Launching a website may seem like a very easy process basically involving choosing an agency and setting the price point with them. However this is also the primary reason why so many sites fail as they fail to make the selection correctly.
Although there is no dearth of web development companies in India, the challenges in getting a good website designed and developed remain, as many agencies are not equipped to deliver as per client expectations. It is very imperative for companies to adhere to globally defined process steps while designing and developing a website to ensure that the final product is the result of a well thought through process.
Adherence to a set process for website design and development helps to ensure that a website passes through all quality checks before being delivered to clients.
Below is a quick look at the main steps while designing and developing a website:
As a first step, website design companies in India need to research or gather information on the client and the industry as part of the process of designing and developing a website. This involves understanding the purpose of building the site, target audience for the site, nature and demographics of the target audience, objective sought to be achieved through the website, whether it is simply disseminating information or to sell a product.
Planning the site map comes next. This includes defining the main pages or subjects to be covered in the site as well as the sub pages which work as a guide for developing the content and navigational system on the website. Deciding on the technology to be used on the site is also very important, be it an e-commerce software solution or an interactive flash based website.
The third step involves designing the look and feel of your site based on information gathered during the first two steps. It is very important to keep the target audience in mind while designing the look and feel as a website for a financial institution will differ significantly from a website aimed at selling fashion items. Corporate website development companies typically build a couple of prototypes of the website for the client. Based on client suggestions and feedback on the prototypes, the final product is developed.
Design and development of the actual website is the next step and this typically begins with putting together the template for the home page, and then the subsequent pages.
Testing the site for functionality and cross browser compatibility comes next. A good website development company will be aware of and adhere to global standards of website design and development. Once the site has been rigorously tested for functionality and compatibility, it is delivered and uploaded on the client server through a FTP program.
The last stage involves providing ongoing support and maintenance for the website to the client to ensure that the website is continuously updated and remains compatible with new web standards.