What is web development?

Appeared with the Internet, web development refers to the process of writing a site or web page in technical language. This is an essential step for content to be put online and reach its readers.

What does web development consist of?

Web development is based on the use of languages ​​(HTML / CSS, JavaScript, PHP…) to write programs which are then executed by computers. 

Instructions are posted over the Internet and performed on servers. 

Depending on the needs of the owners of the site or of the web pages, the latter may consist only of text and graphic elements resembling a document or be interactive by displaying information that changes (shopping cart, for example).

The profession of the web developer

The web developer takes care of the realization of all the technical functionalities of a website or a web application.

Depending on the requirements presented in precise specifications, this specialist analyzes the needs and defines the appropriate technical solution. 

He then develops the functionalities of the site or the web application by writing lines of code. Its missions also include the diagnosis and resolution of problems detected on a site already online. 

Versatility, autonomy, adaptability as well as meeting deadlines are among the qualities of this professional.

What training is adequate to become a web developer?

Various training courses for a web developer are given in the grandes. The MXBLOG24 training school offers you various short courses in web development allowing you to give a new dynamic to your career:

• Create mobile applications by learning the programming languages ​​Java and kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS
• Learn how to create a mobile site with the PhoneGap engine
• Learn to develop an application for Windows 8 with C # for Windows Phone.
• Java JEE training to develop applications and web programming in Java
• Learn the basics of the JavaScript programming language
• Learn to use the MVC software architecture pattern to enrich the structuring of applications
• Learn PHP language to create dynamic web applications
• “ Object-oriented programming ” training to know how to use an object-oriented language
• Master the different phases of object modeling in UML

The creation of a website: Ergonomics and design

By nature, we judge websites on 3 main criteria:

1. The designs
2. The contents
3. Ease of use

When visitors arrive on your site, an overview of these three characteristics is enough for them to make the decision to continue on your site or if they will look elsewhere! 

When creating your website it is therefore important to focus on these aspects. In short, create a site that is easy on the eyes, descriptive and easy to navigate.

It is said that the first principle of design is that the container must serve the content. 

All the graphic choices you make must be in the service of the experiences that your visitors will have. 

Here is a little guide to make sure you have an ergonomic website taking into account its design.

Get inspired by the designs offered

We find graphic designers who work hard to create templates that will meet everyone’s needs and help you build your website. 

Personal site, trendy restaurant or carpentry, there is an ideal design for you and your industry. 

Do you have a lot of imagination? 

Say goodbye to the superfluous

Although your site should be attractive, its first goal is to be informative: the visual is only to catch the eye. 

Use zones and cleanse your site to make it look professional while still letting your content breathe. 

Visitors should feel welcome, but should also quickly find the information they are looking for, or want to learn more. 

Use your keywords to write your content and pages. That’s why you should cut out the unnecessary, the long texts and focus on the message you want to convey. 

And no matter what that post is, be sure to put it forward right at the start of your homepage, being careful to use call-to-action buttons as well as boxes.

Moreover, it is said that a visitor will only read 28% of the content on the web page, so this is a statistic to keep in mind when creating your content. 

If you have comprehensive texts, try writing them down as a list of only a few words. 

Also pay attention to chosen fonts or words that are too difficult to understand. In short, keep your texts short, simple, informative, and readable.

Organize your site

A ‘one-page’ or ‘long-scrolling’ site can be interesting when you have little content, since it consists of concentrating it on a single page, on the other hand, when you have more information to share, it is better to divide it over several pages.

Divide your information into different pages and group them into tabs and sub-tabs. Your pages will be slower to download, your content will be clearer, and it will be easier for Internet users to find the information they are looking for. 

Here is an example of a ‘classic’ website:

• Page 1: Home
• Page 2: Services
• Page 3: About
  • Sub-tab 1: Blog
  • Sub-tab 2: Our history
    • Sub-sub-tab: Our team
• Page 4: Contact

The visitor must know at all times where he is and where he can go. 

