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14 Crucial Steps To Take Before You Engage In The Web Development Process

 

In this post-modern global environment, almost everything and everyone is connected to the web. From business to entertainment, the web encompasses information and source for and from every essential aspect of our life, and the numbers speak for themselves. With 5.3 billion active internet users, individual engagement with the internet and websites has recently increased substantially. This indicates the need for having a good digital presence, especially when business websites are concerned.

Websites are one of the most essential elements of the digital representation of businesses around the globe. Reports indicate that there are around 12 to 24 million eCommerce websites worldwide. Although there is a large gap between the lower and upper end, the numbers are still substantial. E-commerce is expected to account for 20.8% of retail sales in the USA in 2023. Hence, the need for a good website is imminent. Even on the other end of the spectrum, individuals can benefit greatly from personal profile websites to leave a remarkable impression on their employers or clients.

Nevertheless, when it comes to website development, unfortunately, there are substantially fewer websites that stand out in the market while leaving a lasting impression on the viewers. Hence, getting it right is exceedingly difficult, yet still very essential.

Many factors must be considered before launching the website development process. This way, your website is much more user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and highly functional. So here are these 14 factors you should consider before developing a website that would represent you or your brand:

Target audience

It’s essential to develop an excellent understanding of the customer or user base you want to cater to. The factors to consider are demographics, interests, needs, etc. This can help a website ensure that the content, functionality, and design are all tailored to the particular needs of the user base or target audience. When a website looks irrelevant to the individuals it is catering to, its charm and attractiveness for those people are substantially reduced. Hence, no practical results.

 

Goals and objectives

Understanding the goals and objectives of why you are building a new website are very crucial. This is because a website should be specialized and focused on the greater purpose it is supposed to serve. This allows the developer to design and code as per the specific needs, saving time and further efforts of developers to update regularly on small or large levels as different complications arise.

Branding

A website is the digital face of you and your brand. Consistent colors, font collection, and imagery all over the site can be great tools for branding; hence, getting it right during the planning process can allow brands to reap many benefits. This is why sorting out your branding requirements is pivotal before diving into the development process.

User experience

With the regular enhancements in the tech world, users are increasingly spoiled by all the advances in user experiences. Therefore, make sure that your website’s UX stands tall and meets the state-of-the-art levels shown by competitors. Your website should be easy to access and navigate with a logical and crystal-clear flow. Therefore, investing in designing before the development starts can be vital.

Responsive design

Since there has been a clear increase in smartphone usage over the past few years, individuals from around the globe are now connected to the internet, and most of them access it via smartphones. Therefore, designing the website in such a way that it works absolutely fine on mobile screens of different sizes is pivotal for the success of your website.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Although SEO is mostly done once a website is created; nevertheless, keyword research and content creation ideas can be worked on even before or during the development process to formulate more holistic and compelling content for SEO. Furthermore, with the developments in the SEO industry, there are many different kinds of SEO in the modern day, which may require more work and knowledge. Examples are Video SEO and structured data for SEO. This means working beforehand on organically boosting your website through SEO can be effective.

Content

Hiring a great resource for content writing is just as important as having an excellent web development team. This is because once the website is built, these content writers must do most of the work to make it meaningful with their text. Thus, before starting the development process, contacting content writers and selecting one or more of them for research on the target audience and industry you are catering to can benefit the website.

 

Calls-to-action (CTAs)

There should be clear and concise CTAs within the website to encourage website visitors’ specific actions. These can include signing up or making a purchase. Writing engaging content can make your CTAs productive.

Speed

Nobody has time for a slow and lagging website. Therefore, you should work on sorting out your hosting needs and server management to increase traffic and reduce bounce rates.

Security

Working on the security of your website in advance can be critical. Getting your firewall ready and researching the right tools for internet security can save your website from hacking and other security threats.

Analytics

Listing the KPIs and planning website infrastructure before developing a website is pivotal for analytics and information gathering. This way, you can understand whether your website is delivering, or not.

Support and Maintenance

Even before the development process, the company or individuals should have a team and plan to ensure the maintenance of the website they are about to build. This ensures fewer problems after completing the development process since further issues in the future are efficiently dealt with.

eCommerce capabilities

If your website is an e-commerce website designed to improve online sales, focusing on integrating shop and payment options can be widely beneficial. Developers should know what kind of shop they want and which payment methods are required to incorporate into the site.

Accessibility

In this time of an all-inclusive environment, make your website more accessible for all users, which may include people with disabilities. Developers should know which audiences would be using the website, and therefore, they can add different features catering to the unique needs of every individual.

By focusing on each of these factors, one can ensure that the website they are about to develop is in the best possible shape and design for the users it will be catering to. It can further enhance the website’s ability to meet the business’s goals and objectives.

 

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