Now that you know more about web design and web development for your business let’s discuss precisely the benefits that your business can get from investing more into better web design and development.

1. Sales growth

Web design and web development are the keys to a good website. A well-designed website will provide your business with sales growth and improve sales. Whether you want to learn how to make a website on your own or hire a professional, keep this factor in mind.

Web design is the process of developing a website, including its interface and how it looks visually. Web development is designing and coding a functional layout for your site, making sure it’s compatible with all browsers, mobile devices, and other devices that might access the site.

A well-designed website will provide your business with sales growth and improve sales. You can do this by attracting more visitors to your site through good web design and web development practices like using effective headlines that entice people to click on them.

2. Competitive SEO

The internet has become an integral part of the way we do business. It’s a public arena where we have to compete with the best of them. And web design and web development are among the most critical factors in your business’s success on the internet.

The key to having a competitive SEO is a website that is up-to-date with all of the latest trends, easy to navigate, and looks great. But this isn’t as easy as it sounds.

You need to consider many things when designing or developing your website, like how fast it loads, how much data it uses, whether or not it’s mobile-friendly, and if the content is relevant and engaging for your customers.

Technical SEO which comes from web development and design, can help your website be more SEO-friendly.

3. User-friendly website

According to Sytian Productions web design Philippines, a user-friendly website can make the visitors to your website stay for a longer time.

A website is the most critical marketing tool for any business that wants to succeed in today’s digital environment. It is the first thing potential customers see, and it will make or break their decision to buy from you.

If you don’t have a user-friendly website, you make it difficult for your customers to navigate through your site, find what they’re looking for and complete a purchase. On the other hand, to make things easier for you, consider using the best Figma mockup plugin to easily edit and improve your designs.

A user-friendly website should be simple, easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and have a great user experience. And an online mockup generator makes it an easier task.

4. Well-maintained consistency

Web design and web development are two different fields of expertise. One is about how your website looks, and the other is about how it functions. These two fields are inextricably linked because a website that performs poorly will not get much traffic. Also, a website that looks bad is not a website that many people will use often.

Both web design and web development aim to make sure your business stays consistent across all platforms.

5. Generates long-term customer relationships

Web design and development can help you generate long-term customer relationships because it provides a platform to connect with your customers.

Without a good website, you will not be able to generate the long-term relationships with your customers that you want.

The design and development of your website are what sets you apart from other businesses in your industry. No matter how great your product or service is, if customers can’t find it on your website, they will not convert into paying customers.

6. Accessibility to larger audiences

The web is a place where people can find information. But sometimes, it can be hard to read on the screen, or the site may not have an easy-to-use interface. If you want your website to be accessible to more people, you might need to work with a web developer and a web designer.

Web design and development help make websites more accessible for users with disabilities, such as blindness or low vision, deafness or hearing loss, learning disabilities, limited movement or dexterity problems (such as arthritis), speech disabilities, and combinations of these. This step means that there are many ways that they can help you get in touch with larger audiences.

7. Up-to-date marketing strategies

Web design and development are the two fundamental pillars of any marketing strategy. Web design is an art that can make or break your marketing, while web development is a science that can help you stay up-to-date on the latest trends in marketing.

A website is like a business card. It has to be well designed and developed to attract potential customers. A website is also a way to showcase your products and services, which will help you generate revenue.

8. Branding authenticity

A website is the first thing that prospective clients see of your business. It’s a reflection of your company’s identity and professionalism.

The design and development of your website can make or break the authenticity of your brand.

Web design is about how the website looks, while web development is about its functions. Web designers should remember that simple layouts and designs can achieve a good user experience. In contrast, web developers should consider security features like encryption and backups to ensure data safety.

Read More

The best web development software and tools will help you more effectively and efficiently create websites and mobile apps, whether you have web development experience or not.

With the full range of applications in mind, here are the 11 best web development software and tools:

  1. WordPress
  2. Drupal
  3. Joomla
  4. Wix
  5. Adobe Dreamweaver
  6. Weebly
  7. Sublime Text
  8. Chrome Developer Tools
  9. jQuery
  10. Django
  11. Laravel

Best CMS

Not all businesses have the budget or resources to hire a Web Developer or build a website from scratch. For a local web development solution, many organizations turn to the best content management system platforms.

A great CMS will be easy and intuitive to use, customizable, secure, and priced fairly. With that in mind, here are some of the best CMS platforms:

WordPress

The most popular content management system on the market, WordPress has evolved past its roots as blogging software to become the platform of choice for countless businesses and popular blogs.

WordPress is open-source, intuitive to use, and deeply customizable.

