Website Design & Development

5 Key Points of Website Design and Development

1. Domain Name

A domain name is the first part of a website address. For example, in 'https://weboost.com.au/web-development/', the bold and highlighted part is the domain name of WeBOOST. Each website's domain name is unique and represents your business. Common retailers to acquire a domain name for your business include GoDaddy and CrazyDomain.

2. Server

A server is the storage device of a website. When a browser needs to access information from a specific website, it retrieves the information from the server. Websites with high traffic usually use their own servers, which can lead to higher maintenance costs. For small to medium-sized businesses, servers can be shared with other websites to reduce costs while providing performance comparable to dedicated servers.

3. Website Content

More content on a website is not necessarily better. Instead, a website should provide information where users need it. A clear website structure and guidance are essential for user experience. Content should also align with the needs of its purpose and target audience.

4. Content Management System (CMS)

The content and design of a website should be continuously updated with the latest industry news and company updates. Following the latest business developments, an excellent Content Management System (CMS) should enable businesses to respond accordingly. The system should also streamline the update process to reduce maintenance costs.

5. Data Analysis

Website improvements rely on data analysis to provide valuable user behavior data. Website designers utilize user behavior data to understand how users perceive the website and make improvements accordingly. These fine-tunings help the website better adapt to its audience to maximize its effectiveness.

Steps for Website Design and Development

1. Website Planning

Website planning involves identifying the target audience, required information, and necessary features and characteristics. This helps establish a common visual language for design and determine the information structure of the website.

2. Website Design

Website design starts with the basic structure, mapping out the positions of images, text, and buttons. Based on this structure, the frontend (user end) of the website can be created and presented to form a demo.

3. Website Development

Developers will build databases, backend systems, and features based on the website design. After initial development, the website enters the testing phase, including functionality and user experience testing, as well as loading speed testing (such as Google's PageSpeed Insights).

4. Website Deployment

Prior to website deployment, domain names, servers, and hosting services must be arranged. Once these services are ready, the website can be deployed immediately.

5. Website Maintenance

The content and code of the website require ongoing maintenance to ensure the website remains up-to-date. This may also include other website optimizations, such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), to increase traffic and improve website conversion rates.

Creating a Website with Outstanding Design

Prior to designing a website, it should be determined what the purpose of the website is. The primary purpose of a website is to showcase company information, including products, services, vision, and culture. In the digitalization of businesses, especially in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, websites have become the primary channel for enterprise communication. A design that aligns with the brand image and provides a pleasant experience for users is crucial for the brand's online presence. Based on the required features and functionalities, website design is divided into three aspects, namely functionality-based websites (e-commerce websites and software operations), brand image-based websites (used for online brand promotion), and information-based websites (such as Wikipedia and Quora). The design of the website should be adjusted according to the purpose of the website.

5 Steps to Consider Before Designing a Website

Due to information overload, users prefer websites that are more direct and focus on user experience. Here are 5 steps to consider before creating website design:

1. Establish a Marketing Model

The fundamental purpose of a website is to attract more potential customers. Therefore, a website's marketing model should be built based on factors such as customer needs, current market conditions, and business operations. This model will help determine the structure of the website as well as the digital marketing strategies needed to achieve lead generation and sales objectives.

2. Establish Information Hierarchy

Based on the goals and nature of the business, the second step in designing a website is to determine the required features and functionalities of the website and establish an information hierarchy accordingly.

3. Design an Interactive Use Case

Using Adobe XD and/or Sketch, designers can plan the design and structure of each page. Both of these software also support prototypes, aiding in user experience design (UX design) and testing information hierarchy.

4. Visual Optimization of Webpages

Through the use of design software such as Photoshop and Illustrator, designers can optimize the appearance of the website, including aspects such as color, typography, images, and videos.

5. Website Testing

By using software prototypes and staging websites, the user experience and design of the website can be tested before final deployment, allowing for final adjustments.

Key Considerations for Website Design

Website Theme

Since the internet is filled with information, conveying the core idea of the webpage at first glance is crucial. An optimized structure is also required to convey ideas and relevant information. Some website design approaches that highlight the website theme include color schemes, images, animations, and videos. Remember that the content should also be relevant to the theme.

Design Strategy

There are six main aspects to website design: clarity, simplified operation, unified theme, high-quality images, consistent color schemes, and excellent user interaction. Following these six aspects can help the website provide an outstanding user experience and maintain brand image.

