually mean?
The Internet has been around for almost 30 years, and I don’t think it’s going anywhere. Our children will never know what it’s like to wait for your dial-up connection tone to play on a Saturday morning while you grab your seat in front of the computer for your weekly dose of 56 kbps Internet access!
Just like the Internet has evolved, so has web development. Having a business in 2024 without a website means that for millions of people, you simply don’t exist. Here, we will take a look at the basics of web development and provide a simple and clear understanding of what all of this means.
What is web development?
Web development is the process of creating a website for users to find on the Internet. This can apply to a simple text webpage, a beautiful and intricate website, a web application, or even a social network. Web development has many categories within it, such as:
- Front-end web development: What users see
- Back-end web development: How the code runs in the background
- Full-stack web development: Both front-end and back-end development
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Why is web development important?
Web development is significant for various reasons, such as creating a presence for your brand online and creating a portal online for consumers to purchase your products from. Below are our top five reasons why web development is so important:
- Create ownership: Creating a website and online presence is vital for your brand and business in today’s time. Users are talking about your business online through reviews and social networks. Some may even refer to directories. By taking ownership and creating your own pages, you can manage client feedback and deal with it accordingly.
- Publish content: By building a website for your business, you can publish information online and tell users exactly why they should work with or purchase from your brand.
- Generate more leads: By creating an online presence, you can dive into marketing resources such as Google Ads, search engine optimization, and social media advertising. Through these strategies, you can ensure that when a user matches your ideal customer, they see your business online and realize that you have the product or service they are looking for.
- Manage your reputation: Brand reputation is an important consideration for any business. Online has become the new “word-of-mouth,” and by creating a solid brand identity and interacting with your customers, their associates are more likely to do business with you too.
- Monitor and adapt your strategies: Through extensive reporting of your online platforms, you can adjust your offerings and marketing strategies to meet your client requirements everywhere that they may be searching for you.
Learn more about the basics of web development
How web development works: 3 essential elements
To understand how web development works, there are three main aspects that you need to be familiar with:
- Architectural design: This is the base and most significant part of your website. It’s the frame of your website, and everything else done afterward will be done as an add-on to this frame. Architectural design is usually done by a back-end developer.
- Aesthetic design: This is the visual side of your website. Aesthetic design makes the user experience enjoyable and enables users to easily read and navigate your website to find what they are looking for. It is typically done by a front-end developer.
- Information design and interface design: This involves taking information and preparing it in the best possible way for your users to digest and understand.
3 types of web development
There are three main types of web development.
- Back-end web development: This type of web development is one of the most important roles as this is the brain and engine of your website. This is usually written in Java, PHP, Ruby, C#, MySQL, or MongoDB. This development is responsible for making sure that data can flow between the server, the website, and the front end of a website.
- Front-end web development: This type of web development is often referred to as web design. This is the front end of your website and is usually written in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, React, or AngularJS. This development process is responsible for the look, feel, and interactive components of a website. This is the development process that takes place in order for the end user to have a good experience on the website.
- Full-stack web development: A full-stack developer is a developer who can program and work on both the back-end and front-end of a website. They understand the role of both the front-end and back-end and can handle both types of development work.
What is the web development process?
Building a website and the steps taken depends on the company you work with, but the basics will remain essentially the same.
- Planning: In this process, you will establish what the goal of your website is, who your audience will be, what type of website you wish to have, how much content you will publish on a weekly/monthly/annual basis, how your website will showcase your product or service, and what your budget for this development project is.
- Create a wireframe: In this step, you will establish which individual pages you want, how to organize those pages into categories, how the pages will link together, and what the user experience will be like. You’ll also need to keep in mind that you want to make it as easy as possible for users to find what they are looking for and get in contact with you!
- Write your website code and develop the back-end of your website: This process will be done by a back-end developer who will build the mainframe or brain, if you will, of your website using one of many coding languages. Usually, you will have at least three coding languages used on your site, which all work together to create the desired functionality. This includes how your website will function, your pages, your content, your database, the general infrastructure, and the general user experience.
- Build the front-end of your website: This will usually be done by a front-end developer, who will now take the infrastructure of your website and turn it into something visually appealing that visitors will enjoy browsing through. This includes images, fonts, colors, and general styling.
- Use a content management system (CMS): This step is optional, but it’s often helpful. You can skip much of steps three and four by using a CMS such as WordPress or Wix. These systems cover both front and back-end development in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
- Purchase a domain name: This is your web address and how users will find the website you just created. You will need to acquire a domain name by using sites such as GoDaddy or Hover, which allow you to purchase a domain name and set up an address for visitors to use to access your website.
- Launch your website: This process is when your website will go live for everyone on the Internet to view. Once you have done some technical checks, you are ready to unveil your website to the world.
Learn more about the web development process
Working with a web development agency
Many businesses choose to work with a web development company to ensure they’re putting their best foot forward with their website.
What does a web development agency do? These companies can build websites for businesses from the ground up, improve existing websites, and maintain websites over time. They can also develop mobile applications, build digital tools, and more.
Some businesses hire agencies that focus purely on web development. You can also work with a full-service digital marketing agency that offers web development along with various other digital marketing services.
These full-service companies can ensure your web development projects and other digital marketing campaigns are aligned and work well together to maximize the results of both.
Learn more about working with a web development agency and how to find one to work with using the resources below.