Features of WordPress

  • Features a beginner-friendly dashboard and a drag and drop interface that allows you to start designing websites with just a few clicks
  • Massive collection of more than 30,000 themes and nearly 60,000 plugins
  • Robust web design tools allow you to create imagery-rich pages that don’t require custom code
  • Optimized for SEO
  • Robust community support

Drupal

Another open-source CMS that has achieved widespread popularity, Drupal is a web development tool that can be used either by professionals with no coding experience to create a website from a template, as well as by Web Developers who can leverage their understanding of programming languages like PHP, HTML, and CSS to unlock Drupal’s advanced features and functionality.

Unlike WordPress or a comprehensive website builder, however, using Drupal to build a website will likely require the assistance or input of professional Web Developers at some point.

Features of Drupal

  • Considered more secure than the competition
  • Large collection of customizable themes and modules almost rivals that of WordPress
  • Open-source software that is free to download

Joomla

If you aren’t sure whether you prioritize the user-friendly nature of WordPress or the power of Drupal, Joomla is somewhere in between. It’s not quite as straight-forward to use as WordPress, nor is it as versatile as Drupal, but it offers some of the benefits of both. On a similar note, you will likely have to dedicate a larger budget to site design, maintenance, and hosting when using Joomla than you would for a WordPress site, but less than it would cost to run a website with Drupal.

Features of Joomla

  • Free and open-source
  • Thousands of extensions available, but you will need some know-how to implement them
  • Built-in features for creating web pages in different languages, changing your website’s SEO settings, or developing custom post types

Best Web Design Software

When looking for web design software or a website builder, companies are usually looking for a more comprehensive and user-friendly tool than even your most intuitive CMS platforms. For small businesses or companies that want to build a site without input from a Web Developer, a web design platform or feature-rich site builder might be a better option as opposed to a more complex CMS.

With that in mind, here is some of the best web design software in a web development environment:

Wix

No coding experience? No problem if you’re using Wix. One of the most popular website creation platforms on the Internet, Wix has hundreds of attractive templates to help you get started and a drag-and-drop editor loaded with worthwhile features that can be adjusted to your liking.

Features of Wix

  • Available in a free version, though it will feature ads and space limitations
  • Plenty of powerful features
  • Good for people with no coding experience

Adobe Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver is a more advanced option for professional Designers. You still won’t need extensive coding experience to create your own attractive website design, but it won’t be as easy as simply selecting a template and hitting the ground running. You will also have more control over the styling of your website compared to more restrictive site-building tools.

Features of Dreamweaver

  • Allows you to create responsive designs so you can optimize the appearance of your website for desktop computers and mobile devices without sacrificing user experience
  • Available as part of Adobe Creative Cloud, which also includes Adobe Photoshop
  • Support for HTML5

Weebly

For beginners with no programming experience at all, Weebly is likely the easiest web builder available. With its drag-and-drop tools and a small but solid collection of themes, Weebly will allow you to put together a professional and clean website without a steep learning curve. Even though Weebly is intuitive, it still offers useful features relating to responsive design, SEO, and analytics.

Features of Weebly

  • Allows you to manage, save, and easily reuse your designs
  • Functionality for email marketing campaigns
  • Offers a free plan with all key features, though you will have to upgrade to one of the paid tiers to avoid ads

Best Front-End Development Software

The best front-end web development tools and software include libraries to boost our processes and workflow, version control systems, and browser plug-ins to ensure your designs are responsive.

With that in mind, here are some of the best web development tools for working on the front end:

Sublime Text

Front-End Web Developers can always use an efficient and fast code editor, and Sublime Text might be the most popular option. Once you’ve mastered Sublime Text’s huge variety of quick-navigation options and keyboard shortcuts, this text editor will save you valuable time as you write code.

Features of Sublime Text

  • Offers support for many different programming languages and markup languages
  • Includes Python-based plugin API
  • Implement edits to multiple areas with simultaneous editing feature

Chrome Developer Tools

It’s often helpful for Developers and Web Designers to step back and preview their web designs with a real-time performance analysis on their sites. Google’s Chrome Dev Tools is built-in to Chrome and Safari and allows a Front-End Developer to see

Read the rest
Read More

It’s never been easier to create a do it yourself  website. There are lots of services where you can sign up for very cheap and drag and drop yourself a website for your company. However, having a professional web design company create your website for you can have significant benefits that a do it yourself project would not. Here are the benefits of having a website designed by a professional website company.

 

Increased Revenue

Simply put a strategically designed and engaging website will attract more visitors and help convert those visitors into prospects. This will inevitably leads to a boost in revenue which certainly benefits your company! If you want to generate more sales then it’s wise to invest in a professionally designed website.

