Developing a Web Presence

It’s becoming very easy to create websites but it’s become harder to create websites that attract and maintain consumers. It’s become quintessential to understanding the Internet as a medium and how web users interact with it. When creating a website there is a six step process that can be used as a guide to ensure everything is staying on track and meeting the wanted objectives of the company in need of a website.

The web development process begins with discovery where we begin to study and analyze the requirements needed through emails and questionnaires. The next phase is defining the proposal and specifications which will create a further understanding about the system that is needed. Next, the designing of an actual prototype website is created to check that the client is seeing eye to eye with the designer and that the interface, navigation, and all the specifics wanted are being implemented into the site. Once we have a prototype the actual development of the site can being. This is where integration of content and databases are applied as well as usability testing and any further programming that is needed. Now that there is a working, running website it’s time to begin final testing and the actual launching of the site. Final testing would include load testing, cross browser compatibility testing, resolution testing, and integration testing. All of these final tests will help work out any undetected bugs in the system before the launch of the site. The last step, and it’s by no means the final step, is maintenance and evaluation of the site. This process is constant once the site is launched and it’s purpose is to refine, implement, and retest any changes that were made.

When it comes to establishing a web site another important aspect is picking a service provider. There are many questions that should be thought about when trying to make an informed decision for who fits best with the needs of the company/website. Some common ones are: how long have you been in business and who are some of your clients; what industries do you specialize in; what qualifications do your team members have; and also what devices will a web site be available from. All of these things are important things to know about your service provider to help chose an appropriate provider. Another issue that is very important is whether the provider is national or regional. It’s not always a good plan to go with the bigger company because there are pros and cons to using either size of provider. While national providers are usually established and have been around for years they may be less responsive to small business customers. Although regional providers are most often just as established as national providers they may not survive in a competitive market in the long term. There are many important things that should be taken into consideration when choosing a service provider including business size and the future needs of the website.