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.
