What pages and categories are essential to your site and user experience? Which pages or categories could be removed or combined? Again, it’s a good idea to consult with other teams within your organization. If you have an SEO and/or content strategy team, their input will be critical in the linking structure and categorizing of your pages. Write your website code. The next step in the web development process is writing the code. Developers will use different coding languages for the front-end and back-end of websites, as well as for different functionalities of the site (such as design, interactivity, etc). These different languages work together to build and run your site. Let’s start with the most commonly-used languages. HTML
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) has been used since the 1990s. It’s the foundation of all websites and represents the bare minimum of what’s needed to create a website. While it’s possible to create a website with only HTML, it wouldn’t look particularly attractive. Below is the HTML code for a basic Bootstrap button. Languages like CSS and JavaScript enhance and modify the basic site structure built by HTML codes. HTML5 is the most recent version and supports cross-platform browser functionality, making it popular in mobile application development. CSS
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) was developed in the late 1990s. It adds design elements like typography, colors, and layouts to websites to improve the overall “look” of websites. CSS allows developers to transform your website to match the aesthetic you envisioned for your site, and like HTML5, CSS is compatible with all browsers. Here's a code snippet for customizing the jumbotron element in Bootstrap CSS. .jumbotron { background: #27a967; color: white; text-align: center; } .jumbotron p { color: white; font-size: 26px; } JavaScript JavaScript is the cherry-on-top of coding languages. Created in the mid-90s, JavaScript is used to add functionality to websites. Developers use it to add animations, automate tasks within certain pages, and add interactive features that enhance user experience.
JavaScript is rapidly evolving. Once considered a “toy” language, JavaScript is now the most widely used coding language in the world. With the help of Node.Js, it’s now a back-end coding language. It’s the first language to be understood by browsers, and some have even discussed applying machine learning to it, too. Below is a JavaScript code snippet for automatically opening links in a new window in WordPress. JavaScript code snippet example HTML, CSS, JavaScript are the “big three” of web development. Almost every website uses them in some capacity. There are plenty of others, such as server-side languages like Java, C++, Python, and SQL, but understanding these three is foundational to your website development knowledge. Build the back-end of your website. Writing code might be one of the more complicated parts of web development, but it’s hardly the only component. You also have to build your back-end and front-end site structures and design.
Let’s start with the back-end. The back-end handles the data that enables the functionality on the front-end. For example, Facebook's back-end stores my photos, so that the front-end can then allow others to look at them. It’s made up of two key components: Databases, which are responsible for storing, organizing, and processing data so that it’s retrievable by server requests. Servers, which are the hardware and software that make up your computer. Servers are responsible for sending, processing, and receiving data requests. They’re the intermediary between the database and the client/browser. The browser will, in effect, tell the server "I need this information", and the server will know how to get that information from the database and send it to the client. These components work together to build the foundation for each website. As for building your website, backend developers will establish three things.
Your logic code, which is a set of rules for how your website will respond to certain requests and how objects of your website will interact. Your database management, which is how your website will organize, manage, and retrieve its data. Your infrastructure, which is how your site will be hosted. Hosting your own site will give you greater control, but it’s much more expensive and requires you to maintain your own server health and security. With these components and decisions in place, your website will be ready for front-end development. Note: The back-end is slightly tangential to web development because you don't always need a back-end if you're not storing any data. “Data” in this context means any user-entered information that you need to save and persist. Think about logging in to a website. If they don't have a back-end, how could they remember your login information? Or what your profile settings are? To get this information, you need a back-end. Facebook, as an example, needs to know what people are in your Friends list, what events you have joined, what posts you have created, and more. This is all "data" that lives in a database. If they didn't have a back-end with a database, none of that data would be accessible to them. On the other hand, a website that’s purely informational and doesn’t require the users to enter any data wouldn’t need a back-end.
So, if you have no data, you don’t necessarily require back-end development. But that’s not saying you shouldn’t learn the basics. You never know when you might need it. Build the front-end of your website. If you’ve ever dabbled in web design or toyed with a website in WordPress, Squarespace, or Google Sites, you’ve touched front-end web development. The front-end stuff is important — it’s what your visitors, customers, and users see and how they’ll use your website. Front-end (or client-side) development includes a combination of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It also controls components such as typography and fonts, navigation, positioning, and browser compatibility and responsiveness. This part will reflect more of your initial site vision and what you included in your wireframe. As technology and consumer preferences change, client-side coding tends to become outdated much faster than back-end development. This is where coding resources (like the ones we’ve included below) come in handy.
