When you’re starting your first business, you more than likely have a clear idea in your head of how you want your website to look and work. Perhaps you even have every page planned with what you want to appear and what content you’re promoting. While it’s easy to get lost down the rabbit hole of color schemes and what the function buttons will look like, it’s also important to remember that without professional and efficient website development, these dreams of the perfect site simply can’t come true. So, what do we mean when we say website development, and why do you need it?

What Exactly Is Web Development?

Behind every slick, attractive website, there is a complicated language of specialized coding that is enabling it to work and look the best it can. Coding sounds tricky, and if you were to view the HTML behind any website, it looks pretty hard too! However, this is a vital part of any website. After all, without coding, you wouldn’t be able to click the ‘Add To Cart’ button and have the product you’ve always wanted to own move seamlessly to your online basket so you can purchase it. While web design is seen as the more creative sector, web development is the backbone that keeps any web page running smoothly.

The Developer Role

Professional website developers speak fluently in web script languages such as PHP and ASP to create dynamic pages with specific functions and features. The role of a website developer can take many forms. These include ensuring your website is mobile-ready. Being mobile-ready is very important, with the majority of visitors to the internet now coming from smartphones. Making sure your website is mobile-ready means that the pages are easily viewable on a smaller device and screen, as well as being very responsive to any commands the user asks.

Why Do I Need It?

For any business in the modern, technology-loving world, a user-friendly and effective website can make or break the company. It can be the difference between beating all your competitors or going bust with outdated stock left in your warehouse. Your website is your online presence; it’s what your current and future customers see and will make a judgment on what you’re trying to sell within seconds. It’s believed that customers stay on a website for a maximum of 10-20 seconds before they decide whether to continue browsing or leave to go elsewhere. Therefore, ensuring that your site is developed for the best customer-experience and ease of use is vital.

Website development doesn’t only enable your customers to find their way around your pages quickly and easily; it also has the ability to protect websites against cybersecurity threats and attacks. The most primitive malware such as SQL injection can be executed by internet users who only have basic knowledge of how web development works. It means that when developing a website, the experts can implement encryptions against any intrusions which can keep any private or sensitive data safe online. However, this doesn’t mean your website will always be protected against any cyber threats, so it’s vital you also use up-to-date anti-virus software.