A website is no longer just an online representation of your brand. Today, it is a popular medium that holds the power to convert one-time visitors into loyal customers when built strategically. It is one of the most effective strategies for brands to excel in a digital world.
Building an ideal website is no easy feat if there are no proper processes in place. Given that it can serve as a strong foundation for businesses, it is important to follow a web development best practices checklist. Before we dive into key web development best practices, let’s take a quick look at why it is important to create the ideal website.
In a world where consumers prefer all things online, having a strong digital presence is important. Of all the mediums, a fully functional website is the best way to generate more revenue and increase credibility. It introduces users to your brand, makes the purpose of your existence known to them, takes them through your journey, makes them aware of your products and services, and puts your vision and mission in the spotlight.
Let’s get to exploring web application development best practices. Each one of these key factors is the building block of any website. They can help businesses design and develop sites par excellence, and in a way that minimally speaks volumes of the brand.
Web Development Best Practices Checklist
1. Brand Analysis:
The first on our web development checklist is conducting a thorough brand analysis. A great website has to represent your brand in its entirety. Every business is different – be it in terms of the industry it belongs to, its scale, business goals, and product and service offerings. As such, make sure that you work with the brand’s internal team to gather all the necessary information.
This analysis will help you understand clients’ vision for the website – what are the aspects that they want to highlight and communicate through the website. You can create a solid framework in line with their vision and keep all the teams updated on the same. It will also help you get started on foundational processes like content mapping and keyword mapping.
2. Design Mapping
The most fun factor on our website development checklist is the designing process. Given that 75% of website credibility comes from design, this stage needs due expertise. Start with building a detailed blueprint of how the system should behave to better guide the programmers and form the outline for the content to be developed. Simple but accurate wireframes and sitemaps in the initial stages can bring clarity on the matters of website functionality as well.
Expert designers explore diverse templates before picking the right one. The website has to be designed in a way that enables a visitor to find any information on the website with no more than three mouse clicks or finger taps. Engaging UI/UX can make online user experiences more efficient and rewarding, eventually contributing to faster organic growth.
3. Domain & SSL Set-up:
When it comes to the technical aspects of creating a website, the first thing to do is to secure a domain name at the earliest. It is a tricky task to acquire the name of your choosing in the era of domain hoarding. If delayed, purchasing a domain name can prove to be an expensive affair.
The second most important thing is to focus on SSL certificates. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client. It is one of the key metrics that Google considers while determining the rank of a website. With this feature, the website will get easily noticed by search engines. As such, equipping your website with SSL can help it win additional points and stand out from other competitor websites.
4. Hosting & Storage Set-up:
The process of setting up web hosting and storage stats after you analyze the scale and the nature of the website to be developed. It is critical to study all the possible options when it comes to storing your files and scripts. It is a common practice among developers to code and deploy sites offline, like a local host or a site hosted on another domain.
Why is it important to set up web hosting and storage early in the development stage? Doing so will help you select the right plan that can best manage and store your codes and external tools that you leverage during development. Here is an example – if you use Node.js, then you will need a hosting plan that allows you to install and run Node.js on the server.
5. Programming Languages:
Studying the specific requirements of your project should give you clarity on which programming language will best suit the development project. Make a list of all the scripts and languages that can be leveraged for a seamless website development cycle.
The choice of programming language depends on the complexity of the website, as well as the languages that the developer team is well-versed in. If they have good knowledge of JavaScript, go with the JS language as it can enable developers to make the most of their skills. Given that they are comfortable with the chosen language, they can experiment and explore with ease.
6. Speed & Mobile Friendliness:
83% of people expect a website to load in 3 seconds or less. 94% of people judge a website based on its mobile friendliness. These statistics vouch for the undeniable importance of optimizing the page load speed and ensuring the website’s mobile responsiveness.
Today, responsive design is the need of the hour given that mobile usage is rapidly increasing. It is a way of providing users with a seamless viewing experience across multiple devices (desktop, tablet, smartphone). In addition, popular search engines like Google prefer mobile responsive websites. More than 20% of Google searches are now performed via mobile devices. With mobile responsive websites, it becomes easier to manage and increases conversion.
7. Bug-fixing & Security:
No matter the kind of development project, some errors and bugs are bound to present themselves at some point in the development journey. However, as they say – where there is a will, there’s a way. Make sure that your team comprises developers who will not be taken aback by unwarranted bugs and are adept at fixing the errors without much delay in the project.
It is no secret that millions of websites fall prey to hackers. This can be a direct result of bad file access rules, out-of-date software, irresponsible handling of content, or even poorly coded websites. This is why security is another aspect that is equally significant in the web development process. Setting up the right security strategies will protect your website against cyberattacks and other malicious threats lingering over the internet.
Best Website Development Company In Pune – Contact CodeXCypher
At CodeXCypher, we help brands build websites that look visually appealing and ensure seamless navigation through all web pages. We provide new-age solutions to help brands stand out in a highly competitive online space. Our efficient team has in-depth knowledge of the front-end as well as back-end development. Each one of our web development services is designed to bring the best browsing experiences for users.
We are home to an extensive range of development services including Front-end Development, Back-end development, Custom App Development, and E-commerce development. If you are looking for a company that will build you a personalized website, designed and developed to absolute perfection, then feel free to get in touch with us at +91.9740473270 or drop us an email at info@codexcypher.com
