When it comes to building a new website, many businesses choose to focus predominantly on the design aspect of the project when approaching agencies to carry out the work. Whilst design is a vital part to any web development project, there are a vast number of things to be considered that will give your website the best possible chance of attracting the ideal audience once it goes live.
Ensuring your chosen web development agency is fully equipped to give your business’ new website the time, attention and skill required to make it stand out in the competitive online world is essential. So, what are just some of the features of effective web development you should look out for when partnering with an agency?
Effective web development
Responsive design
Websites are accessed across a wide range of devices, from desktops to laptops, mobiles to tablets, therefore it is essential that visitors are able to easily access your site no matter what device they use. This is of particular importance in light of Google’s recent algorithm update that will see sites indexed based on their mobile version rather than desktop as had previously been the case.
Focus on conversion
Having a great looking website means nothing if it doesn’t entice visitors to take some kind of action, whether it be buying a product or filling in a contact form, each part of your site should serve a purpose. A great web development agency will analyse where people are entering your site, the most popular pages on your site in terms of conversion and those pages that are failing to convert visitors, then implement an informed conversion rate optimisation strategy.
Loading speed
User experience is an integral part to great website development, with one of the most important aspects being how quickly a site loads. In a digital world where users expect instant access a site must be prepared, therefore page loading speed should be considered as a priority when it comes to website development. Optimising your site speed should not just be a consideration as the site is built, but should be reviewed and amended on a regular basis. Google’s Page Speed Insights will give you a clear idea of how you site is performing in terms of speed.
Content management system
Once your site is up and running, ensuring it is continually updated will go a long way in helping the site to rank in Google search engines. Because of this it is highly recommended that your website uses an effective content management system, such as WordPress, that will allow you to easily update your site without the necessity of a web developer.
With many more aspects to an effective web development project to consider, ensure that you do your research when approaching developers, take a look at their previous work, results achieved and their proposed approach to your business’ site.