Stages of Website Development
Developing a website can be long and tedious, or it can be a fascinating and enjoyable process. In order to ensure success and quick completion of the project, it takes good cooperation between the customer and the web designer, since at some stages the web designer needs customer action (like content provision and sketch approval) in order to proceed. Let us review the main stages of website development:
» Main Stages
- Website characterization
In this stage we characterize the website to be developed. Among other things, we will define site goals and objectives, customer requirements and preferences, time constraints, financial and technological constraints etc. - Content gathering
In this stage the customer will gather or create contents for the site (logo, texts, images, documents etc.) and will hand them over to the web designer. - Website design
At this stage the web designer will create a first sketch that includes general design for all the pages of the website, and will send it to the customer for approval. The customer will submit feedback and approve the design when satisfied. - Website development
At this stage the web designer will create all the website pages and will integrate the content from the customer. The customer will submit feedback, the web developer will perform the necessary changes and so there will be several rounds of fixes according to the agreement signed with the customer. - Website launch
After customer approval the website will go online at its permanent address. If this is a complex wite, there might be a trial period where the customer will start using the site, collect feedback and change requests and the web developer will make the modifications agreed upon. - Update, maintenance and upgrade
This is the stage after the website went officially online. At this stage the website is updated as required, by the web developer (in case of standard websites) or by the customer (in websites with a content management system). Maintenance and upgrade works will be performed by the web developer upon request.
» Summary
To summarize, website development is a non-trivial task that requires cooperation between the studio and the customer in order to launch a quality website on time. Update, maintenance and upgrade works will be performed as necessary at the stage after the official launch of the website and throughout its life.
