If you’re reading this, I welcome you to the world of website development. If you’re not sure about the first step of starting an online business, this is the complete website development checklist.

If you look at the forums online, people make a fuss that building a website by yourself is a crazy idea and difficult. To be honest, it’s easier now than ever.

But since it’s so easy, there’s too much information out there that could overwhelm you. With tons of guides and ebooks that take an hour to run through, it’s a challenge.

But not anymore.

I list 9 things; 9 things that every top website has. Even when you hire a web design company, they will not forget to follow these aspects.

• Choosing the domain name
• Selecting hosting plan
• Select the theme and website-building option
• Website structure and page design
• SEO-optimized website content
• Focus on web security
• Perform website testing
• Set up Google Analytics
• List your business on Google My Business

The first four steps regarding website development are what you do before building a website from scratch. From analyzing your requirements and resources, here are the four steps to take before setting foot towards building a website.

1. Choosing the domain name

The first thing on your launching a website checklist is the domain name. Like your house address and email address, the domain name is unique. If your domain name does not resemble your business, your customer will not connect. Your customers should know who you are when they see your domain name and homepage.

There are hundreds of domain name sellers online that a web development company would recommend. Siteground and Namecheap would be a good start to search for a domain name, especially if you are on a tight budget.

While searching for a domain name, make sure you follow these tips.

1. Keep it below 15 characters.
2. Try to add high-valued keywords if you need them. ‘The’ and ‘my’ are some popular ones.
3. Any website development company would suggest a .com to be your first choice as everyone is familiar with it. Finding the perfect .com domain might be hectic sometimes but you don’t have to compromise. A .net and .io are good alternatives too since they get better traction these days.
4. Use country-specific extensions only when your business is restricted to a particular country.

Imagine you have a bakery and you name it “PrimeBakersPune.com”. You have a greater advantage than other bakers in your city.

When people search for bakers in Pune online, your website can make it to the top of the search results. The reason is Pune is in your domain name and so Google puts your business higher than other bakers who do not match with the city.

Now you have got the domain name checked off your website checklist, let’s talk about hosting.

2. Select the hosting plan

The next priority on your website development checklist should be the hosting plan. When you subscribe to a hosting plan, you reserve a portion of the web for you so that your website can be online. Hosting is a unique area in website development as it impacts performance and the costs to host your website.

You have options like shared server hosting where you share the same server along with other customers. This saves costs and proves to be a good option for small businesses like yours. When your business grows, you can switch to VPS or dedicated hosting which offers exclusive resources.

While choosing the right host, here are key factors that you need to look out for:

• Free SSL Certification: The top-of-the-line hosting services offer free SSL certification because every customer expects the websites they visit to be secure. You don’t want malicious hackers to intercept your data.
• Storage Space:  Depending on the hosting plan you choose, hosting service providers offer different levels of storage space. Standard size starts at 100GB to 1.5 TB in the form of SSD and NVMe, the next-gen of SSD storage.
  

Other factors include bandwidth, customer support, and frequency of automatic backup of data so there’s a lot to consider. We suggest going for shared hosting with limited storage for small businesses and later expanding to VPS  plans so you get additional benefits like free unlimited SSL, storage and premium customer support.

You have a domain name and a hosting plan suitable for your budget. Picking how to design your website is the next step on your launching a website checklist.

3. Select The Theme And Website Building Option

This is where things can get from good to the best.

With hundreds of website builders to choose from, it can be hard to choose one that is tailored to your needs. Don’t worry, I have got you in this.

The general norm is that DIY website builders are the easiest way to build websites. But in reality, only 32% of businesses prefer this way. Businesses that want to make a statement and establish a strong presence, opt for a website development company.

I suggest WordPress because it’s the best option from both a development and a business owner’s point of view.

Check out this article that outlines the benefits of choosing WordPress as your preferred website-building platform.

From a technical point, you need a theme that is engaging and improves the user experience. To break it down a well-designed theme is simply a combination of a few things:

• The font. You’re not going to use 5 different styles across 10 webpages.
• Header and footer. Same style and navigation bar with the same links.
• A consistent colour scheme. Check out our article on building the best colour scheme for a website to get a detailed picture.
• Margin and padding. The whitespace in your pages should be consistent.
• Animation for links, buttons, slideshows and more.

All these elements have to work together to consistently display a solid theme. But why do you need to pay attention to all these factors?

The first thing is it’s easier to navigate the website. It’s clutter-free, and the links and buttons are legible in the right positions. This grabs the attention of users and decreases bounce rates.

Once your business grows, it’s easier to scale because you have the platform set with a solid theme. Compare this to a cluttered website with no structure, no colour scheme, and irregular use of white space. It’s going to be a bigger headache once you start penning down the plan.

By now, you now know why a solid consistent web design matters. It’s time to jump to the next thing on your website checklist and create your web pages.

4. Web Page Design

The next stop on your website development checklist is web page design. If a website is your book, every chapter in it becomes a webpage. Hence, every chapter should start and finish perfectly and direct the user to make the next step.

