Web Design & Development: All You Need To Know About Website

A well-design website or web app is one of the best way promote your products and services globally. And any business that doesn't have a website is losing sight of the most important marketing tools to reach a wider audience.

Nowadays, customers first visit a company's website before reaching out to them. Consider a website as an office or shop where leads visit to learn about your products/ services. It's one of the results-proven strategies to attract, engage and convert visitors to clients.

Perhaps you have heard about web design, web development, website, and web app; but don’t really know what each mean or the differences. This article will answer these question and more.

There are two segments involved in building a website or web app namely: design and development. Design has to do with the interface or aesthetics, while development has to do with coding. So let's look what each and everyone of these terms mean.

On this article we're going consider the following topics/ sub-headings:

• What is website?
• What is a web application?
• What is web design?
• What is web development?
• Types of web developer
• Types of website
• Best tools for designing a website
• Top programming languages for building a website or web application
• Importance of website
• Features of a good website

What is a website?

A website is a collection of publicly accessible, interlinked Web pages that share a single domain name. Websites can be created and maintained by an individual, group, business or organization to serve a variety of purposes.

Together, all publicly accessible websites constitute the World Wide Web.

Although it is sometimes called web page, this definition is wrong, since a website consists of several webpages. A website is also known as a web presence or simply site.

What is a Web Application?

A Web application also referred to as web app is an application program that is stored on a remote server and delivered over the Internet through a browser interface.

Web services are Web apps by definition and many, although not all, websites contain Web apps. According to Web.AppStorm editor Jarel Remick, any website component that performs some function for the user qualifies as a Web app.

Web applications can be designed for a wide variety of uses and can be used by anyone; from an organization to an individual for numerous reasons.

Commonly used Web applications can include webmail, online calculators, or e-commerce shops. Some Web apps can be only accessed by a specific browser; however, most are available no matter the browser.

What is web design?

Web design refers to the design of websites that are displayed on the internet. It usually refers to the user experience aspects of website development rather than software development.

Web design used to be focused on designing websites for desktop browsers; however, since the mid-2010s, design for mobile and tablet browsers has become ever-increasingly important.

What is web development?

Web development is the building and maintenance of websites; it's the work that happens behind the scenes to make a website look great, work fast and perform well with a seamless user experience.

Web developers do this by using a variety of coding languages. The languages they use depend on the types of tasks they are performing and the platforms on which they are working. There are main types of web developers namely: front-end, backend, and full-stack developers.

Types of Web Designer/ Developer

Front-end developer

A front-end dev takes care of layout, design and interactivity using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They take an idea from the drawing board and turn it into reality.

What you see and what you use, such as the visual aspect of the website, the drop down menus and the text, are all brought together by the front-end dev, who writes a series of programmes to bind and structure the elements, make them look good and add interactivity. These programmes are run through a browser.

Backend developer

The backend developer engineers what is going on behind the scenes. This is where the data is stored, and without this data, there would be no frontend. The backend of the web consists of the server that hosts the website, an application for running it and a database to contain the data.

The backend dev uses computer programmes to ensure that the server, the application and the database run smoothly together. This type of developers needs to analyse what a company's needs are and provide efficient programming solutions. To do all this amazing stuff they use a variety of server-side languages, like PHP, Ruby, Python and Java.

Full-Stack Development?

If both Frontend and Backend development appeal to you, you could consider becoming a Full-Stack Developer.

Full-stackers take care of both the front-end and the back-end, and need to know how the web works on all levels, in order to determine how the client- and server-sides will relate. Naturally working up to this level of expertise will take longer, as there is more to learn.

Types of Website

There are different types of websites, but the most popular ones are: blog, personal, corporate, portfolio, membership, and e-commerce websites

1. Blog

Blogs are a type of website that enables you to write long-form content about virtually anything. They consist mainly of articles and images, typically surrounding a specific topic. Some of the most popular types of blogs include travel blogs and food blogs.

2. Corporate/ Business Website

This is an official website of an established organisation or fast-growing company. It offers an exclusive insight about the company, its values, leadership, policies, and contribution to the society, etc. These types of sites are more complex than the startups. Its pages range from 7-20 webpages.

3. Portfolio Website

A portfolio is a website showcases the work of a freelancer, agency or personal brand. It often features images or gallery of executed project. This kind of sites is synonymous with design agencies and project management firm. They often contain a gallery which displays your work and text which enables you to explain your expertise and provide details about your work.

4. E-Commerce Website

These types of websites are best for individuals who are looking to make money online. You can utilize an eCommerce website if you have your own products to sell, or you can start dropshipping which essentially enables you to sell items from a third party at a profit.

