Web development is the process of building, programming, and maintaining websites and web applications. Website developers use various programming languages, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to develop websites and web applications.
What is web development?
Building websites for the Internet is referred to as web development. The definition of “web development” is somewhat open-ended.
Technically, both of those would qualify as web development. You could meticulously design a large website with thousands of unique pages or create a single website page from a Wix template.
Web Basics
Before creating a straightforward blog or a company website, you must comprehend how websites function. A website is essentially a collection of files on a server viewed by clients using browsers like Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. You should be able to distinguish between the two central concepts used here: server and client.
Server vs. Client
A computer serves as a host or repository for files used by websites. A vast network of servers that we generally refer to as the Internet is interconnected. A computer used to access websites serves as the client. You are now reading this article on a client’s computer. When we utilize the web, data is transferred back and forth from servers to clients.
Back end versus front end
Front-end and back-end development are the two main divisions in web development based on client-server interaction. The user interface, or what you see on the browser when using the Internet, is the focus of front-end or client-side development.
The focus of backend or server-side programming is on background operations. The website’s back end appears to non-developers as a random collection of letters, numbers, and symbols. Still, it houses the digital infrastructure that properly keeps a website functioning.
The front end of your website would be the storefront and product display section if it were a physical business, where customers could see the products and make purchases. The back end would be considered the back end of the stock room and back office, where goods are transported, stored, and inventoried.
Code Editors
Web developers utilize a code editor as a tool to write and edit code. It is a crucial tool for creating websites since it includes specialized features that make editing code easier.
An integrated development environment (IDE) combines many development tools to make coding more accessible and is a more sophisticated and reliable tool. These days, Visual Studio, Atom, Sublime Text, and Vim are the most popular code editors. Check out VS Code, a simplified version of Microsoft’s primary IDE, Visual Studio, if you’re a newbie. Beginners will love VS Code since it is simple to use and offers features that can be customized.
What is the difference between web development and web design?
Both terms have a similar connotation, and you may have also heard the term “web design.” “web development” and “web design” are frequently used interchangeably to describe different aspects of websites. If you’re interested in learning more, we offer a web design and development video.
What makes web development crucial?
Because your website is the hub of your online marketing, web development is essential to any digital marketing plan.
Users eventually return to your site due to your paid advertisements, social media posts, and email campaigns.
Web development elements
You need to know the leading web development elements to create your website before we get into the process steps. We’ll first define what it means to “create a website” before examining several web development methodologies.
Learn more by reading on!
Website terminology
What exactly does it mean to “create a website” when you work in web development? The most straightforward approach to responding to this query is simply going through basic terms.
A website is a file that is kept on a server that hosts other websites. Through the Internet, these servers are linked. A browser is a program created to load and display websites from servers on your computer screen when you visit a website.
Browsers may also be referred to as clients. Knowing all this can be beneficial while learning about web programming because your browser and server play a significant role in the procedure.
Hand coding vs. CMS
You have two main alternatives for building a website: from scratch coding or using a website builder. You create the complete website from the ground up when you code from scratch.
If you want a website builder, design it from an existing model using a content management system (CMS). With the help of a CMS, you may put together the fundamental components of a website without having to be an expert coder.
In other words, the CMS prepares the coding in advance, leaving you to organize the visible pieces. While a content management system (CMS) is handy if you don’t know anything about coding, hand coding allows you to design a more personalized website for your business.
The web development process
When you’re ready to develop your website, you’ll want to follow a particular series of steps to ensure optimal results. For the next section of our web development overview, here’s a six-step description of the web development process!
Develop a plan. Laying out a project should be your first step before developing a website. Instead of putting out a homepage right away, think about what you want your site to be before you start.
List precise objectives as the best method to accomplish this. Goals like “enable people to purchase our items on our site” and “inform users about our products and services” are examples of common objectives.
Goals such as “familiarize users with our staff members” are also possible. Next, think about your website’s target audience. Who will go to your website? What will they be looking for?
Throughout the rest of the development process, keep your goals and target audience at the forefront of your mind.
- Create a sitemap
Following the development of some broad objectives, you may begin organizing the precise design of your website.
Making a sitemap, where you list all the sections and pages that will make up your site, is the easiest way to accomplish that (not to be confused with an XML sitemap).
You can create a sitemap using a pen and paper or online. You’re merely attempting to picture how your website’s pages will be arranged and connected. In the end, this sitemap will be the key to designing an efficient navigation system on your website that enables users to navigate it easily.
2. Purchase a domain name
The following action is domain name registration. The URL for your website is its domain name. The ideal strategy is to use your company name as your domain name for a business website.
To check if your desired domain name is available, you can perform a search online. You might need to modify and edit your name to discover a public domain.
The next step is to select a website host. Try to make your domain name immediately connected with your brand when coming up with it, and keep it short if feasible because lengthier domain names are more difficult for users to remember. You can also register your domain name with a website builder like Word Press.
3. Build your backend
You can start coding as soon as you are familiar with your website’s layout. As previously mentioned, you can decide to accomplish this using a CMS like WordPress.
If so, you can construct your website using preexisting components or templates, but remember that it won’t be as distinctive as if you had designed it from scratch. Don’t just grab a template and edit the text on the website, whatever you do.
Templates should be used as a jumping-off point. Therefore you should transform them into something fresh and new to assist produce a distinctive design. If you choose to hand-code it, you’ll probably use HTML, CSS (cascading style sheets), and JavaScript as your web development tools.
With HTML as the foundation and the other two tools augmenting the fundamental code, all three of these products let you create websites from scratch using code.
Once the initial code is complete, you should optimize the other backend components. This includes figuring out where to host your site and how to arrange and retrieve data from it. The backend optimization procedure is intricate and sophisticated. However, the following are some of the steps you may anticipate taking:
- Set up forms to collect data
- Store image files
- Set up cookies on specific pages
- And more!
Backend optimization is a crucial step in the development process, mainly if users can make purchases on your site — the data they enter has to be stored somewhere.
4. Build your front-end
The logical next step is to develop the front end of your site after finishing the back end. To do this, prepare the areas of your website that visitors will view when they arrive, such as the background and worktops.
When using a CMS, you skip this stage and instead choose color schemes and rearrange things on the page rather than coding your website. On the other hand, if you start coding from scratch, you must first create your code before adding any website items.
Some common front-end elements include:
- Color schemes
- Font choices
- Navigation layout
- And more!
When you build your website, make your site user-friendly, and brand yourself visually during this step.
5. Launch your website
When you’ve finished the steps above, all that’s left to do is publish your website! Of course, you’ll want to test everything out first to ensure everything is operating as it should.
But you can make it public if you’re confident that everything is in order. You may keep tweaking and updating your website to raise its search engine ranking and boost customer conversion rates.
Three Easy Tips for Novices in Web Development
- One skill at a time is the first rule.
Instead of attempting to learn everything at once, build a solid foundation by mastering the fundamentals before concentrating on picking up new skills one at a time. This guarantees greater comprehension and mastery.
- You don’t become an expert after taking one book or course.
There is more to web development than just academic understanding. You must practice the abilities and information by creating real websites or participating in group web development initiatives.
- Remain current.
Following the most recent developments in web development is critical because technology is constantly changing. Additionally, keep an eye out for updates in pertinent technologies like multi-cloud, blockchain, and deep learning.
Conclusion
To give your customers a better website-using experience, you, as a business owner, must learn about the web development process. Knowing the procedure will also make it easier for you to work with your web development company. Spend some time learning at least the fundamentals because doing so will eventually result in sustained business success.
All the best to you!
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