What’s the best starting point for a Web Development project?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

The key question for anyone who wants a new website is – where to begin? First you need to understand exactly what the phrase Web Development means in terms of online resources. Web Development refers to the setup and implementation of a full website including certain programming functions such as search bars, online shopping carts, content management for individual pages etc. Many of the updateable functions are usually controlled through a password protected administration area, or ‘backend’

Although a Web Development project often includes the design of a look and feel of a website it generally refers to a more technical approach with a bigger focus on usability for the end user.

Usually a new website project goes through the following phases:

Brief and Consultation (including rough outline of design and functional requirements)
Design of look and feel
Implementation of programming and setup of a test website
Content Editing and layout Tweaks
GoLive (Website Launch)
Further Amendments
Marketing

The above is a slight simplification of the process but it highlights the biggest oversight in most web development projects i.e. that content and marketing objectives need to be outlined in the initial brief and planning phase. We cannot possibly stress how important it is to integrate marketing requirements from the very beginning of a project.

A fantastic website that is built in a way that is not search engine friendly or that has a confusing message loses out on what is usually the main objective of a website – to make money. Content needs to be both compelling and rich with the right keywords for relevant search engine traffic. Visitors from search engines, such as Google, are often a main source of website traffic and every visitor is a potential sale.

It is best to choose a Web Development company with vision and with the long term goals of your business in mind. These days it is simply not enough to place a glorified brochure online and expect a great Return on Investment.

Inspiration Marketing is a professional web development agency in Dun Laoghaire that focuses in providing professional websites which are easy to maintain and which work effectively with the search engines. Our long term marketing efforts focus on growing your website into a competitive online asset.