An e-commerce is a site that allows customers make to purchase products or services online without visiting a physical shop or store. This kind of sites is more complex than the ones mentioned above.

E-Commerce lists products with prices, as well payment options for customers to choose from. It's one of the fastest growing online businesses with sites like:   Amazon , Alibaba, Jumia, and  Konga.

5. Personal Websites

Creating a personal website is a simple way to boost your web presence. This type of website is essentially a site surrounding and representing a given person. Many people utilize personal websites to display who they are and what they have accomplished. In many ways it is similar to a portfolio with fewer visual elements making it the perfect format for author websites and actor websites, among others.

One of the most popular types of personal websites is a resume website. Resumes, used globally as a way to summarize who you are and what you've achieved professionally, have moved increasingly into the online sphere. A resume website has become a popular medium for people to display their accomplishments neatly and in one place.

6. Membership Websites

A method used by many website owners is to require membership in order to receive full access to their services, tools or resources. This type of website typically enables site owners to make money off of their offerings to members or simply to have more control over their site's audience.

Membership websites are used in a number of contexts. Perhaps you have an online magazine or publication that requires membership to join. Alternatively, you might have a club or private group that you would like to have a website for, however you only want to give access to members. These scenarios, and many others, make a membership website a surefire way to manage your audience and potentially make money off of your site.

Best Tools For Designing A Website

Technology has made it easy for any who's computer proficiency to easily build a website with various framework and website builders available. Below are some of the best tools you can use to design simple. But if you to want build a unique and custom website, you a professional web developer

Wix

Wix is a website-building tool that does not require coding to build websites. If you want to build a website but do not have a lot of experience in it, Wix could be one of the best options. Some features of the Wix Platform include:

• It enables you to incorporate site elements using the drag-and-drop feature to create your desired website layout.
• Track the performance of the website using in-house tools and analytics. It offers the possibility of adding tools like Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, etc.
• You can create an online community that can interact with each other via likes, follows, comments, etc. This is similar to other popular social media platforms.

Even though you do not get the creative freedom offered by tools that require coding, Wix's simple process can help you make a website with brilliant customization.

Squarespace

Squarespace is another website-building tool that offers more than 100 website templates to start with. Some features of Squarespace are as follows:

• It provides various functionalities for online shopping centers, such as customer account functionality, inventory management, abandoned card recovery, and discount codes.
• You can duplicate pages or other content to expedite the website building process.
• You can provide fine-grain access to your project collaborators. The various access levels are Administrator, Store Manager, Comment Moderator, Viewer, etc.

The UI of Squarespace itself is amazing, which may be one of the best options for you if you want to build an e-commerce website.

3. Shopify

Shopify is a digital storefront platform that helps businesses create their digital stores. Some features of Shopify include:

• All the digital stores built on Shopify consist of an SSL certificate, and the store owner can purchase the domain names directly from Shopify.
• The platform helps the business owner to market their products using native marketing tools suite and sell more products by introducing a mature third-party application integration ecosystem.
• You can use many analytics tools to assess the digital store's performance. This data can be further used to make data-driven decisions for marketing, supply chain, etc.

4. WordPress

WordPress is the most known Content Management System (CMS) that can help you build a website quickly. Some features of WordPress are as follows:

• You can embed any type of media file on the page's content area. There is also no limit on the number of pages, posts, etc.
• It is an open-source platform where you can find lots of free plugins that can improve the functionality of your website.
• Working with WordPress doesn't require any prior experience in coding, and this platform is mainly used for creating blogging websites for individuals or organizations.

Even though the website is open source, there are some costs related to building and running a website on the WordPress platform.

5. Webflow

Webflow is another website designer tool that doesn't require coding to build websites. If you don't want to get involved in coding, Webflow is one of the tremendous website-building platforms. Also, you can add site elements using the drag-and-drop feature to make a customized design layout.
Some other features of Webflow are as follows:

• The Webflow platform includes a comprehensive CMS and web hosting services.
• If you have already started building a website on other platforms like Squarespace, Wix, etc., and you want to move the process to the Webflow platform, you can get in touch with one of the website-building experts approved by the Webflow team.

You can add customized codes for an entire site, page, or a part of a page if you want to add something that isn't already offered by Webflow.

6. Adobe Dreamweaver

Adobe Dreamweaver is a commercial coding engine that allows you to view a real-time preview of the updated content as soon as you edit the code. Some features of Dreamweaver are as follows:
Using Dreamweaver, you can build a responsive website application from scratch or use one of the available templates.

