Majority of people choose website designer for their website development. Creating a quality website is a long and laborious process. This article will help you understand how to create and design a website step by step.
Step-by-step process of website creation and development
Stage 1 – Determining the goals of website development and conducting research
At this step, it is very important to understand why and for whom you are developing a website. Without correctly setting goals and objectives, you will not be able to create the necessary site or you will be able to, but, even in the process of creating a site, you will understand that you will not get what you wanted. You need to work closely with the customer (or think, if the customer is you) in order to understand what exactly the customer expects from his future website. It is also important to conduct research on competitors of your topic and draw up a diagram: what functionality they provide to users, what design and structure they have.
Stage 2 – Development of technical specifications (TOR)
It can be, as a rule, for both the customer and the contractor. But the terms of reference are being discussed and agreed upon, of course, by both parties, since some things cannot be known by the customer, but some by the performer. Drawing up the correct technical specification is simply a necessary step in the stages of creating a website , if something is missing in the task, for example, an additional module, then the performer can refuse to finalize it (within the framework of this task).
What should it include?
- Outline the target customers of the site, as well as the overall mission;
- A structure in the form of a diagram, consisting of main sections, subsections and an approximate number of pages;
- Wishes for modules (there are a great variety of them: feedback, we will call you back, question-answer, filters, etc.);
- the procedure for the provision, processing or creation of graphic and textual information;
- What technologies to use (CMS type, script libraries, whether there will be a mobile version, etc.);
- Description of the design (general design – you can use examples from other sites, basic colors, logo, location of various blocks)
Stage 3 – Creating a website design layout
In the process of developing a site, when creating a design, this item must be divided into several sub-stages of creation.
- Provision of a specified number of layouts of the main page, different in concept.
- Refinement and approval of the selected version of the concept.
- Creation of layouts of internal pages (categories, goods / services, contacts, if a mobile version was planned, then each layout must be redone for the mobile version as well)
- Refinement and approval of each of the typical pages
The layout may lack content: both text information and photographs that the customer must provide in the process of creating a site – it can be temporarily filled with demo text and pictures. But all design elements must be drawn.
Stage 4 – Layout, programming and implementation in CMS
At this step, purely technical work takes place, the quality of which depends on the professional skills of the layout designer and programmer
- The versatility of layout on CMS – the ability to implement additional modules without unnecessary difficulties
- Coding – A simple rule: the smaller and more competent the code, the faster the site will load.
- Validity (correctness) – The correct use of the CMS functionality when implementing a design / structure / modules – will allow a third-party specialist to easily deal with the system
- Cross-browser layout (Cross-browser) – adequate display of the site in all kinds of browsers (IE, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc.) As a result of these several stages of work, we will get a fully working website, but without any content.
As a result of these several stages of work, we will get a fully working website, but without any content.
Stage 5 – Filling the site
Without text and photos, the site has a fairly conventional value. The customer provides information and fills the site with text and pictures, or the contractor does it (depending on the agreement). As a rule, if the customer does this, he is provided with instructions for working with the CMS.
It is best to send all materials to a professional copywriter for writing. This text will be read by customers and will form the basis for the customer’s reputation on the Internet.
6 – Website launch on the Internet
The contractor transfers the project to hosting, the customer provides or buys with the contractor a domain name (site address) and the site successfully starts on the network. If any preliminary work on SEO was set in the stage 2, for example, adding a site to the Yandex and Google webmasters, creating an HTML sitemap, installing metrics and analytics, then the contractor carries out them.
Stage 7 – Testing the site
Several people are selected, for example, friends or subordinates who use our website like a customer, and check the operation of the site from various devices: the work of the modules, whether the links are correct on the pages, whether all the pictures are loaded, etc. This stage usually lasts from a week to a month.
Stage 8 – Website development and promotion
It all depends on the website owner, if the website owner wants his site to bring him sales, new customers, then the development process must be directed over him in several forms:
- It all depends on the website owner, if the website owner wants his site to bring him sales, new customers, then the development process must be directed over him in several forms
- Create new materials, promotions, news ď‚·Promote the resource ď‚·Asking visitors if everything suits them, is it convenient everywhere
- Give different types of advertisements. That is probably all that can be said about the step-by-step creation of sites in order. Thank you for the attention.
That is probably all that can be said about the step-by-step creation of sites in order. Thank you for the attention.