 

Credibility

If you want to outshine your competitors you need a website that is state of the art. It needs to incorporate the latest design trends and have compelling and engaging website copy that drives your prospects towards a specific call to action. This will launch you ahead of your competitors and requires experience in marketing that most do-it-yourselfers don’t have.

 

Creates a Strong First Impression

Amateur websites can come across as sloppy and can compromise your credibility with your prospects. Having professional designers and developers put together your website will ensure a powerful and compelling first impression.

 

Better Google Rankings

A poorly designed or antiquated website will negatively impact search engine ranking performance. Google takes very seriously the investment that a company puts into its website. So if you want to stay at the top of the search engine rankings you need to invest properly into a website. Make sure that it checks all of the boxes that Google likes to see in order to enjoy a high ranking.

 

Minimize your Bounce Rate

If your website is professionally designed it is more likely that your visitors will go deeper. In fact, they are more likely to leave after looking at the homepage. When a visitor leaves after looking at the home page that is called a bounce. What we ideally want is for them to go deeper and explore what your business has to offer. That can include viewing case studiestestimonials, the variety of services that you have. We want to reduce the bounce rate as much as possible.

 

Brand Consistency

An experienced web designer or web design company will understand the different assets of your brand including your logo, font, and colors of choice, and they will be able to use this in the best way possible on your website to showcase your company.

Amateur websites or do it yourself websites often incorporate colors that don’t match the existing brand whilst use inconsistent logos and a variety of different font choices none of which matches. All of this leads to a negative user experience, it negatively impacts your credibility and it’s more likely to send these prospects who are already on your website over to you

Read More

Web developers build websites and ensure they perform reliably and efficiently. Learn more about this critical role in the tech industry and how to get started.

[Featured image] A web designer is at the office working.

What is web development?

A web developer’s job is to create websites. While their primary role is to ensure the website is visually appealing and easy to navigate, many web developers are also responsible for the website’s performance and capacity.

Types of web developers

Web developers usually fall under one of three categories: back-end developers, front-end developers, and full-stack developers. Some web developers also work as webmasters. Let’s take a closer look at each of these roles.

 

  • Back-end web developers create the website’s structure, write code, and verify the code works. Their responsibilities also may include managing access points for others who need to manage a website’s content.

 

  • Front-end web developers work on the visual part of the website—the pages visitors see and interact with (also known as the user interface). They design the physical layout of each page, integrate graphics, and use HTML and JavaScript to enhance the site. You can gain essential front-end web development skills with Meta’s Front-End Developer Professional Certificate.

  • Full-stack developers do the work of both a back-end and front-end developer. These developers have the knowledge to build a complete website and may work for organizations that don’t have the budget for a large website team. If you’re interested in full-stack web development, consider earning IBM’s Full-Stack Developer Professional Certificate.

  • Webmasters are essentially website managers. Their primary responsibility is to keep the website updated, ensuring that the links and applications on each page work properly.

Web developer tasks and responsibilities

As a web developer, you could work for a company or agency, or as a freelancer taking on projects for individual clients. Your tasks will vary depending on your work situation, but day-to-day responsibilities might generally include:

 

  • Designing user interfaces and navigation menus
  • Writing and reviewing code for sites, typically HTML, XML, or JavaScript
  • Integrating multimedia content onto a site
  • Testing web applications
  • Troubleshooting problems with performance or user experience
  • Collaborating with designers, developers, and stakeholders

Web developer career path

Many web developers start their careers with a single focus, usually front-end or back-end development. They may move on to be full-stack developers or explore careers in related fields, including project management, computer programming, or graphic design.

How much do web developers make?

The median annual salary for web developers in the US is $78,300, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [1]. However, web developers in the US can earn up to $249,297 according to Glassdoor salary insights [2]. How much you earn will depend on many factors, including where you work, what industry you work in, and how much experience you have.

BLS estimates 23 percent industry growth for web developers between 2021-2031, a faster-than-average rate compared to other occupations. One of the driving forces behind this increase in web development jobs is the growth of e-commerce. Companies are becoming more reliant on functioning websites that operate on multiple devices to do business.

How to become a web developer

A formal education isn’t always necessary to become an entry-level web developer. Some web developers have an associate or bachelor’s degree in website design or computer science, but others teach themselves how to code and design websites. While earning a degree can make you a more competitive candidate, a strong portfolio can go a long way toward validating your skills to potential employers.

If you’re interested in becoming a web developer, here are some steps you can take.