• This platform consists of code hints and GitHub support to help you make customized HTML sites such as blogs, emails, e-commerce websites, portfolio web pages, etc.
• You can import files from Adobe PhotoShop, Illustrator, and Sketch.

You can avail a free trial of 30 days before subscribing to a paid plan. You can also subscribe for a plan that includes the complete Adobe Creative Suite suite, Dreamweaver, XD, and Photoshop.

7. Figma

Figma is an online web designing tool that enables users to edit and prototype website designs. This tool empowers the collaborative effort of the web designing team. You can collaborate in brainstorming ideas and create prototypes and share them with other collaborators for feedback using the same tool. Some important features include:

• You can collaborate with developers (for free) at the commencement of the design process to understand the requirements better.
• The API plugin enables collaborators to make their own plugins or use the resources from the user community to improve the functionality of the tool.

Other features include auto layout, template library, ease of collaboration, etc.

10. Canva

Canva is the most popular design platform. This tool can help you to create visuals for your website. Some features of Canva are as follows:

• You can combine multiple images and build creative montages
• Various customizable templates can be used for the creation of designs.
• This tool also uses a drag-and-drop feature to add elements to a design draft.

Top Programming Languages for building websites and web applications

As the internet penetrates every corner of the globe and the Information Technology (IT) industry booms, coding languages now play an integral role. Programming languages form the basis of this industry, with IT professionals learning multiple coding languages to work with the rapidly expanding software fields. If you are interested in building a career in programming or the IT industry, the language you're proficient in will decide the kind of eligible roles for you. The more popular the language, the more opportunities will present themselves. Below are top programming languages for building websites and web applications.

1. Python

Purpose: Python is a general-purpose dynamic programming language created in 1991.

Popularity: Python is one of the most popular coding languages today and is used for server-side web and system development.

Pros and Cons: The language has a simple syntax and can work on multiple platforms, making it far easier to learn and execute. It is one of the first programming languages that most coders learn. However, it has a lower execution speed compared to other languages.

2. Java

Purpose: Java was created in 1995. the language is general purpose and object-oriented, allowing coders to develop everything from web and mobile applications to embedded servers. The language can be used on any platform and is one of the simplest languages to learn as it does not use features such as operator overloading and multiple inheritances. These factors make Java a far more user-friendly programming language.

Popularity: Java is one of the most popular programming languages worldwide.

Pros and Cons: Unlike most other languages, Java can be written on one device and run across various devices, making it portable. However, unfortunately, the language does not provide a backup facility and must be stored on the device's storage.

3. C and C++

Purpose: These two programming languages are used interchangeably in daily conversation, with C's creation in 1972 and C++ in 1985. Both are general-purpose programming languages, with their code used to implement operating systems such as Oracle and Intel.

Popularity: C++ is known as the superset of C, with slightly more comprehensive grammar.

Pros and Cons: The languages are simple, compiled, and have comprehensive library support. However, both languages have similar issues in terms of excessive memory usage.

4. C#

Purpose: Similar to C++, C# is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language. Developed by Microsoft in 2000, the language is popular among game developers and dynamic website creators.

Popularity: It has featured regularly in the top fivePopularity of Programming Languages Index.

Pros and Cons: As it was initially created to rival Java, C# is highly versatile and can be easily understood by those with prior knowledge of C and C++. As a result, however, the performance of C# has been described as lackluster due to comparatively slower runtime.

5. JavaScript

Purpose: JavaScript is one of the primary languages used to code the World Wide Web.

Popularity: In addition to allowing for the development of web applications, JavaScript is the preferred language for many businesses as engineering teams only have to use just one programming language, making it simpler to debug and reducing costs throughout the development process.

Pros and Cons: JavaScript is easy to learn, has a simple structure, and can integrate well with other programming languages. However, unfortunately, users can view the code of websites, making it viable to compromise the security of website data.

6. SQL

Purpose: Created in 1974 at IBM, SQL (short for Structured Query Language) is a domain-specific programming language to access and manipulate databases to handle structured data.

Popularity: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) made it the standard coding language in 1987.

Pros and Cons: It is fast and efficient, able to retrieve and process large amounts of data in short periods. Additionally, it is elementary to learn. However, the interface can be challenging to maneuver around.

7. PHP

Purpose: Described as specially suited for web development on their official website, the Hypertext Preprocessor language, popularly known as PHP, came into existence in 1994. It is an open-source language, free for downloading, and can be used on any platform, from Linux to Windows.

Popularity: A survey by the W3Techs shows that PHP is used by 77.3 percent of all the websites whose server-side programming language is known.

