If you are a small business owner, you’ll likely find yourself needing a website for your business at some point.
If you’re not a web developer, you may have some questions like what you need on a website, how does website development works, should you hire a website designer or website developer, how much would be the cost of the website development, etc.
In this blog post, I have shared 9 common questions, along with their answers, that most novice webmasters have.
#1 What’s the whole website development process like?
The web design process can be broken down into 7 main steps:
- Research
- Planning
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
- Coding
- Content uploading
- Launch
Recommended post: 5 Major processes that are required for website development
#2 How does website development work?
Website development typically happens in 3 major stages: the front-end, the database, and the back-end.
The front-end is the part that your audience sees and interacts with and this includes things like the content, navigation, and design.
The database is where all the records like content, links, & images of your website are saved.
The back-end is where you can log in and manage the information on your website.
#3 Do I need a designer or a developer?
When it comes to building a website, you’ll likely need both a web designer and a web developer.
The website designer is responsible for the visual aspects of your site like the layout and colors, while the website developer is responsible for the technical aspects like the programming and coding.
#4 How do I choose between a website designer and a website developer?
If you need a static website with up to 6-8 pages, you can choose either a website developer or a website designer. That doesn’t matter.
But if you need a CMS website, an eCommerce website, or a web portal, you will need the assistance of both the website designers & website developers.
A website designer is someone who specializes in designing the visual and interactive elements of a website.
A website developer, on the other hand, is more concerned with the functionality and programming language of the site.
These days there are many website developers who are also good at website designing. If you hire this kind of website developer, you can save a lot on your website development because you won’t have to hire two different resources to create your website.
#5 What does a website designer do?
Website designers are different from website developers or coders.
They are creative directors who are in charge of the entire design of the site, including the look and feel.
They need to be able to visualize the product in their head and then translate that into the CSS, HTML, and JavaScript that is used to build the site.
Most website designers prefer to work across a range of tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, etc.
#6 What does a website developer do?
The role of a website developer is to develop the website.
A website developer may have many roles, but the main role is to develop the website.
Website developers should have extensive knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, AJAX, etc.
Web developers should also have a good understanding of databases and servers.
The key difference between a web designer and a web developer is that a designer is concerned with how a website looks whereas a developer is concerned with how it functions.
#7 On which platforms do website developers work?
There are many platforms that website builders can choose from to build a website. But the most popular platforms are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.
Your website developer may also choose custom PHP or PHP frameworks such as Code Ignitor or Laravel.
When it comes to eCommerce website design, your developer may choose WooCommerce, Shopify, OpenCart, or Magento.
#8 How much does website design costs?
In Singapore, if you hire a website design company, you may end up paying somewhere between $4000 to $8000 to develop a corporate website however if you need an eCommerce website, you may get different quotes varying between $5000 and $15000.
But if you hire an independent website developer, you may save more than 40% on your website development cost.
A website developer in Singapore may charge you as low as $1000 to create a simple corporate website and for creating an eCommerce website, your website developer may charge you as low as $2500.
If you’re a small business owner with a low website design budget, you should consider hiring a website developer rather than a website design company.
#9 How will I maintain my website?
CMS, or content management system, allows you to make changes to your website without having to call a website developer every time you want to change the color of the text.
It also means that if you have a team of people managing your site, there’s a central place where they can make changes and updates as well.
Content management systems (CMS) make it possible for you to make updates to your website without having to know any code.
There are several different CMS systems out there, and some are more user-friendly than others.
WordPress is one of the most popular CMSs available on the planet today.
WordPress allows you to take control of your website without having any technical knowledge or coding skills.