1. Build web developer skills.

Employers and clients usually expect web developers to have certain skills that demonstrate their ability to deliver on website requirements. If you’re interested in a career as a web developer, these are some skills you can focus on to build a foundation for success.

Technical skills

 

  • Coding: Common programming languages include HTML, PHP, cascading style sheets, and JavaScript for front-end design. Consider learning Python, Java, or Ruby if you want to do back-end development.

 

  • Responsive design: People use a variety of devices to view websites. Developers should be able to create sites that look as good on smartphones and tablets as they do on computer screens.

 

  • Technical SEO: Many factors of website design can affect the site’s search engine ranking. Understanding how search engines rank sites is useful in a developer’s work.

 

  • Version control: This lets you track and control changes to the source code without starting over from the beginning each time you run into a problem.

 

  • Visual design: Understanding basic design principles, such as how to use white space, choose fonts, and incorporate images could boost your marketability.

Workplace skills

 

  • Communication: Web developers spend time discussing design ideas with their clients and team members through each step of the project.

 

  • Customer service: A web developer creates websites for the client to use and should remain client-focused to achieve the best results.

 

  • Detail-oriented: Little details, like a small change in code, can make a big difference in how a website performs.

 

  • Organization: Keeping track of deadlines, project tasks, workflow, and budgets is helpful if you want to complete a website design on time.

 

  • Problem-solving: Web developers often run into issues when designing websites. They should have the patience and ability to identify problems in the design or coding and solve them in a methodical way.

2. Consider a degree in computer science or web design.

While you don’t always need a degree to get a job in web development, it can certainly help. If you’re already in school (or considering earning a degree), some majors might be a better fit for your career goals than others. If you’re more interested in back-end web development, consider a degree program in computer science. If you feel more drawn to front-end development, you might opt for a degree in web design or user experience (UX).

Read the rest
Read More

When you’re running a small business, there are probably a million items on your to-do list. But is building and maintaining a company website one of them? If not, you’re not alone.

Creating a website is a time investment, and it also costs money. You can expect to spend $500 to $5,000 on building a website, depending on how much outside help you use. This leaves many small business owners wondering: Is it worth it?

In a world that’s becoming increasingly digital, having an online presence is no longer optional—it’s crucial for the ongoing success of your business. A recent study by Deloitte found that digitally-connected small businesses earned four times more revenue growth than they did in the previous year. The term “digitally connected” isn’t simply about using technology in the day-to-day operations of your business, but also utilizing digital communications like websites, social media, and email marketing to reach your target audience.

So let’s dive deeper into why you need a website in the first place, and then we’ll get into all the costs involved in building one.

Why Your Small Business Needs a Website

Still not convinced? We’re here to show you how a small business website has the potential to grow your business and open up a world of opportunities with both your existing and new customers.

1. You Can Make Sales in Any Situation

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Local businesses all over the world have struggled to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the environment for in-person sales has changed dramatically as a result.

Small business owners who have weathered the storm best have turned to online channels to boost their bottom line and expand their audiences beyond their town or city, capitalizing on the endless possibility that their own website has provided. In a world where customers are reluctant to venture beyond their homes, e-commerce has boomed.

In the US alone, online shopping grew by more than 44 percent in 2020, triple the industry’s growth in 2018 and 2019. While the pandemic is likely the cause of this monumental acceleration, the year-over-year increases in customer spending online can’t be ignored. When e-commerce sales are now over $850 billion per year, what’s stopping you from joining the hundreds of thousands of businesses who are seeing success online?

2. You Have Space to Show off Your Products and Services

Global pandemics aside, a business website is a great place to showcase all of your products or service offerings in a way that a physical store may not allow for. After all, there’s only so much real estate that you have to work with in the offline world. That simply isn’t the case when you’re using a custom website.

A website will also give you the opportunity to meet potential customers at any point in their sales journey. If they’re not quite ready to make a buying decision, your informational website content gives them the chance to take a look around as if they were walking around your store. They can find all of the details that they’re looking for and check out any related posts that might grab their attention about other products or services.

Instead of hoping that one day these customers will come back to visit, there are plenty of online marketing strategies that you can make use of to remind them about your business and encourage them to make a purchase. For example, you could offer a discount to customers who give you their email–and then follow up with them via email (which, by the way, you can automate with a marketing or a CRM software solution). Your website landing page can be one of the most effective marketing tools you have in this new digital age, so make use of it where you can.

3. You Gain the Opportunity to Be Found by New Customers

In most cases, customers know what they’re looking to buy, but it’s very likely that they’ve never heard of your business before and won’t know to search for it by name. That’s where a digital marketing tactic known as search engine optimization, or SEO, can benefit you.

