Website Development Step By Step

Jul 25, 2023

Building a website is more complicated than you might think! It takes a great deal of careful planning and mapping out exactly what you want. That takes time! There are providers out there who will put together a website in 48 hours or less, but it is guaranteed to be a cookie-cutter design that is being used by a hundred other businesses. That's no use if you want your brand to stand out above the digital clutter that makes up the internet. If you want a custom website that truly reflects your brand's values, you need to work with an experienced website builder in Knoxville and have a little patience! Perfection takes time!

Let's take a look at the step-by-step process of website development when you work with a website builder in Knoxville.

1 - Gathering Information

One of the first and most important steps in website development is to sit down with your website builder in Knoxville and share as much information about your goals for your new website as possible. Think carefully about the purpose your website is going to serve, your goals, and, of course, its target audience. Do you need a single landing page for your business that guides customers to take action? Or, will your website be an e-commerce site to sell products? A news portal for business people will look very different from a magazine site aimed at teens. This information will help shape how your website builder in Knoxville approaches the development of your new website.

It is also important at this stage to think about your preferences in terms of style, functionality, and overall aesthetic. If you have examples of websites you particularly like, this can be a great way to develop a 'mood board' to guide the process. The more information gathered at this initial stage, the less likely you are to end up having to spend additional resources addressing unexpected issues at a later date.

2 - Mapping Out The Site

There may be a bit of overlap between the information-gathering stage and your website builder in Knoxville beginning to plan how the website will look. A sitemap will be created using the data gathered in the previous step showing how the website will be laid out and how the inner structure will look.

3 - Time to Design

Once the site layout has been mapped out and agreed upon, your website builder in Knoxville can start working on the fun part - designing. This is where the site begins to take shape, and the visual content starts to be brought in. Throughout the process, the designer will refer back to the gathered information and the site map to ensure the design stays on track for the brief. It is important that the design will work well with the required functionality and that it appeals to the brand's target audience.

During the design process, it is common to make revisions to tweak the overall design, but if your website builder in Knoxville has done their due diligence in the information-gathering stage, the finished design should be very close to the desired outcome!

4 - Content Creation

The most beautiful website in the world is nothing without some captivating content that your visitors can engage with. Creating the content for your website is something that will usually overlap with the design phase since the copy is needed to lay it out among the graphic elements. Like the designer, the content creator will need to refer back to the information gathering to make sure they use language and tone that is appropriate to the brand, and that will also resonate with the target audience.

5 - Coding

Once the layout, design, and content have all been approved, it is time to start working on coding - this is where the website comes to life! Your website builder in Knoxville will usually code the website on a demo server first to iron out any kinks before it goes live on your business's domain. On-site SEO may also be carried out at this stage in the process to make sure the website is as attractive as possible to the search engine algorithms.

6 - Quality Control & Launch

The next step in the process is one of the most important. Your website builder in Knoxville will run a series of quality control checks to make sure everything is functioning properly, looks amazing, and loads on all browsers and devices. They will check for spelling and grammar, click every link, and test every function. Only when they are completely satisfied will they launch the site.

7 - Ongoing Maintenance

Website development continues once the site is launched! A good website builder in Knoxville will also provide an ongoing maintenance plan to keep your new website running smoothly. This should include checking for broken links, testing contact forms, backing up site files, and checking your server for junk files or signs of suspicious activity. The last thing you want to do is spend time, money, and effort getting your new website perfect, only to leave it to die because it hasn't been adequately maintained!

To Your Best Online!

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Ingrid Maddox, Internet Marketing & Strategy Consultant. bluedress INTERNET MARKETING®, an Internet Marketing Company headquartered in Knoxville, TN. Internet Marketing Developed, Implemented, and Managed to Full Circle! Organic Internet Search Engine Guru. Turn-Key Internet Optimization Programs Placing You Everywhere and Anywhere You Need to Be Online.

ingrid@bluedressinc.com

865-378-7712