What exactly is professional web design, development and what makes a good website?

The web design industry began back in the 90s, just as the internet was publicly launched.  It started well before the digital marketing industry as we know it today. web design was quite a different thing back then.  Now it has been changing rapidly and technologies are becoming more and more advanced.  This is why you need a professional agency who can take care of your web design and development.  Back in the old days, a website was just intended to be viewed on a computer screen, through a desktop or laptop computer.  It was simpler back then because you would just be concerned with a website that could be viewed on a standard computer screen or maybe larger size screens.  But now, we have other devices, such as tablets and mobile phones.  So, your website must look great on all these different types of devices.  This is called responsive design and it is fundamental to web design nowadays.  The mobile market is now taking over much of the web design industry.  More and more people are viewing websites on mobile phones, rather than on desktops or laptops.  Your website may look fantastic on a standard computer screen, but have you checked it on a tablet or mobile?  It may look distorted, irregular and terrible on mobile and/or tablet.  A truly professional website must look great on all devices.  This is why a professional agency should be hired to ensure that your website is professional and looks clean and right.

Building a website professionally is an intricate process.  You may see find tools that can give you a basic template.  Tools that try to automate the process for you will never produce a custom-built site that is really professional and representing your business with amazing content to help you shine to your customers.  As a professional agency, we start the process of design on paper.  This could involve a wireframe of your website, which is a basic sketch of where everything should be and why.  A lot of thought and consideration will be involved in this initial stage.  We will consult with you to understand your business and this will help in the style and design of your website.  We will look into what elements of your website are going to be important, where the content is going to be placed and why.  Then we look at a mock-up of the site.  This is where we decide what type of fonts, colours and graphics we will use.  It is very important to determine the font styles, colours and images that we are going to use, before we even build the site.  Colour schemes are absolutely critical and essential to get right.  The colours of your site need to be planned very well and determined.

During this mock-up stage we will convert the wireframe with the text, colours and graphics.  It will be like a small-scale model of the website.  Next, we can start building and developing the website.  this is the implementation and during this stage the site will have testing and prototyping to check the functionality and performance.  Web designers and developers will be involved in building the site.

But what is the difference between web designers and web developers?  While designers focus on appearance and usability, developers focus on functionality and structure. Web designers conceptualize the idea and look of a website, creating a mock-up based on visual, UX, and UI elements. Web developers determine whether the concept is technically plausible, and if so, program and code the site.  Web developers require a solid amount of technical knowledge. This includes understanding complex programming languages and frameworks. While there is some research and analysis involved, a web designer’s role is less technical and more about the visual and creative elements of a website. Web developers require a solid amount of technical knowledge. This includes understanding complex programming languages and frameworks.  Both web designers and web developers play a critical role in building, constructing, and maintaining websites. Ultimately, the two roles depend on each other to deliver a quality product.

A professional website must look great but also function as expected.  It is about looks and functionality.  Also, there must be good content on the website so that you have visitors.  Not just anything but outstanding content or remarkable content which will engage your visitors to stay on your website and read more.  Your professional website must be designed for conversion to turn visitors into leads.  There must be good content on the website which is outstanding and remarkable to engage your visitors.  Your site needs to have responsive design to make sure it looks great on any device, regardless of screen size.  Your site also needs SEO so that it can rank well for relevant search terms and appear on the first page, ideally at the top of the results.  The website also needs security with a good SSL certificate, especially if you are accepting payments or have an e-commerce site.  Security is essential and a professional website must be able to function well and not be affected by malicious attacks.

A great website is essential in today’s world if you want to remain professional and competitive. You simply can’t grow a brand without one. We offer a professional web design, development & consulting service. Our mission is to provide your business with proven, strategic advice, to enable you to achieve your goals efficiently and cost-effectively. We can help you to create a new marketing strategy or enhance your existing strategy. Our websites are designed with a strong focus on innovative and engaging design elements and user-focused features specifically catered to individual needs.  Our technical expertise means we are able to produce websites which are professional, accessible, intuitive and engaging with high performance.  So, let’s get started now. Contact us for a free consultation and quote.