Website development involves the technical aspects of making a website functional, while website design is concerned with how a website looks. With that in mind, let’s see who can do website development.
Anyone Can Start a Website Today
Starting your own website can be as easy as a few clicks. There are numerous DIY web templates available, some free others via subscription. These templates come with relatively basic features which are best suited for sites with a couple of pages, requiring limited customization and which do not expect to have high volumes of web traffic.
However, for most businesses and organizations, or for anyone who expect web traffic growth, they will want a full-fledged website that is capable of more customized functions.
So let’s focus on what a fully-customizable website requires—a professional web developer.
Developing a Website from Scratch
Having unique ideas or sleek features on your website requires more than mock-ups and pretty layouts. Your web developer will need to know what code is best suited to support a given feature, and whether it works well with other code written for your website.
‘HTML’, ‘CSS’ and More
Being well-versed in HTML and CSS is a pre-requisite for any web developer, but developing a website requires more than these. Web developers who are proficient in database and server-side scripting will be required to develop a fully-functional website; one that receives updates and integrates with web services and databases. What’s more, websites need to display and function optimally on mobile devices, so a web developer will have to be familiar with mobile website frameworks and ensure that features and layouts can be readily adapted to a variety of devices without limiting key functionalities.
It’s Showtime but that’s Not the End
Getting your website live isn’t the end of a project. Websites need to receive ongoing support with special attention paid to security and performance issues. From malware to hackers, viruses to system crashes; websites have to be kept secure while ensuring robust performance. A web developer with expertise in security and system administration, and who will be on hand to monitor your website is therefore a valuable addition to any website development team.
Web Developer as Consultant
The average web developer is able to assemble a website from scratch. However, not any developer is in a position to offer advice from a strategic viewpoint; how best to structure a website based on your current and future KPIs for the website for example. Having a web developer who goes beyond order taking and instead contributes in the capacity of a consultant will therefore be beneficial.
Getting the Right Team for the Job
Depending on the complexity of a website, multiple specialists may be required, each working on one specific aspect of a website. Websites which call on web applications may require developers with proficiencies in web services and application programming interfaces. While websites which require CRM capabilities will require developers with working knowledge of CRM integration and related expertise. If your website is based on a Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress, then a developer with working knowledge of a language like PHP (the language behind WordPress) may be required.
Website development goes beyond the technicalities. From proposal and ideation to development and launch; developing a website requires holistic project management that aligns with your goals, budget and timelines.
How Verztec can Help You
Verztec is a leading ISO 9001:2008 Global Content Consulting Company that offers website development and localization services in over 100 languages, supporting companies across various industry sectors, in addition to having expertise in communication design. Verztec applies its diverse expertise to serving clients’ specific needs by taking a bird’s eye view of clients’ strategic needs and organizing the relevant expertise which work as one unified unit to achieve the objectives of clients.
Drop us an email at enquiry@verztec.com or call +65-6577 4646 for a discussion on website development solutions that are tailored to your specific needs.
About the Writer
Jonathan is an Editor at Verztec Consulting. Coffee and travel photos may get him hyped up for conversations. Alternatively, simply toss him an idea or two for a storyboard or a write-up on technology, design and marketing.