There’s room to get very creative while designing but there are standards to follow. Even if you ask the best web development company in India, they will tell you these four pillar pages are the most important.

• Contact page: Having a contact page provides how a visitor can contact you through all possible ways from email to physical address. The chances of a visitor becoming a customer are the highest for a contact page. This is because in most cases people voluntarily reach out to learn about the products or services.

The best companies getting high conversion rates have shorter forms. Shorter the forms the easier it is for the visitor.

• About page: The About page is where you draw the picture of your ambition, why the business started, and its goals. The more clarity this page has, the faster the trust builds. Get creative and introduce your team and what they do in the company. This show of empathy is a great trust builder.
• Home page:  The homepage is an attractive web page of any website that people visit a lot. Being the face of your online presence, the homepage should contain everything – what you can offer for your customer and how you can do it. Once that is done, you need to provide options for them to make a move. Calls to action in the necessary places will keep the conversation going and ensure a business deal.
  
• Blog page:  Most small business owners consider the blog page as optional but as a web design company in Pune, I would say to have one. This increases the chances of engaging with people and putting out the word online.
• Services page:  For any service business, what you showcase is what attracts customers. In this case, service pages are your best bet. Display your work, make your skills stand out, but most importantly highlight what you’re willing to offer for the end-user. This, in turn, builds your reputation and shows you’re a seasoned veteran in the game.

With web page design being crossed on your website checklist, let’s talk about the next important aspect- web security.

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5. Focus On Web Security

Walking down a dark alley is scary. The same applies to a website with security flaws. It’s important to check off web security on your website development checklist because no one wants to visit a website that is compromised. An insecure website leaves signs. People will spot it and they’ll never trust your website again. Fear not! Our website checklist has all the important stuff covered.

#1 Secure Authentication

The first step is to get an SSL certificate. It’s a staple. By the time you’re reading this, your competitors already have gotten one. Website users are aware and they will want to see that padlock icon near the URL.

Do you think someone would disclose sensitive information on a website without an SSL? Absolutely not!

Secure authentication is crucial because it builds trust. When users trust your site, they stick around, make purchases, and even spread the word to their friends.

It doesn’t stop at just an SSL certificate. Some of the other basic aspects you should focus on are:

1. Make your passwords strong for your admins. Encourage users to use strong passwords by using a password strength meter.
2. Use multi-factor authentication. It can be a simple OTP through SMS or Google Authenticator.
3. Restrict login attempts. This solves brute force attacks.

#2 Backup and Recovery

Your website might be running smoothly one day but something bad happens like a server crash or it gets hacked. You get it fixed but you lose all your data. Without proper backup and recovery, all your hard work could go down the drain.

There are a ton of ways you can back up your website.

1. Simply copy-pasting the files from your database is one way.
2. Another option is using your web hosting provider’s backup tools. Many hosts offer automatic backups that you can schedule.
3. Cloud storage software like Dropbox or Google Drive are great options if you wish to access files from any machine you like.

When it’s time to recover, you can simply restore your backup files to your server. Remember to test your backups and recovery process regularly to ensure everything works smoothly when you need it.

#3  Application Firewall

According to a study, 54% of web applications have at least one vulnerability. An Application Firewall adds an extra layer of security to address these vulnerabilities and protect against potential exploits.

Application firewalls work by monitoring and controlling traffic to and from computers and applications. It acts as a shield, monitoring incoming traffic and blocking malicious attacks.

An Application firewall defends your website, protects customer data, ensures availability, and keeps your business running smoothly. It’s a smart investment that brings peace of mind and helps your business thrive in the wild world of the internet.

6. SEO optimized website content

You might have heard the saying – “Content is king”. It’s true! Good content = more traffic. But are they created to deliver the best results?

Written content appears on blogs, guides, ebooks, and on your web pages to educate or direct your visitors to take action. Writing content doesn’t mean throwing words on a page. A good website development checklist is incomplete without this. It’s about providing informative, engaging content that promotes your business.

This is where SEO comes into the picture.

Make sure you avoid the common SEO mistakes committed by small businesses. SEO is important for getting your website ranked by Google when people search for your business. Picking the right keywords is vital to pop up in the top search results. The aim is to make top-notch content that Google loves.

Personalised CTAs have been shown to increase conversion rates by 42%. Remember, your website should provide value to your human customers, not just please search engines. Avoid stuffing your content with keywords, as it creates a poor user experience.

You can also hire an SEO services company to get the best results.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, and it’s true. Using images has a big advantage over text because you can share them on different platforms. If you’re starting with images, make sure you know what kinds you can use.

Infographics are awesome for summing up blogs and adding to ebooks. They give you the gist of a long article in just a glance.

#1 A Business Logo

All reputed organisations have a logo. A logo stands the test of time and is easily identifiable. Now a logo is non-negotiable to establish your business online.

Get it custom-designed rather than using an automated logo maker because the position matters. A study from the NN group found that 24% of users failed to reach the homepage in one click if there was a centre-positioned logo. The common practice that delivers great results is placing the logo and the name placed side by side at the top left corner.