SEO is all about having an optimized website so that search engines understand exactly what your business is about and put your site in front of web users who are specifically looking for what you offer. For example, if you’re a candle store, a potential customer may perform a Google search for “homemade soy candles.” If you’ve been actively working on your SEO and have a good website (with a contact form or phone number clearly visible), there’s a chance that Google will direct that user to your business website as it matches what they’re looking for.

SEO can seem overwhelming if you don’t consider yourself to be tech-savvy and it’s a more long-term strategy compared to running digital ads or posting on social media. But it can certainly be worth the time and money to invest in freelancers or digital marketing consultants to help you get it rolling.

You can start your search by asking your network if they know of any reliable SEO freelancers or consultants, or by using LinkedIn’s search function to find people with that keyword. How much one of these professionals will charge will vary, but you can expect somewhere in the range of $50-$100 per hour.

4. You Have a Home for Your Best Testimonials and Reviews

Word of mouth is still one of the biggest drivers of new business, no matter what industry you work in. That’s why having online reviews and testimonials from both previous and current customers is so important—you can let them do the selling for you.

There are numerous review sites out there like Yelp and Facebook pages, but there’s nothing stopping you from pulling some of these onto your own site too. Curate the best reviews that your customers have left for you and create a highlight reel across your … Read the rest

Read More

When launching a new website, business owners commonly focus on the look and feel of the website, the design, before considering the words that will communicate the actual intended message. There’s no doubt that the design is important, as are all the technical components that lead to the user’s complete experience. However, the web content (also known as website copy), is also a critical element of a website in order to attract the right people to a business.

When it comes time to create the content for the website, it’s important to consider not just what messages need to be presented – but also the tone of the words and the feelings you want to invoke in site visitors. Often, when people attempt to write web copy for themselves, they end up documenting their life story instead of focusing on the product or service and its benefits to their target audience.

Whether you’re attempting to write your own web copy or writing copy for someone’s business, here are 7 questions to answer in order to get started in the right direction.

6 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN WRITING WEB COPY

1. To whom are you communicating? What do we know about them? In other words, describe the IDEAL person who will resonate with the brand.

It’s important to consider who will be visiting your website! Write in a way that will feel comfortable and familiar to them. Consider their pain points or what they are searching for when finding your site. Be sure to address that with the words as soon as they arrive!

 

2. What tone should the writing have? 

Examples of words, such as these, can be given to clients to think about when determining the tone of the writing that is appropriate for their website.

Casual, formal, familiar, professional, whimsical, natural, friendly, promotional, sincere, business-like, serious, fun, straightforward, upscale, trustworthy, compassionate, encouraging, motivating

The person writing should have at least 2 to 3 of these words in mind when creating the copy. For example, a summer camp website would likely want to feel friendly, joyful, and trustworthy – while a business consulting agency will want copy that is more formal, professional – but also trustworthy!

 

3. What inspired the creation of this brand? Talk about the origination story.

The “About Page” is usually the 2nd most visited page on a website. Spend time understanding the motivation and purpose behind the brand. Then, focus on why this is important to the customer! The customer benefits should still be present within the About page.

 

4. What are other brands that the target customer might enjoy? 

By looking at other websites of brands that the same audience probably likes, you can get a feeling for the tone and type of writing that may appeal to your audience.

 

5. What key details that should be included regarding the mission of the business? What is important to the founders as the business grows.

Document the key takeaways regarding your business that you want the audience to know. For example, does the company donate part of its profits to an important cause? Be sure to include this on the website.

 

6. Explain what is unique about the approach to the service or product?

What makes the business unique? It may be a technology, it may be the people, the pricing, the materials…whatever it is, highlight that so that visitors to the site know what is special or different.

Finally, keep in mind that the copy on a website will not be permanent. It will evolve with a business and should be reviewed and updated regularly. This will keep it fresh and be good for SEO as changes can be made based on analytics of search terms bringing people to the site.

Read More

When looking for a web developer to build your new site, it’s important to know the questions you should be asking them. A website is a considerable investment and so we’ve compiled a list of questions to ask to make sure you’re going to get your money’s worth. If you’re looking for a website developer, feel free to contact us – we’re pretty good! See for yourself

1. Who will be working on my website?

It’s important to know the skill set of the team working on your website. Notice the word ‘team’; if it is just one person working on your website, they are unlikely to possess all the skills required to build a successful website. For more information on this, read our blog on why it matters to know the difference between a web designer and a web developer.

