What Is Website Development Life Cycle? 6 Main Stages To Consider

The website development lifecycle is a series of steps that need to be taken for the successful completion of any website project.

A website can be a cornerstone of your business’s growth. However, gathering the right information and resources to get started can be difficult. In this article, we will look at the main stages involved in a website development life cycle: Information gathering, planning, design, code and development, testing, launching and maintenance.

1. Information gathering

This is one of the most important stages as it helps in defining what exactly you want to do with your website. You can also carry out user research at this stage to know more about your target audience and their needs. It will also help in formulating a better business plan for your company or product.

2. Planning

Before you begin creating your website, you need to sit down and map out what you want your website to include. This involves brainstorming about what content you want to include on the site, how it will be structured, and how it will function.

You also need to decide what type of content management system (CMS) you want to use for your site. If you have any technical knowledge or experience, it is helpful if you can start coding early so that you can get an idea of how the site will look and behave when it is complete.

3. Designing

After planning your website, it is time to work on its design aspect. At this stage, you would define what your website should look like and what kind of features it should have.

You can either hire someone who knows how to design websites or use some of the many free tools available online today. 

4. Coding & Development

Coding and development are integral parts of the web development process.

The code is used to develop the site and make it functional. The code is written in one or more programming languages. There are different types of codes like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.

5. Testing and launch

Testing and launching are one of the most important stages of the website development lifecycle. Testing is done to ensure that the developed website works as per requirements set by clients and developers. Testing helps to identify any bugs or other defects in the developed site so that they can be fixed before launch.

6. Maintenance

Maintenance is the process of keeping your website up to date, secure, and running smoothly. It is an ongoing task that requires regular attention, but it is also something you can automate if you want to save yourself some time.

Maintenance includes:

• Content maintenance: This involves adding new content to your website, updating existing content, and deleting outdated or unused content. You should also check for broken links on the site so that users don’t get errors when they click on them.

• Security maintenance: This involves keeping an eye out for security vulnerabilities in your website software and fixing them as soon as possible after they are discovered by hackers or other researchers (for example through code reviews).

• Performance maintenance: This involves making sure that your website loads quickly on all devices and browsers, including mobile ones like smartphones, tablets, or phablets.

Conclusion

Each stage has its purpose, but they all intertwine to bring you the final product. While the cycle may be complex, if you have the right tools and experience, you can make it through without a hitch. The key to success is knowing where you are in this process and having the right resources the ready to get you through each step on the road to completion. 

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