The general process of developing a website includes a series of common steps needed to launch a successful website:
- Planning (two to three weeks)
- Content creation (four to six weeks)
- Website design (two to three weeks)
- Testing and review (one to two weeks)
In total, I’m looking at 10-14 weeks from idea to completion. These time frames are estimates, and your process may take more or less time depending on how complex your site is. Let’s dive into the details of each step.
Step 1: Planning
This initial phase lays the foundation for your website. What is your target demographic? Will your website include a blog? What combination of colors and design elements will work? After completing the planning phase, you should fully understand how you or the developer intend to proceed.
The time spent in this development window depends on a few factors:
- The complexity of the website: Is it a single scrolling page or a series of web pages?
- The website creator: Are you building it yourself, working with a single developer, or hiring a team?
- The purpose of the website: Does creating this website help customers understand how does your business work? Is it used to sell products or services?
You want to make sure the planning phase addresses all of your concerns before moving forward. Although the actionable window of website development gets a lot of attention (ie creating a design or writing content), this is also when problems can arise, as they were not addressed during the planning phase.
Consider than the average The useful life of a website is two years and seven months. It is highly doubtful that when these sites were created, the plan was to abandon them after a couple of years. That’s why when you plan your website, you need to keep in mind the issues that usually contribute to dissolution and abandonment of websites. Here are some examples:
- Lack of updates and outdated content
- Bugs and maintenance issues
- Poor UX
- Inability to connect with the target audience
- Poor search engine optimization (SEO)
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By addressing common issues during the planning step with a strategy in the long run, it could help extend the anticipated life of your website after launch.
Planning Tools
Moving through the planning phase it’s easier when you have the right tools. You can, for example, create a sitemap to determine the exact layout and navigation flow of your website before moving on to the design phase.
Some popular website planning tools include monday.com, Trello, or other project management tools. Platforms These tools can help you map out the timeline for your website launch, map out the type of content your site will feature, delegate tasks to team members, and more.
Step 2: Content Creation
It doesn’t bode well to wait until after a release to start planning content. It’s not enough for a site to appear complete when activated; content is part of your long-term strategy. It should be regularly checked for accuracy, and if your website includes a blog, you should have a content calendar that determines when it is updated.
As for the type of content on your website, considerations should go beyond no matter how long or short a blog post is. Can visitors get an informative white paper or e-book? Studies also show that video and audio content can increase the time visitors spend on a website. One study showed that up to 57% of website visitors stayed longer when video content was available.
Canva is a great tool for creating all kinds of content for the web, whether it’s text, audio or visual. Grammarly, which can help you avoid embarrassing typos, is another solid investment that integrates seamlessly with Google Docs or WordPress. Both tools offer free plans and premium access options.
Due to the nature of writing, recording, and editing video or audio for the web, you may need a longer preparation window before launch . But taking the time to create great content for your website is an important step when building your website.
Step 3: Web Design
In this phase, your website should start to take visual form. . Often that means deciding whether your website consists of a single scrolling page, a complex system of dozens of responsive pages, or maybe you even need a mobile app.
This stage can seem incredibly daunting if you don’t have time or resources. for a comprehensive design team. However, web design software options such as mockup tools or website builders are worth considering.
Creating a Mockup
If you were to explain what a website looks like or how it works to someone who has never heard of the Internet, how would you I would? are you going to do that? Sometimes words only go so far; a complete visual impression can be the best solution to convey the desired look.
Enter the mockup. A standard mockup is the creation of a web page that accurately conveys the expected final form it will have at launch. Although they are not the full and functional version, they do help you or others to visually understand the intended website. For example, mockups:
- Determine if an idea is realistic or functional before committing, saving time and money if it doesn’t work
- Helps select the best aesthetic options for themes color or fonts
- Demonstrate how the website will appear on different devices, allowing you to make adjustments for ease of use or visual appeal long before launch
Once Yes choose a mockup that best reflects the website you want to create, it’s time to consider the best method of bringing your site to life.
Using a Website Builder
Thanks to the advancement of no-code software and related tools, almost anyone can build a website without needing to learn Python or JavaScript. These days, there are many powerful website builders that work by allowing you to “drag and drop” virtually every aspect of your site, allowing you to build it exactly as you envision it, piece by piece.
The Builders Website developers don’t just handle the creation process; some also manage the site’s hosting needs. They can also serve as a vital tool for preparing and finalizing the look of your website before going live.
Some of the most popular website builders we recommend include:
- Weebly: Weebly is affordable, easy to use, and highly flexible. It’s a great option for small businesses and individuals, and also offers eCommerce options.
- Squarespace: One of the best-known website builders, Squarespace combines award-winning templates with an editor easy to use drag and drop.
- GoDaddy: Who knew that creating a website could be as easy as answering a few simple questions? In addition to domains and web hosting, GoDaddy offers customers a simple website builder to get them on the road to a quick and easy website launch.
If you want to learn more and locate the best option for your needs, read our full comparison of the best website builders.
What about Discovery?
Whether you work With a single developer or team developer, you need to set aside time for discovery. This crucial initial phase involves research and data analysis that will answer the developer’s questions about how best to configure the website according to business and customer needs. The developer can ask questions or raise concerns about potential user experience issues.
Depending on the complexity of your website, the process can take anywhere from a few weeks to half a year. In the end, everyone should have a concrete understanding of the intended design and function of the site.
Step 4: Test and Review
Once you create a website, a period between its completion and planned release should be reserved for review and testing. Items to check before allowing the site to go live:
- Site speed. One study found that a website load time of four seconds or less it is ideal for e-commerce conversion. . That said, Google found that bounce rates increased by 32% when websites took longer than three seconds to load.
- User Experience (UX). Does your site web includes navigation tools such as a menu or “back to top” function? Is the font too light or small and so hard to read? Do you use AI chatbots or can a customer communicate with a live human during business hours? It is crucial to ensure that when you design a website, you do so with visitor ease and comfort in mind.
- Quality of content. Businesses with persistent typos on the site web lose twice as many customers as their more grammatical competitors. Before launching your website, double check for writing errors. If you’re not confident in their ability, consider hiring a publisher or using a tool, like Grammarly.
- Plugins. A crucial reason to consider website plugins is that they incompatibility can cause various problems. Your web page may not load correctly due to a plugin error. Run all the necessary checks to make sure the plugins are compatible and up to date.
After testing and making the necessary changes, you can finally move on to the most exciting part: a successful launch of the plugin. website.
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