Pros and Cons: Its open-source nature is not as secure as other programming languages and unsuitable for coding larger content-based applications.

8. Go

Purpose: Go is an open-source programming language supported by Google, developed in 2009. It is a procedural language for everything from Web Development to Cloud and Network Services.

Popularity: As it is concise and easy to read, it is far simpler to learn. Further, the language's ability to run multiple processes simultaneously has led popular websites to use it, including Uber, Netflix, Dropbox, and of course, its parent company, Google.

Pros and Cons: It has an extensive standard library that allows the creation of packages. However, it should be noted that the language lacks a User Interface (UI) tool kit.

9. Kotlin

Purpose: JetBrains developed Kotlin as a statically-typed, general-purpose programming language. It is interoperable with Java code with a concise syntax.

Popularity: As of 2019, Kotlin holds the title 'Preferred Language for Android App Developers'.

Pros and Cons: Kotlin's code has fewer bugs and is easier to learn than other languages due to its similarity with Java. However, as seen in other newer programming languages, the lack of an extensive user database also contributes to fewer resources and experts in the field.

10. MATLAB

Purpose: MathWorks developed this programming language in the late 1970s for engineers and scientists as a tool to establish a numeric computing environment. The typical language usage includes data analysis, algorithm modeling, and scientific computations.

Popularity: The language is platform-independent and can be used on multiple operating systems, adding to its popularity.

Pros and Cons: The software is not expensive and hence, more accessible than other coding languages. However, as MATLAB is an interpreted language, it takes longer to execute when compared to compiled languages such as C and C++.

11. R

Purpose: R serves statistical computing and graphics requirements. It was built in 1993 and has been used widely by business analysts. R is platform-free and open source. It allows integration of the language with others, such as C++.

Popularity: It is the eighth-most used programming language worldwide as of August 2020, according to the TIOBE Programming Community index.

Pros and Cons: It is a platform-independent language and is highly useful in machine learning operations. However, using R requires large amounts of storage as objects are stored in the physical memory. Hence, coding with significant data points would be more difficult.

12. Swift

Purpose: The Swift programming language, released in 2014, was developed by Apple Inc. to create iOS and macOS applications.

Popularity: The rise in the development of iOS applications mirrors Swift's popularity.

Pros and Cons: Swift is an easy language to learn due to its open-source nature and ability to integrate C and C++ codes into the Swift application. However, as the language is still young, its user database is limited.

13. Rust

Purpose: Rust is a compiled programming language developed in 2010 that is general purpose and focuses on memory safety and reliability.

Popularity: Rust is used across large companies such as Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft.

Pros and Cons: It has a user-friendly compiler and strong editor with features such as auto-completion. However, the language is complex to learn and is slow in its compilation process.

14. Ruby

Purpose: Ruby is a general-purpose dynamic programming language designed in 1995 with an emphasis on the simplicity of the code.

Popularity: It is a high-level, interpreted language marketed as easy to write.

Pros and Cons: It is an open source code which may lead to reduced security. However, the code is difficult to debug and has slower processing when compared to other languages.

15. Dart

Purpose: Developed by Google in 2011, Dart is a client-optimized language for websites and mobile apps. It's an open-source programming language, resembling Java and C.

Popularity: Its popularity is on the rise due to its similarity with Java and C, making Dart easy to use and adding to its charm.

Pros and Cons: It has high performance and runs faster than JavaScript. However, the lack of developer communities means fewer resources online, and the novelty of the language adds to the lack of support.

16. Scala

Purpose: Created in 2004, Scala is an object-oriented and functional programming language designed to address the disadvantages faced by users coding with Java.

Popularity: According to Forbes, programmers and developers are revisiting Scala and looking at it objectively for its advantages. 

Pros and Cons: Scala has been marketed as a language that will avoid bugs in complex applications and can be compiled with JavaScript. However, it has a minimal developer pool, which decreases the resources around the code significantly.

Importance of Website

In our digital age, success in business demands utilising available modern and cutting-edge tools. As new technologies emerge, customers purchase habit also change. Since customers purchase has changed, the ways to attract customers has to change. To attract quality lead to your business, you need a functional, users-centric website. In fact, a website is hub of all digital marketing strategies.

Having a functional website that satisfied customer needs is not an option. Because of its importance and value to business growth, you could hardly find a notable brand that doesn't have a web site.

Here are four (4) top reasons why every business should have a website.

1. Awareness

Increasing your brand's awareness is one major goal of every business. If people don't know about your product or service, how can they patronize you? As more people know about your company, the more your chances of selling to them. A website helps improve the awareness of a company or brand.