Design Layout

The layout of website content is crucial for information dissemination - which is the goal of the website. Therefore, the design of the website can help achieve the website's objectives. An optimized layout can also help users access the desired information more quickly, enhancing their user experience.

Color Schemes

While colors are often used to highlight parts, they should also remain consistent with other colors used on the website to help build the company's image. Additionally, when using colors, color contrast should also be considered to aid color recognition for visually impaired individuals.

Use of Multimedia

In addition to colors and text, websites often require images, illustrations, and videos to help convey information. When selecting media to use, ensure that the media aligns with the website's design and theme. Additionally, efforts should be made to minimize file sizes to prevent poor user experiences due to long loading times.

Information Hierarchy

An optimized information hierarchy helps users find relevant information more quickly. It also avoids a decrease in conversion rates due to prolonged browsing times. Using header tags (such as h1, h2, and h3) to segment website content can expedite information retrieval. Additionally, links to internal pages or external websites can encourage users to read more relevant information. Alt tags for images are also helpful for user understanding when images fail to load.

Loading Speed

The loading speed of the website is closely related to user experience and search rankings. As expectations for the internet increase, users expect shorter loading times. Currently, the maximum acceptable loading time for users is 3 seconds.

File Formats

Choosing appropriate file formats when exporting website designs can help reduce file sizes and website loading times. Suitable file formats include jpeg, png, svg, webp, and javascript animations.

Communication with Users

The ultimate goal of the website is to showcase information and encourage user interaction with the brand. Therefore, the website should be optimized for user conversion. This includes e-commerce websites showcasing their online shopping capabilities, showcase websites encouraging user inquiries, and informational websites encouraging users to read more information.

Continuous Testing

As other websites continue to optimize, user expectations also increase accordingly. Therefore, website design must be continuously improved to maintain conversion rates.

Content Updates

Similar to user experience, the content of the website must be updated regularly to provide useful information.

Commonly Used Programming Languages and Tools in Website Design and Development

1. HTML

HTML is the basic programming language used for websites and web applications. HTML is rendered by web browsers to display the intended effects of a website.

2. CSS

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a programming language used to define styles. It is used to define and describe elements within HTML to simplify the styling of different HTML tags.

3. JavaScript

JavaScript is a programming language that allows web developers to create powerful and unique animation effects on websites. JavaScript supports many real-time functionalities such as content updates, interactive maps, animations, and videos. Using JavaScript, interactions with other pages can also be improved to enhance user experience.

4. PHP

PHP is an open-source programming language. It incorporates features from C++ and Java and is used to build databases or manage data on website servers. In the website development process, using PHP can quickly create responsive web pages. PHP has better compatibility than other languages and supports multiple platforms.

5. ASP and ASP.NET

ASP allows web developers to create responsive web pages, including contact form collection, file uploads, and downloads.

6. SQL

SQL is a programming language used to retrieve data from databases. This language helps retrieve data from databases such as MySQL, Oracle, and Sybase.

Definition of Content Management System

As enterprise websites require continuous updates to website content, product and service information, Content Management Systems (CMS) help employees with little website experience to update content on the website. Virtually every website needs a Content Management System to manage website content and perform necessary updates. The advantage of a Content Management System is that even employees with little website training can update content on the website.

Employees can edit text content, images, and templates in the Content Management System. The system converts the edited content into website code. This helps improve the efficiency of website maintenance.

However, Content Management Systems also have limitations. Changing website structure using a CMS is relatively difficult. A Content Management System cannot automatically convert changes to website structure into code. Therefore, if any changes to the website structure are needed, professional website developers are required.

What are the common Content Management Systems?

Some common Content Management Systems include WordPress, Magento, and Shopify.

WordPress

WordPress is one of the most widely used open-source Content Management Systems in the world. The security of WordPress makes it a Content Management System used by government agencies. Due to its consistent website structure, WordPress is also considered search engine friendly. Consistent structure helps search engines understand website content faster and rank it higher on search engine results pages.

Magento

Magento is an open-source e-commerce Content Management System with a highly modular structure and rich features. It is also easier to use and integrate with other platforms. However, Magento's powerful system requires higher server and processing capabilities. Websites managed by Magento typically require professional website developers for maintenance.

Shopify

Shopify is an e-commerce system created as SaaS (Software as a Service). It now serves over 500,000 stores in more than 175 countries worldwide. Many of these stores are cross-border e-commerce websites. Shopify is very suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises to operate their e-commerce websites. However, Shopify requires monthly fees and additional commissions per transaction. Additionally, the website is not fully owned by the enterprise and has limited customisation.