2. Can I get support with anything else?

Before your website can go to the design stage, there must be some branding guidelines in place for consistency. You may not currently have any brand guidelines or you may have some but they need defining; you need a web designer that is capable of developing these with you.

It would also be highly beneficial to work with an agency which can assist you with digital marketing including SEOsocial media and email campaigns.

3. How much will it cost?

After your first enquiry, you may get a rough quote from your web developer but after having an in-depth consultation with them, you should receive a set price within a proposal. The proposal should detail exactly what your web developer is going to do for you including how your website will work.

4. Will you use a template?

If you have a small budget, having a website that uses a template is probably the best option for you. However, you will not get a bespoke website and therefore it will not meet the requirements of your business’ target customer as well as it could do. Therefore, if you can afford to invest more money into having a bespoke website built, you should.

5. What do you need from me?

Your new website will not be effective without a strong partnership and good communication between client and developer. The developer is the expert in websites but you’re the expert in your business and your industry. The developer will need to know what you know in terms of how your business runs and how your customers engage with it. They may also require content from you in the form of information and images, videos etc for the website.

6. Is my new website going to be responsive?

Responsive web design is the art of crafting and adjusting websites for optimal viewing on all screen sizes and devices. In 2016 you should be getting a responsive website, but even if it is considered responsive by the developer, it may not be ‘optimal’. Make sure your developer knows how they are going to create a truly responsive and optimised website for mobile and tablet devices. Find out more on responsive websites and mobile-ready websites.

7. Who will own my website?

You’d think there would be an obvious answer to this question – you pay for it so it would be yours, right? Actually, it’s not that simple because of all the elements of a website. Your developer should be able to tell you that you own the design, HTML, style sheets and source code (and the content if you have supplied it yourself).

8. What if I’m not happy with the design?

Your developer should be communicating with you at every stage of development right from the initial first design. You should use a web developer that will listen to your ideas and adjust your design until you are completely happy.

9. Have you got a portfolio of work?

You should always look at other websites built by the developer. Have a look at the design and functionality of each website. If you can’t see any problems, then using these websites can be helpful when looking for inspiration for your own website. Tell the developer what you like about them.

10. How will I pay you?

We wouldn’t advise choosing a developer who asks for one upfront payment; it will not give you much confidence or reassurance that they are going to a good job for you. Good web developers tend to ask for a small amount upfront and the rest on completion of the website.

11. Who will write the content?

Usually, it will be up to you to supply the developer with content for your website. However, it’s extremely beneficial if you can work with a web development agency that has an in-house copywriter. The copywriter will be able to amend any spelling and grammatical errors and make your website content read well for your audience. But the most important reason for having a copywriter is to give your website the best possible chance of returning in Google searches.

12. What can I expect from my finished website?

Your developer should be able to tell you how your new website will function and the benefits it is going to have for you.

13. How long will it take to complete my website?

A good developer will probably need around 6 – 8 weeks to take your website from the concept stage to the launch. However, the time it will take depends on a number of factors including how many pages there will be on your website, what you want it to do and how quickly you can respond to their requests.

14. Will I be able to change things on my website after its launch?

Your website should absolutely have a content management system so you can go in and change content after it has been launched. Different developers will use different content management systems; such as MagentoWoocommerceLaravelShopifyCake PHPSymfonyRead the rest

Read More

So you want to hire a web developer? Do you need a web developer or a dedicated web development team? What about your project size? Do you want to add a contact form to your landing page or develop a sophisticated client-side web service with cloud hosting integration? You see, there are many questions to be answered as well as options to choose from. If you don’t have all the answers yet, do not despair.

In this article, you will find a step-by-step guide on how to find a web developer for your project and get it done without spending over budget.

Let’s start.

How to hire a web developer in 6 easy steps

Below, we have gathered the most common steps for how to hire a good web developer that will suit small, medium, and big-sized web projects.

Step 1. Specify your business challenges

All web development projects are different, and without knowing your project size and goals, it is hard to give you clear guidance on which web developers will suit your project the best. At the very beginning of your search, you need to decide what kind of web development project you need a developer for:

  • A simple web project includes building a simple website or integrating additional features to the existing one. These features might be a contact form, a CTA button, a new template design, a subscription button, and so on.
  • Medium web projects include various project types, including the development of static or dynamic web apps, online stores, and other services that require integration of third-party services such as CRM, CMS, databases, chatbots, APIs, and others.
  • Large-sized web projects refer to projects such as a video sharing social media app or social networks that require, not only a bunch of sophisticated technologies but also integration with cloud hosting servers to store all their user data.
  • Other projects, since project scope and situations can vary.

