Website development usually consists of the following stages:

1. Collection of requirements
2. Planning
3. Design
4. development
5. Testing
6. Release
7. Support and updates

Timeline of website development. When you think about building a website, your thoughts revolve around two main issues - cost and time. These two values largely depend on the size and scope of the project.

To outline the entire development process, you can create a website development timeline by adding tasks and setting milestones for your project. This is the best way to track the progress of your project to make sure you are meeting your deadline.

For this purpose, we prefer to use GanttPRO - a convenient, intuitive Gantt chart for online project planning. We've prepared a detailed description of the entire website development process, estimated time for each step, and a checklist to double-check that you're not missing anything. Website development life cycle.

Collection of information: purpose, main objectives and target audience

The stage of collecting requirements is the initial stage of site development and precedes the development itself. At this stage, the customer's needs and requirements for the site are determined. The main goal of this stage is to collect the necessary information for the development of the site, taking into account the needs of users and business goals.

A news portal is different from an entertainment website, and online resources for teenagers look different than websites for adults. Different types of websites provide different functionality to visitors, which means that different technologies should be used according to the objectives. A well-defined and detailed plan based on pre-development data can save you from spending additional resources to solve unexpected problems, such as changing the design or adding features that were not originally planned. Approximate time: from one to two weeks.

The planning stage of site development includes the following actions:

1. Analysis of requirements: At this stage, the collection and analysis of requirements for the site is carried out. Understanding business needs, target audience, functionality, and design helps define the scope of work and set the right development goals.
2. Site structure: The logical structure of the site is developed, including the main sections, subsections and navigation paths (site map). This helps to organize information on the site and ensure easy access of users to the necessary information.
3. Selection of technologies: At this stage, a set of technologies that will be used for site development is determined. These can be specific programming languages, frameworks, content managers, databases, etc. The choice of technologies depends on the requirements of the project, the budget and the experts who will work on the development.
4. Estimate of the scope of work: At this stage, the scope of work and the time required for the development of the site are determined. This includes estimating the resources needed to complete the project and creating a work schedule.
5. Budgeting: Depending on the scope of work and project requirements, a budget for site development is drawn up. This includes estimating costs for manpower, technology, design, and other costs associated with the project.

The planning stage allows you to determine the site development strategy, set the main parameters and plan the work of the next stages.

The design stage of site development includes the following actions:

1. Collection of raw data: At this stage, all necessary raw data is collected, including design requirements, brand directives, visual elements (logos, photos, icons) and content that will be used on the site.
2. Creating a layout (wireframe): A layout is a simple sketch or schematic image that shows the structure and placement of the main elements on the page. A layout helps define the placement of content blocks, navigation elements, buttons, etc.
3. Choosing a style and color palette: At this stage, the main colors and design style that will be used on the site are determined. The brand identity, target audience and overall mood to be conveyed through the design are taken into account.
4. Creating visual elements: A designer creates graphic elements such as logos, background images, icons, buttons, etc. that will be used on the site. This can include creating unique elements or using ready-made resources.
5. Layout development (UI design): At this stage, the designer creates a complete layout of the page, in which the placement of elements, fonts, colors, stylistics, graphic elements, etc. is determined. The layout can be created in a graphic editor or using specialized tools for interface development.
6. Prototyping: A prototype is an interactive model of a page or site that allows you to test its functionality and user experience. Prototypes can be static (images that represent the page view) or interactive (with the ability to click buttons, navigate between pages, etc.).

The design stage of site development helps define the look and feel of the site before moving on to implementation.

The site development stage deals directly with the creation of the technical implementation of the site in accordance with the requirements and design that were determined in the previous stages.

1. Technology selection: At this stage, the technologies, programming languages and tools that will be used to develop the site are determined, depending on the needs of the project.
2. Creation of templates: The development of templates includes the creation of site page layouts based on the design that was developed at the previous stage (page layout). Markup languages such as HTML and CSS are used to structure and style pages.
3. Functionality programming: At this stage, programmers create software code that adds functionality to the site (Site Stretching). These can be various functions, such as user registration, search engine, online payment and other interactions with users.
4. Integration of external services: If the site requires the integration of external services, such as payment gateways, social networks, mapping services, etc., this stage includes the development of code that ensures interaction with these services.

The site testing stage is important for identifying errors, problems and ensuring the quality of the site's functioning before launching it into the production environment.

• Functional testing: Checking the functionality of the site ensures the compliance of the developed functions with the requirements and expectations. (checking the operation of various functions, forms, buttons, links, etc.)
• Compatibility and display testing: The site is tested on different browsers (eg Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer), operating systems and devices to ensure that it displays correctly and works on different platforms.
• Interaction with the user: The correctness of the site's response to user actions, such as filling out forms, clicking buttons, navigating the site, interacting with embedded elements, such as videos or maps, is checked.
• Performance Testing: Page loading speed, server performance, and site optimization are tested for optimal performance.
• Mobility testing: If the site has a mobile version or a responsive design, testing is carried out on different mobile devices and tablets.
• Initial data testing: Validity and correct display of initial data such as text, images, tables, formatting, etc. are checked.
• Navigation and search testing: The ease of navigation on the site, the correctness of the search function and the operation of links and buttons are checked.

The release stage in site development means releasing the finished site to the production environment to become available to users. This stage includes the following actions:

1. Preparation for release: At this stage, the customer verifies that all necessary functions and requirements have been fulfilled. The latest version of testing is also done to make sure the site is ready for release.
2. Deployment on the server: After successful testing, the site is ready to be transferred from the test domain to the domain and hosting selected for the site.
3. Functionality Test: After deployment, a final site functionality test is performed to ensure that all features work correctly after deployment on a live server.
4. Monitoring and optimization: After the release, it is important to set up site monitoring to track its performance, load speed and other metrics. If there are problems, they should be solved by optimizing the code or configuring the server.

The support and update stage in site development means providing further support and providing updates for a functioning site after its release.

1. Error correction: During the operation of the site, errors or problems may occur that require correction. At this stage, any errors detected by users or through monitoring are analyzed and corrected.
2. Content Support: Depending on the needs of the site, content support may be required, such as updating text material, images, videos, news, etc.
3. Support of the technical infrastructure: This stage includes ensuring the proper operation of the technical infrastructure, including the web server, databases, hosting and other components.
4. Updates and expansion of functionality: During the development of the site, there may be a need to make changes, updates or add new functions. At this stage, the analysis of these needs, the planning of updates and extensions, as well as their implementation after testing is carried out.