How web development can boost your marketing strategy

Web development plays a pivotal role in elevating marketing strategies by providing businesses with a robust online presence. A professionally designed and visually appealing website not only enhances credibility but also facilitates easier access for potential customers seeking information about products or services. Through search engine optimization (SEO), web development contributes to improved search rankings, ensuring greater visibility and organic traffic. Responsive design is crucial for reaching a broader audience, as mobile devices become the primary means of internet access. Additionally, the integration of social media features and content management systems enables seamless interaction and regular updates, fostering engagement. Analytics tools integrated into the website offer valuable insights into user behavior, guiding data-driven decisions for marketing optimization. E-commerce capabilities expand market reach for businesses selling products or services, while email marketing integration and user experience optimization contribute to lead nurturing and increased conversion rates. Furthermore, web development ensures branding consistency, reflecting the company’s identity across the digital landscape. In essence, a well-developed website is fundamental to establishing a strong online presence, enhancing credibility, and ultimately driving the success of marketing endeavors.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

What are the different types of web development?

When users click on a website link, such as a “Pay Now” button, they rarely think about the underlying code that takes them to a payment page. Web developers are responsible for creating the look and feel of that button, as well as the logic that drives the website. Here are the three main types of web development:

Front-end web development

Front-end web development is responsible for the look and feel of a website. This means how colors, type, icons, and images appear. Increasingly, front-end development has to account for how a website looks on all devices, from desktop to tablet to phone. Typical programming languages include HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Front-end developers keep up with cutting-edge trends in web design and development to make sure websites are optimized for users and search engines — and with security best practices in mind.

Back-end web development

Back-end web development is responsible for building and maintaining the code that runs a website. This code connects the website to the server and ensures that data flows properly to the website and that transactions are processed correctly. Typical programming languages include Java (different from JavaScript), PHP, and MySQL; newer tools include Python and Golang. Back-end web developers can keep up with changes in technology by participating in networking communities that share coding tips and support.

Full-stack web development

Full-stack web development covers both front-end and back-end responsibilities. Depending on the complexity of a website, a full-stack developer may be responsible for all facets of its development, from the server side to the user interface. Many full-stack developers may still specialize in one aspect of web development, but their broad experience is useful in troubleshooting or speeding up a build or redesign. Full-stack developers are often responsible for identifying cutting-edge technologies, such as enhanced programming languages (or even no- or low-code trends) and blockchain, that can be used to strengthen websites’ business capabilities.

What are the 5 Stages of the Web Development Process

The decision to upgrade your website is a big one. It requires time, money, and energy. So what should you expect during the process? We break down our process for you below!

Step 1: Design
This is the fun part. You’ll likely talk about color schemes, function, special features (like e-commerce), graphics, videos, and the overall look. We always recommend coming to the meeting with a few examples of websites you love. After that meeting, the creative team takes some time to bring your vision to life in 2D. 

Step 2: Review
Once the team has had some time to work through the design process. it’s time to show the client. This is usually done in person with a presentation. You can discuss the layout, colors, etc. during this time. Often, more meetings will follow as you’ll likely have some feedback and changes that you’d like the creative team to implement.

Step 3: Develop
Now that the design is approved, it is time for the website to go to the developer. The developer starts to build the website on a production server so you can view the site online without it being viewable to the public. During that time, you can work with the copywriter and other people in the agency to nail down the voice, content, and graphics. This is usually the longest part of the process, but it is the most important!

Step 4: Test
Once your website has been coded by the developer and you’ve settled on all of your content, it is time to review your new site on the test server. You’ll receive a link to view the website and share with your company and decision-makers. Usually there are a few tweaks that need to be made at this stage before the site is finalized.

Step 5: Launch!
At long last, your new site is ready to launch! Once you give the go-ahead, the developer will start the launch process. This includes setting up hosting and getting the domain pointed. It will also take some time to propagate. Be patient — it will be worth it! After a few hours, your site should be live and ready for you and the rest of the world to enjoy!

How to build a Better Website?

Taking the time to evaluate your existing website to determine how you can improve it will allow you to expand your reach of potential clients. Start by evaluating how visually appealing it is. Does it represent your brand well? Have you clearly communicated your message across your website? Do your pages load quickly? Does your website connect to your social media presence? If the answer is no, it may be time to build a better website. 

Here are nine steps to build a better website. If your budget allows, you may want to consider hiring a web designer to help you.  