To do this, write the page title clearly at the top of the page and create an active menu style. 

This way, your users will be able to find their way around your site at a glance. Next, make sure that all of your clickable links are visible enough. Keep the underline for your links. 

Users are used to seeing links with the underlined aspect, so they can quickly see where they can click. 

Finally, if you have long pages, it might be useful to include a back to top button, or set your header at the top of the page, so that your visitors can quickly return to navigation.

Get your customers to act

A call-to-action (CTA) button is a message, button, or image that prompts your site visitors to take a defined action. 

For example, it can be an application download, a link to another page, a contact request or even a newsletter subscription. 

The addition of these buttons mainly helps the user to navigate the different pages of your site, thus improving the ease of use.

Respect the hierarchy

Creating an information hierarchy helps visitors focus on the essentials and find the information they are looking for faster. 

What is the message you want to convey with your website? Do you want to get people to book a date, read your blog, or even engage you? 

No matter what that post is, make sure you put it right at the start of your homepage with a keyphrase and a clear call-to-action button. 

The most important information should be highlighted, either by magnifying it, framing it, or even leaving white space around it.

Have a clear navigation

The menu should be clear, the page titles should be short and representative. 

The logo serves as a landmark for your users, so it should be at the top left, with a link to the home page. 

If your visitors don’t know where to go, they’ll click on the logo and return to the home page. You can also include a second navigation by putting links to your pages in your footer. 

This is also crucial in terms of navigation, it is important to give it as much attention as your header. 

Include social media badges, a reminder of your menu, secondary links, and your contact information.

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A WEBSITE: web development

A website is the best tool to achieve your goals; whether it’s just so people can connect with you or to expand your customer base.

 Today, the web is accessible across the world; it is even an essential tool for making your brand known to consumers and conveying useful information to them for selling the company’s products and / or services.

Benefits of a website 

1. Investment

You will find that the benefits of a website are almost immediate:

Your printing expenses will be reduced, your customer service will be improved, your sales will increase, your business will gain additional notoriety, etc. 

The Web is a world without borders that is accessible at all times. Your website will never be closed unlike your store. Your web page can sell and answer questions on its own.

2. A better professional image

A good or bad image can make a difference in making visitors stay on or leave your website. If people don’t want to visit your website, they won’t want to buy your products and your business won’t last long.

This is why it is essential to properly optimize your website (image quality, attractive content and SEO referencing) to make prospects want to know your business better.

3. A showcase available at all times

Your customers can visit your website and find information about the product or service they are interested in, at any time of the day or night.  

The user can browse your web page to answer their questions without disturbing one of your employees who can continue to go about their business during this time.

4. Ease of updates and distribution

A great advantage of the web over print media is that it is easy and inexpensive to update. 

5. Unlimited information

A website has no physical limits. You can therefore put all the documentation (texts, images, PDF, videos, etc.) that you want. 

A web page can then become a very important source of information about everything related to your products and services for your customers. 

If you wish, you can even integrate a virtual store into your website allowing you to buy directly online, without having to travel, in a few clicks. 

In addition, depending on the size of your website, you can add a tool to make it easier for Internet users to find it.

6. An ever-growing clientele

Since the arrival of the big search engines like Google, it is more and more easy to be visible on the Web. 

People everywhere can find your website and view your products and services. Your clientele is therefore no longer limited to people in your city or region. 

It is constantly growing as people are continually browsing the web. Today, it’s also easier to advertise yourself to increase your visibility. 

Thanks to web referencing and various social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, you can increase traffic to your website.

7. Know your customers better

Using various tools such as traffic statistics and online surveys, you can learn more about the tastes of your customers. 

So you can know which products are more popular and which ones attract a little less attention. You can thus improve the products and services offered by your business. 

You can even collect more specific information by using online forms to collect anonymous or non-anonymous comments.

8. News 

Using your website, you can inform your current and future customers about the latest developments in your business. 

Example: launch of a new product, a major purchase, etc., everything can be online very quickly.