If you are unfamiliar with the world of
web development and need a website made, then you are going to need
help with turning your ideas and designs into a high-quality reality.
However, who do you know you can trust do this? And, what makes a
good web development company?
A Good Web Development Company Will
Have Front End and Back End Developers Working Together
The front-end is everything involved
with what the user sees, including design and some languages like
HTML and CSS. Everything on the front end is built with a mix of
HTML, CSS, and client-side scripts like JavaScript—the core
elements of front-end development. A front-end developer bridges the
world of design and technology, bringing a design to life and
packaging up the utility of the back end.
The back-end, or the “server-side”,
is how the site works, updates and changes. This refers to everything
the user can’t see when they visit a website, like databases and
servers. Back-end developers are mostly worried about things like
security, structure and content management. They usually know and
can use languages like HTML and CSS, but that’s definitely not their
focus.
Although, there is a significant
difference between what a front-end developer does compared to a
back-end developer, this doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t work
together. Many web development companies separate their developers,
and this can sometimes fragment the projects they work on. A good web
development company will keep their development teams together and
encourage them to collaborate with each other.
A Good Web Development Company Will Follow Best Practices
The key to a good web development
company is not about the technologies that they use. But the best
practices that they follow. Technologies come and go in the web
development industry, but best practices remain. If a web development
company follow best practices, then they can evolve with technology
as it comes and goes. Some of these best practices could include –
• Automated testing on front-end
and back-end code.
• The use of an MVC framework.
• Following web standards for all
front-end coding.
• Writing semantic HTML code.
They Will Have A Meticulous Testing
Process
It’s often seen in the industry that
clients are the ones who test their websites. If a company asks their
client to do this, they don’t understand the project.
A good web development company will
write automated tests for all the code that they write on the
front-end and back-end. Automated testing helps developers
concentrate on the code that they are writing throughout any given
project. It will also help them write more concise code.
However, don’t think that automated
testing is the only important aspect of testing a new website. A good
web development company will also have a good level of human testing
as well.
They Will Use Source Control
Using source control is more of an
obvious thing to observe, but there are still web developers out
there that don’t use any form of source control when writing their
code. There are a few simple reasons as to why all code should be
source controlled –
• It’s a good way of keeping a
log of any changes made to code as long as the developer puts a
comment into the commit.
• The most critical aspect of
source control is that it allows developers to change pieces of code
without the fear of losing any previous work they have done. This
comes in very useful when trying to find out a problem with a
particular piece of code.
Management Will Invest Research and
Development
The web development industry is one of
the fastest moving in the world. Technology comes and goes quicker
than a blink of an eye, so it is essential to move quickly with it. A
good web development company will give its developers allocated time
each week to research new trends and disruptive technologies. If a
web development company really know what they are talking about then
ask them what the most current technologies are and what their
developers have been looking into recently.
Research and development is the most
important time each week for a web developer. They need to evolve as
these new technologies come to market otherwise their work will
stagnate. Think about yourself as a client. Would you like an out of
date website before you even start?
They Will Understand the Marketing
Strategy That Surrounds Every Project They Work On
Many people often comment that web
developers don’t consider the marketing strategy of a project
important. However, if this the case then they won’t be able to
advise their clients about the right solution. If a developer blindly
does the work without considering the marketing strategy, then they
aren’t offering a service. They are just pumping out code.
How to Choose the Right Web
Development Company
With so many freelancers and web
development companies offering a broad spectrum of design and pricing
plans, how do you go about selecting the right one for your brand-new
website? Here are the key things to consider.
1. Testimonials
Most people have to provide a
prospective employee with a reference when they apply for jobs, and
the same rules are applicable within the web development spectrum.
Ask for references from a web development company and find out what
their previous clients have to say about their work, key competencies
and delivery times. What these clients say will provide you with an
indicator of how happy they were with the service, cost and result.
2. Quality of Work
Always do your research and look your
prospective web designer’s portfolio of work and go through the
websites they have designed and developed in the past. By doing this,
you will see if they are a good fit for what you are looking for. It
is important that the web development company that you choose are
respected professionals, so its key to find out if they are key
players in the media or industry recognised thought leaders.
3. Pricing
One of the most important things to
consider is the web development company’s pricing. Some companies
will charge a lot more than others, and this can sometimes make it
tricky to know whether you are getting a good deal or not. You need
to find the right company that is going to deliver what they say that
can for the price they are charging for their services. Make sure to
find out who will be involved in the design and construction of your
website, their qualifications, how much time they are going to spend
on the project and what their billing procedure is.
4. The Way They Communicate
The web development process can be
highly complex and technically challenging for those unfamiliar with
it. So, it is important to know and understand what your web
development company are talking about. Establish a good relationship
and open a line of communication with a prospective company to see if
you are comfortable with the way they work. You can ask them about
their processes and why they make specific recommendations.
5. Reliability
Have a look at how long your
prospective web development company has been around for. Are they
well established or are they likely to crumble a few months down the
line while working on your project? A good indicator of a stable and
successful web development company is how long they have been in
business for and the calibre of clients they have worked with.
When you are looking for a good web
development company, you can find many in the market, and they all
promise quality services and results. So, in this competitive world
of web development, you have to be very selective to avoid the hassle
of getting the wrong service provider.
If you are going to select the best web
development company, then take some time to do your research and get
to know more about their services.
The post What Makes A Good Web Development Company and How to Choose One? appeared first on SpyreStudios.
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