(Optional) Work with a CMS. Why would someone choose a CMS over coding “by hand” or “from scratch?” It’s true that a CMS is less flexible and, therefore, gives you less control over your front-end. However, a CMS is easier to use (you have to write less code), and it often has tools for hosting the site, storing user information, creating a blog, publishing landing pages, capturing leads, and even building an email list. As a result, you’ll be able to make your website more profitable with less than half the work. See why thousands of customers use 's CMS to build an optimized website that integrates with their CRM data and full marketing stack. CMS options often include plugins that remove the need to write a back-end. For example, there are WordPress plugins for eCommerce so that, instead of building a complicated back-end to charge customers’ credit cards, you can just use an existing plugin and avoid the need to deal with databases and server-side code. Popular content management systems include , Joomla, Magento, and WordPress — which has over 65% market share. (In this case, we’re talking about open source WordPress software, not the WordPress site builder.)
Acquire a domain name. At this point, your website will have an IP address. It also needs a domain name, a memorable website name that your visitors can use to find your site. Perhaps you’ve heard of sites like GoDaddy and Hover. These services help you purchase a domain name and register with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). Most domain registrations are good for a year before you’re required to renew. Website builders and hosting services, like WordPress and Squarespace, also allow you to purchase a domain name. Launch your site. Once you’ve set up a domain name and linked it to your host, you’re almost ready to unveil your work to the web.
Gratis Website MakenBut not so fast — there are still a handful of things you’ll need to check before an official launch. These include planning out responsibilities on your team, testing your site thoroughly for any glitches, optimizing for SEO, and a final check before “flipping the switch” and making your site live. Website Development Resources Interested in learning more about development and coding? Outside of connecting and networking with other developers, there are plenty of resources you can tap into to further your understanding of web development. Web Development Courses and Classes Whether you want to explore back-end, front-end, or full-stack coding, here are a few online courses and classes recommended by developers. TutorialsPoint All content and resources on TutorialsPoint are free. Between tutorials, ebooks, and videos, TutorialsPoint provides a host of learn-to-code options. egghead According to their website, “egghead is a group of working web development professionals and open source contributors that provide you with concise, information-dense video courses on the best tools in the industry.”
Users can take courses, listen to podcasts, or take lessons on a wide variety of web development topics. Khan Academy Khan Academy is a well-known free educational resource. Users can learn anything from macroeconomics to linear algebra to US history, as well as a handful of computing topics. freeCodeCamp freeCodeCamp is a non-profit organization (like Khan Academy) that helps people learn to code for free. With thousands of articles, videos, and interactive lessons, as well as worldwide study groups, freeCodeCamp helps thousands of developers and engineers learn about programming and land development jobs. Team Treehouse Team Treehouse is a subscription-based online learning program. Users pay a monthly fee and gain access to hundreds of courses on over 20 different topics. From JavaScript to Python to PHP, Treehouse can teach you all you need to know about web development.
Web Development Communities Web developers are masters of the Internet, so it makes sense that they’d hang out and connect in Internet-based communities. According to Code Condo, developers join these communities for: Up-to-date information and problem-solving Insightful answers, new perspectives Tips and tricks for all-level programmers Links to resources, talks, and research papers Meeting new friends, code buddies, and potential partners Here are a few online communities recommended by our developers.
Stack Overflow Stack Overflow was introduced nearly 15 years ago and has since become one of the most popular programming communities in the world. According to co-founder Jeff Atwood, “[Stack Overflow] is by programmers, for programmers, with the ultimate intent of collectively increasing the sum total of good programming knowledge in the world.” Stack Overflow is a great place to go with questions because most of the time, other developers have asked and answered the same ones. The forums in Stack Overflow keep you connected to other developers while also keeping you informed. Mozilla Development Network Mozilla Development Network (MDN) is known to be more thorough and accurate than other online resources. It’s not as much a community as a comprehensive resource and library of documents for coding languages. MDN is useful when learning how certain functions work and staying up-to-date on coding and development news.
Reddit Reddit is a forum-based community where developers of all levels gather to ask and answer questions. It’s incredibly interactive and includes people from all over the world. You can also join “subreddits” based on specific topics such as web design, JavaScript, or freelancing. Dive Into Web Development The Internet is here to stay, and it’s constantly evolving to meet user needs. Web developers are on the front lines of these innovations and improvements — from this blog to your favorite social network to the apps you use on your phone, web development is everywhere. As a result, it’s worth taking the time to understand coding and programming to help make your business website the best it can be — for you and your customers. Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. Fun Fact: There are almost 2 billion websites in the world today.