At this stage, you also need to define your specific business challenges, i.e., the reason you need to hire a web developer. Our experience shows that customers are looking for a web developer in the following three cases:

  • You want to build a project from scratch, which is a common scenario for existing businesses and start-ups. The main goal for start-ups is to enter their niche as soon as possible so, they need to hire an outsourcing web development team to save time and money. At the same time, existing businesses that want to automate some business processes may choose between an in-house or a dedicated web development team.
  • You need to extend your in-house team with an extra specialist to help you with an ongoing project. In this case, you can choose between hiring a freelance web developer, or outsourcing a developer through a web development agency for some particular period.
  • You want to use technology that nobody in your in-house dev team has experience with. Unless you want to wait for your developers to learn it, you can hire a web programmer from an outsourcing agency who already knows said technology.

Step 2. Decide on the developer’s skills 

There are three types of web developers. Front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers. What is the difference between them? Let’s see.

  • Front-end developers make changes to the front of your site, i.e., the part of the website visitors interact with. You can hire such developers to change the design and layout of your website slightly. Still, consider that there is a difference between a front-end developer and a web designer. Web designers are more visually creative, focusing on user experience. They create the website layout, color scheme, and other visual elements to be used. Web developers turn the website design into fully functional websites using HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, Node.JS, ASP.NET, React.JS, Angular 8, Vue, and other technologies.
  • Back-end developers are responsible for website structure, hidden behind the front-end, i.e., how your website works. You might need some specialist if you want to improve your website’s speed, integrate third-party services into the site infrastructure, or solve technical issues. In most cases, back-end developers use such technologies as PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, and databases, including MongoDB, SQL – MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and others.
  • Full-stack developers are experienced in developing both the front and back-end of websites. Such specialists are becoming popular among start-ups that have limited resources. While full-stack developers have a higher hourly rate, compared to previously described developers, it is cheaper to work with such a specialist than hire front and back-end developers.

Now it’s time to get down to business and start searching for the right developer.

Step 3. Finding necessary specialists

When you are looking for web programmers for hire, consider that you hire a technological partner who will become a part of your business for several years, providing your project with ongoing technical support and implementing further website improvements. Thus, you need to hire web developers very carefully.

Choosing between a freelance web developer and  a webdevelopment team to hire

But where to find a web developer?

To hire a freelancer, use one of the following websites:

  • Upwork is the most popular job marketplace for finding freelancers. The site has many useful tools, including time tracking, automated payment per achieved milestones.
  • Freelancer.com is another site to find a remote worker that comes with online chat, a milestone payment, and other useful features.
  • Guru website has become a job marketplace for three million freelancers. The site includes different payment options as per milestone, per task, or hourly.

To hire web development team you need a slightly different approach, so search on the following websites:

  • Clutch is a B2B review platform, where customers share their experience in working with development companies. The site has search filters as well as a rating system. Therefore, you can not only find the right team but get an idea about its strong and weak points.
  • SoftwareWorld is a review website that makes lists of top-ranked developers on the basis of customer reviews and location. The site also highlights the primary industries
Read the rest
Read More

Web Design Tips for Beginners – Do’s and Don’ts

The exact title for this post should be “Why You Should Make a Website Today”. You should know to make a website today because creating a website is an awesome skill that one can have. Today’s market is full of professional website designers and it is difficult to make more income. However, having the ability to create your own website is an invaluable skill. Not just that but Web design is quite fun and also it incorporates many other skills. At the beginning you will be going around with CSS and HTML, Photoshop, Microsoft Word and Google.

Experience is all that Matters the Most

The sooner you start, the sooner you will learn to build a cool website that looks good. Web design is about finding out the good ones and the one that looks like hell. Even though there are few simple tips, but nothing can equal like actually doing it. Experience is all that matters and don’t try to meet all your expectations in your first website.

Four Web design Tips for Newbie Designers:

1] Keep the Color Scheme Simple

You don’t have different colors on your blog. There is no necessity to have even four. Mostly, three colors are sufficient. You can have a lighter color for links. Keep your colors simple so that everything matches perfect and more attractive.

2] Don’t Use Too Many Pictures

Pictures can have a bunch of disadvantages. They cannot be read by search engines and it reduces your Google ranking. Pictures slow down your website that causes your bounce rate to go up. Also they don’t scale well on mobile platform. So when you use pictures, make sure that they scale up correctly and are low sized.

3] Start with a Good Base Theme

When you build a website, you are going to start with a theme and then build on it. Each theme would have a different set of options and you have to pick the theme. You can pick up any theme but you should be aware that it does not look the way it does in demo.

4] Bored Studying?