1. Keep it simple.

Website improvement starts with the home page. Your home page clearly communicates what your business is, what products or services you offer, and who you and your team are. Include pictures of yourself, your team, and your business so visitors can feel they’re getting to know you. Think about how you engage with a website: do you read it like a book? You most likely read it quickly. Therefore, embrace the power of white space and limit the amount of text around images. 

2. Ensure your website is optimized for all devices.

Visitors might find your website via their laptop, tablet and/or mobile phone. Each device has a different screen size. Therefore, you’ll need to build a website that can engage with all devices. Responsive websitesautomatically adjust to seamlessly fit the screen size of a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or any other device your website could be accessed from. You want to be sure all visitors have a great experience regardless of the device they use. 

3. Content is king.

Once visitors find your site, you want to keep them there. You can build a better website by telling a compelling story about who you are, what you do, and how you distinguish yourself from your competitors with informative, concise content. Use appropriate and consistent colors, fonts, and high-quality images and videos.

4. Optimize site load times.

The time it takes to access your site is an important part of ensuring a great visitor experience. If your site takes too long to load, your visitors may lose patience and leave before they can learn why you’re exactly the business they should engage.

You can measure page load time with free tools such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights or the DebugBear Speed Test. Just enter your website URL for an analysis of your page speed metrics and get recommendations on how to optimize your website performance.

5. Improve inclusivity & accessibility.

When building a better website, it’s important to be thoughtful about visitors who may have disabilities. Building an ADA (Americans with Disabilities)- compliant site is a great way to ensure you provide access to your entire audience. Additionally, this can help visitors with slower network connections and improve the mobile experience. The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) is an organization with a commitment to promoting usability for people with disabilities and offers guidelines.

6. Organize your site well.

Improve your website by producing a positive online navigational journey. This can be accomplished by creating an inviting site that has a well-thought-out navigation bar with content that becomes more specific as visitors dive into the subsections under each main section. It also should have clear call to actions with working links. Clean, uncluttered web pages that allow your visitors to easily find information and navigate can encourage them to stay on your site longer.

7. Shorter can be better.

Take a look at your site’s content and ask: Is my content too verbose? Are my headlines engaging? Have I designed my content to be scannable with bullet points and links that take my visitors to helpful content? It can help to take a break after drafting your updates and come back to finalize your changes, along with asking others for feedback.

8. Implement an SEO strategy.

When building a better website, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are strategies that can drive traffic to your site. SEO is focused on driving engagement through your content while SEM drives engagement through organic and paid search. 

SEO and SEM are highly specialized fields that can improve your website’s engagement and visibility. You might consider qualified SEO and SEM professionals who know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it to ensure you’re driving as much traffic as possible.

How Many Pages Should A Website Have?

This may sound a little redundant but we’re going to explain all the differences between the different types of websites and their industries. So to start we’ll restate that the average number of pages a website has is 10 to 30 pages. But this can vary widely depending on the purpose of the website, the industry and the type of business. Let’s first look at some of the most common, most popular or standard web pages you’ll have on your site.

These are the Top Pages Every Website Should Have

Every industry and company is unique in its own right and this alone can dictate a difference in the number of pages that your website has, but the fact is that most websites have a standard set of pages that are typically included on the site. And remember that regardless of the number of pages on your website, all of them need to be optimized for search and user experience. Let’s take a look at those standard website pages.

We’re listing out the top page every website has or should have

• Homepage
• About Us / History Page
• Contact Us Page
• Service Page (in most cases you’ll have multiple services)
• Product Page (in most cases you’ll have multiple products)
• Terms & Conditions / Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Blog Page / News Page

While you likely are familiar with the majority of the website pages we’ve listed out as standard, we’ll still share just a brief description of each to make sure you know exactly why you should have them.

why website is important for a business?

A professional website opens your business to opportunities and helps increase revenue. Let’s explore how a website can help reach more customers and expand, even globally. 

• Establish credibility and build trust
• 24×7 sales channel

• Cost-effective

• Business expansion

• Increase organic traffic

• Improve customer experience

• Complement digital marketing efforts

• Create a local presence

• Attract potential business partners

• Understand your customers

• Test your product or service

• Add more value to your customers

A business website helps you connect directly with your end consumer. It also reduces the costs spent as commission to intermediaries. You can collect first-party data and completely control your brand presence and customers. To conclude, having a website is vital for any business to succeed in this day and age. It provides your company with long-term success in generating leads and conversions while building a loyal customer base.

Investing in a well-designed website will bring you long-term returns and make your business stand out from the competition.