#2 Graphic Designing

The advantage of a good website theme designed by skilled graphic designers is you build your aura of a specific pattern that’s unique to you. This builds synchrony among the images, the website theme, and the business itself. Our web and graphic designers in Pune make custom website designs that reflect the business theme.

#3 Stock Photos

Stock photos are free to use and you can buy online. Some platforms like Unsplash offer some for free. The downside is they’re not unique because anyone can buy and use them. These types of photos are ideal for side images that accompany the primary image on the webpage.

Please don’t randomly download images from Google. They are subjected to copyrights and people will figure out you’re a phony.

#4 Hiring a photographer

This is the professional way out there. Get customized photographs for your product, outlets, services and your team with the help of a photographer. No hassle in the name of copyrights, all of them are unique and align with your brand image. Professional photographs of your product will take your e-commerce store to the next level.

With that being clarified, you have covered all the important aspects of your website development checklist. We’ve got more tips to enhance e-commerce personalization and product suggestions. From now on, you need to set up the business website which is the final three steps.

7. Perform Website Testing

So, you’ve designed your website? That’s awesome! But before you hit that publish button, it’s vital to perform thorough testing to ensure your website is flawless and ready for the world to see. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with this handy website checklist:

#1 Browser Compatibility

Picture this: you’ve got an amazing website, but it only works flawlessly on one browser but has issues in other ones. That’s a big no-no!

You have to make sure your website is compatible across different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari and consistently works well on the latest and upcoming browser versions.

#2 Responsive Design

Responsive design is a game-changer for user experience and customer satisfaction on websites. With responsive design, your site looks fantastic on any device, whether a phone, tablet, or desktop. No more squinting or awkward scrolling!

When people have a great experience on your site, they’re happier, more engaged, and more likely to come back for more. Check if your design adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes and orientations. You can test it on various devices like smartphones and tablets.

#3 Error Handling

Imagine a page says 404 Not found and there’s nothing on the page other than that. The user has no clue what that means. Their next step? Abort your website.

What should happen is you should handle the error and divert a user-friendly webpage that tells what that error means. You should test your form validation and ensure users receive clear error messages when they submit incorrect data.

Plus, when errors are handled gracefully, users can keep doing what they came to do without any major hiccups. It makes the website look professional and reliable, and that builds trust.

Follow these website testing steps and you’ll be ready to launch a flawless website. Remember, testing is an ongoing process, so periodically review and update your website to maintain its optimal performance. The next stop on your website checklist is Google Analytics.

8. Set up Google Analytics

Okay, you now have SEO-optimized content, a sleek website design, and captivating images. But how do you know if people are visiting your website or not?

When you are into website development, the important commodity you will have other than money is data.

Data is a bigger resource for you than your capital once your website is online. That is why Google allows you to capitalise on the data using their analytics tool. Let me tell you the importance of Google Analytics on your handy website development checklist.

Google Analytics records and provides a report on how much traffic your website is receiving. Even the best web development company in India would recommend it and is completely free to use.

Read this guide from Google to set up your Google Analytics account in no time.

It is just a three-step process where you provide the URL and name of your website and that is it. Analytics tool dives in to monitor real-time and overall conversion rates, audience activity and behaviour, and map out every ounce of your traffic.

If you think Analytics is a complete package, Google has more for you. Google’s Data Studio is a free Data visualisation tool. You can create custom reports and built-in templates to present data to your colleagues and anyone by embedding them in your webpage

These templates on data visualization can be content for you to provide to your audience to build trust. Analytics is super important especially when you already made a good way into the online world.

These templates on data visualization can be content for you to provide to your audience to build trust. Analytics is super important especially when you already made a good way into the online world.

9. List your business on Google My Business

You are almost there. It is time to let your business be seen by anyone from your city.

For that, get enrolled in Google My Business.

Even though you can do this without a website, the maximum leverage from Google My Business can be made through a professional website.

Click this link to go through the following process to set up your Google My Business account.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Go to Google My Business and click Manage now which takes you through the enrollment process.
2. You now add your business name, followed by the physical location of your business.
3. Enter your website’s URL. You can see that even without a website you can set this up and even Google creates a free website for you.
4. Locate your store on Google Maps and allow people to find you from the cities that you want.

This brings in better traffic to your website through ads and searches through Google Maps. If you own multiple retail outlets, you can monitor every outlet’s performance, reviews, and feedback, and promote them individually.

In some cases, Google My Business makes things more simple by putting forward directions, your address, and phone number to contact you immediately. With this, you now have a customer at hand without them surfing through your website. For an in depth guide, here’s our article to Optimize Your Google Business Profile Listing.

This concludes our website development checklist.

You went through all the necessary steps to build your first business website. We have listed all the details, the tricks, and the fundamentals in this website checklist to take you to the next step.

The next step?

Connect with a professional web design company and oh! You already found one! We, at GyanDevign Tech Services, have a track record of helping out ambitious business owners like you by creating high-quality websites.

You are in the right place so let’s connect to know more about you. Fill out this contact form with your ideas and we’ll book a call at your convenient time. You are ready and this is the best time to dominate online.