The 5 Stages of Website Development

If you're thinking about developing a website for your business, you might be wondering what the process looks like. Well, wonder no more!

In this blog post, we'll walk you through the five stages of website development—planning, design, development, testing, and launch—so you can have a better understanding of what to expect. And of course, our team of web developers will be there to help you every step of the way!

Stage 1: Planning

The first stage of website development is all about planning. This is where you determine your goals for the website, who your target audience is, what kind of content you want to include, and what features you need. This is also the time to start thinking about your domain name and hosting plan. Our team can help you with all of this so that your website is set up for success from the very beginning!

Planning is often overlooked as an important part of website development, but it is essential in ensuring that your website is built to achieve your specific goals. Our team will work with you to make sure that all of your needs are met and that your website is set up for success.

In the wise words of Benjamin Franklin,

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." So don't skip this critical step!

Make sure that you dedicate time and resources to planning so that your website turns out exactly the way you want it to.

Stage 2: Design

Next comes the fun part—design! This is where you get to decide on the look and feel of your website. You'll choose colors, fonts, images, and layout. You'll also create any graphics or videos that you want to include. Our team of designers will work with you to create a custom design that reflects your brand and resonates with your target audience.

Design is sometimes combined with development however, we believe it is critical to have a dedicated design phase. This is because your website's design should be based on your goals and target audience—not on what coding is possible. By having a separate design phase, we can make sure that your website look exactly the way you want it to and that it's set up for success from the start.

Our design process consists of designing mockup pages for your approval. These pages will look exactly how you want your website to look however, not have the functionality as that is done in the "development phase". Once you've approved the design, we'll start coding it into a working website.

Stage 3: Development

After the design is complete, it's time to start developing the actual website. This is where all of those beautiful designs are turned into code and brought to life on the internet! Our team of developers will take care of everything for you so that you can sit back and relax while we do all the heavy lifting.

Development is where design and functionality come together. Our developers will take your designs and turn them into a working website. This includes coding all of the pages, setting up hosting, and integrating any third-party services that you might need.

During development, meetings are necessary to ensure that the website is being built to your specifications. We'll also perform quality assurance testing at various stages of development to make sure that everything is working properly.

Stage 4: Testing

Once the website is developed, it's time to test it out to make sure everything is working properly. This is when we check for bugs and broken links, test forms and applications, and make sure the site is compatible with all major browsers. Our team will thoroughly test your website before launch to ensure a smooth experience for both you and your visitors. Along with this, you will be given access so that you and your team can  test out the website before launch as well. This is to ensure that you are happy with everything and that there are no surprises come launch day!

Stage 5: Launch!

After all that planning, designing, developing, and testing...it's finally time to launch your website! We'll help you get everything set up on your chosen domain so that your site is live and accessible to everyone in the world wide web. Congratulations—you're now officially open for business!

Conclusion

As you can see, there's a lot that goes into developing a successful website. But don't worry—our team at NFDEVELOPMENT has got you covered! We've helped plenty of businesses through every stage of website development, so we know exactly what it takes to create a site that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. Contact us today to get started on your own custom website!