Getting Started in Web Development
All this may sound daunting at first, but you don’t need to know everything at once. You will grow your knowledge progressively. And things will begin to click.
The great news is, learning to become a developer is easily accessible and affordable. This is especially true with OpenClassrooms. Emily Reese, Web developer and Teacher at OpenClassrooms explains,
Whatever aspect of web development attracts you, we have programs that can help you reach your goals.
No matter your background, you can learn web development. Emily told us,
In undergrad, I studied art history and architecture and then decided to become a developer whilst I was working at Kickstarter because I saw how the web could complement creativity in the arts. The same is probably true for any field.
Becoming a web professional allows you to participate in absolutely any field, because the web has become universally present in our professional lives. You can be a web developer and specialize in anything from the art world to the automobile industry.
Why is web development important?
Web development is a critical element in any digital marketing campaign because your website lies at the heart of all your online marketing. Your paid ads, social media , and email campaigns ultimately lead users back to your site.
The web development process
When you’re ready to develop your website, you’ll want to follow a particular series of steps to ensure optimal results. For the next section of our web development overview, here’s a six-step description of the web development process!
1. Develop a plan
The first thing you should do before you develop a website is lay out a plan. Don’t just start throwing together a homepage right off the bat — take the time to figure out what you want for your site.
The best way to do this is to list specific goals. Some common goals are things like “allow users to buy our products on our site” and “educate users about our products and services.” You may also have goals like “familiarize users with our team members.”
Then, consider who you’re trying to reach with your site. Who will visit your site? What will they want to find?
Throughout the rest of the development process, keep your goals and target audience at the forefront of your mind.
2. Create a sitemap
Once you’ve come up with some general goals, you can start planning the actual layout of your site. The best way to do that is to create a sitemap, where you simply plan out all the different sections and pages that will make up your site (not to be confused with an xml sitemap).
You can make a sitemap online, or you can simply use a pen and paper. You’re just trying to visualize how all the pages on your site will be organized and interconnected.
Ultimately, this sitemap will be the key to creating an effective navigation setup on your site, allowing users to easily find their way around it.
3. Purchase a domain name
The next step is to register a domain name. Your domain name is your site’s URL. For a business website, the best approach is to simply use your business name as your domain name.
You can search on a website like Go Daddy to see if your domain name is available. You may need to tweak and adjust your name to find an available domain. From there, you’ll need to choose a website host.
When creating a domain name, try to make it clearly associated with your brand, and keep it short if possible — longer domain names are harder for users to remember.
If you use a website builder like WordPress, you can also register your domain name through there.
4. Build your backend
As soon as you know the layout of your website, you can begin coding. As noted earlier, you may choose to use a CMS like wordpress to do this. If so, you can use preexisting building blocks or even templates to create your site, but bear in mind that your website won’t be as unique as it would if you built it from scratch.