Your website should be a map directing customers and leads to your business. You can also market and sell your products and services globally through a website. Think of it as your online office that's helps you connect to people beyond your geographical location.

2. Customers habit has change

As the world continues to explore new technologies, customer's purchase habit is also changing. An average person uses the internet for researching solutions to a problem or making a purchase. Your site needs to be up and running to satisfy this customers' needs.

3. Customers Support 247

A website is your 24/7 sales representative, it doesn't have an opening time or closing time and doesn't take break or leave. It works 24 hours, 7 days a week and 256 days a year.
With an internet connection, potential customers can visit your company webpage at their convenient time to learn about your products and services. They can as well request for quote, meeting, and even make purchase conveniently.

4. Source of Income

E-commerce website or social media site are one of the best business to have in the 21 century. Entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and others has become wealthy just by owning a website.

In many cases, you don't need to have a physical product; all you need is functional site that satisfies a specific customer's need.

A Website is a very important marketing tool every business must possess today. And if your company doesn't have one, you might be losing a fortune.

Features Of A Good Website

A website that generates quality leads and customers is the dream of every business. But designing such websites demands paying attention to the key elements or components that defines a good website. In fact, it demands knowing more than how to use various web builders, frameworks, and programming languages.

While modern technologies have it possible for almost anyone to design a website, building a successful website requires the services of a professional web design company.

But when we talk about good website design, what are we talking about? Are we talking about good layout, fonts, icons, slider, carousel, or animations? No, none of these in itself makes a good website.

But, before we dive into what makes a good website, let's define what a good website is.

While there might be many components that makes a good website, below are the top 10 key features of a good website, most especially corporate/ business website.

1. Quality Copy

The first and the foremost feature of a good site is quality copy. In order to attract visitors to your site, your website copy should be concise, relevant, persuasive, and informative. It should be able answer user’s questions as well as give coherent information about your business, products, and services.

Note: people don’t visit a website to admire the design; they visit to get information. So make sure that your site has the information your audience are searching for.

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2. Easy-to-use Navigation

Second to quality copy is easy-to-navigation. You can't separate easy-to-use navigation from a good website. No matter how beautiful a site might be, if users don't know how navigate around it; it's worthless.

So, when designing your navigation, ensure to categories you menu items based on what users are conversant with. For example, people expect to find menu at the header area of a website, so putting it in the middle or at the bottom will be a bad user experience.

Also, if you're using a mega menu, ensure to reduce the total number of actions required for users to reach a destination. A three-click-rule should be fine.

3. Accessible Contact Information

Your contact information (email, phone number, and address) should be clearly visible on your site. User doesn’t have to struggle to find your contact details.

Also ensure that your contact details are text and well as clickable. This makes it easy for people to easily to copy it and contact you easily.

4. Responsiveness

With the ever-growing number of mobile users, a good website must be responsive to any device. It should work perfectly on any device size - desktop, laptop, and mobile.

Responsive design is so important in the sense that it's adaptive to various devices - desktop, tablet, and mobile. And when you own a responsive website, there's no need for creating mobile and desktop version of your website.

Responsive website also improves users experience and SEO ranking.

5. Strong Visual Hierarchy

The better your site’s visual hierarchy, the easier your contents will be consumed. Using grid layout is one way to build strong visual hierarchy. It also helps organize your site's information in sections, which improves users’ experience. Gird layout also makes it easier to for users to navigate through various sections of your website.

6. High Quality Media

Humans are visual driven, what we see has a significant impact on our choices and judgment. We perceive beautiful things as being better, regardless of whether they are actually better. Using high quality images and graphics for is not just good, but very essential.

Media contents (graphics, images, and videos) play a vital role in user engagement and conversion. It also helps improve readability. So ensure high quality and appropriate media content for your website.

7. Friendly Colours

Colours hugely influence what we remember and how vividly we remember them. Certain colours evoke certain emotions. For example orange evokes happiness while blue can symbolize trust. Proper use of colour is what defines a design whether website, graphics, or any design.

8. Readable Fonts

No matter how great a design might be, if the used font isn't readable readable, the design is worthless. Ensure to choose font that are visually appealing and readable.

9. Consistent Designs

While jumping on the latest design trend might look cool, consistency is better. Consistency is the bedrock of building a great site. Consistent design is critical to building a site that stand among competitors. Inconsistent design on the other hand is a sure way loosing credibility and customer’s royalty.

10. Simplicity

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Having too many elements on your webpages is distracting and can lead to low conversion rate. Ensure to keep your design as simple as possible so that users can easily navigate through your site.