Throw all your crap things like reading books, watching YouTube videos, etc. and try to build your site impressive. You will get to know more things by implementing than reading from a book or tutorial series.

When you are ready to initiate it, then this article would be a good one about how to get started with a WordPress website. Remember that you have to do self hosting. Don’t try to use WordPress hosting as it is for technologically challenged. Pay for your own hosting and you will be on the right track.

Looking to learn web designing? Contact us today!

Read More

Starting a web design business can be exciting and lucrative, but it can pose challenges. Learn how to succeed in this competitive field.

Female web designer working with two monitors

A career in web design can be an attractive option for those seeking a lucrative, in-demand profession that blends right-brain and left-brain skills.

Recent ZipRecruiter estimates put the average salary for a freelance web designer at $27 per hour, but depending on where you live and how much experience you have, you might be able to charge twice that. And if you decide to start your own web design business, you could eventually earn even more money.

Starting a web design business offers plenty of benefits and perks beyond financial ones. You will get the opportunity to work for clients of all sizes in multiple industries, and you will change projects frequently. You will regularly learn new things and get to meet a variety of talented people. And if you start a web design business from home, you will get the flexible lifestyle that regular office workers often do not enjoy.

You must also learn to be a business owner if you hope to turn your passion for web design into a successful venture. Here are some tips for starting your own business and an overview of what kind of insurance you might need to protect yourself.

How web design, web development, and UX design are different

First, here’s a quick breakdown of what different kinds of web professionals do:

Web design: This discipline focuses on the look and feel of a website. To become a successful web designer, you need excellent graphic design skills, an understanding of the principles of design, and a working knowledge of HTML and SEO (search engine optimization).

You need to be aware of branding and how a website should support a company’s image. You also must understand the target audience for each site and how your choice of website elements – from photos to the amount of text on the page – can impact the user’s experience. Learn more about essential skills for web designers.

Web development: Web developers perform the behind-the-scenes work to turn the designer’s vision into a reality. They are strong programmers who use a variety of tools to create each element of the website. Some people can double as both web designers and developers.

UX design: Some web designers can also serve in a UX design capacity, also known as user experience design. However, it is increasingly becoming its own specialty. UX designers focus on a website’s usability, digging deep into the brand’s target market, conducting usability surveys, and testing to optimize each element of a website and its individual pages.

How to start a web design business

If you’re ready to take the plunge and start your own web design business, there are a few steps you should take and best practices you should follow.

Name your company

While you want your web design business’s name to be memorable and perhaps even catchy, you don’t want it to make you look unprofessional. Brainstorm some ideas, then run the short list by friends and family. And before you finalize your business’s name, do a thorough Google search to make sure that someone else isn’t already using it.

Create a business plan

Think of your business plan as a snapshot of where your company is now and a road map for its future growth. It doesn’t need to be formal, and you can modify it as you go. Write a brief description of your company, the specific services you offer, your target clients, and financial projections for the next year. You might include information about whether you plan to hire employees and how much you will pay them.

File paperwork

One of the keys to your web design business’s future success is choosing the right structure. Most small businesses choose a sole proprietorship, a limited liability company (LLC), or an S corporation. You must also get a license to conduct business in your state. Check your state’s official website, as well as the IRS checklist for starting a business for detailed information on how to start a web design business in your area.

Education and certification

Technically speaking, you can become a web designer with no formal education. However, you have plenty of competition in the field, and finding clients can be an initial challenge. If you already have excellent credentials and a stellar portfolio from a previous web design position, finding work might not be hard. But if you’re trying to start a web design business with little or no experience in the field, your academic experience and certifications could help you stand out from the crowd.

You can earn a certificate in web design online or from a local community college in as little as a year. Make sure your course load includes classes in graphic design and writing code. If you plan to also offer web development and / or UX design services, consider earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science, perhaps with a double major or a minor in graphic arts.

Marketing your business

No matter how talented you are as a web designer or developer, potential clients need to know that your business exists. Start your marketing plan with an emphasis on basic, low-cost strategies, and over time, you will start to attract clients by word of mouth.

  • Create a website that shows off your design and technical skills.
  • Tap into your professional network using LinkedIn.
  • Create a Facebook business page.
  • Attend networking events in your area.
  • Purchase targeted social media ads.

Protecting your web design business with insurance

Risk management is a vital component of any web design business strategy. You will have access to your clients’ sensitive data, and it is your responsibility to take steps to protect it. But risk management isn’t enough on its own. Even the biggest companies with the best risk management strategies experience data breaches and other issues.

Technology business insurance is essential … Read the rest

Read More