Web Development Services: Full Summary

What are web development services?

The realm of services with the purpose of creating high-quality and profitable websites is as extensive as its clientele. Businesses from all around the world that come from a multitude of backgrounds and industries are seeking professionally-led website development services to enhance their establishments in a multitude of ways.

Companies that are in charge of delivering competitive solutions are now counting in hundreds, which can pose a challenge for clients when it comes to finding the right vendor. After all, each specialist is skilled in one or the other sectors, such as healthcare, retail, real estate and so on.

On the overall scale such offerings help brands to present impactful experiences to users, attracting a larger audience to their solution and, therefore, becoming more successful in the market. Opting for this type of service will entail that the professional expert will handle everything from initial consultations in order to discover what your goals and objectives are to craft a website from the ground up and release it to the public.

Ideally, you want to put your trust in competent vendors as they can handle challenging aspects of development. For example, your solution has to be responsive on mobile devices if you want to cover a wide pool of users since 60% of web page views worldwide are coming from smartphone devices.

What’s more, such companies bring to the table within a website development service the complete security and stable performance of the solution to protect the personal information of users and keep them away from encountering any bugs or failures.

Now that we have overviewed the purpose of development services for website creation, it is time to get into the nitty gritty of obscure nuances and often overlooked aspects within such a synopsis.

Types of web development solutions

For an entrepreneur who is only at the beginning of their journey of creating their own website, the offerings delivered by specialised companies can seem confusing. So let’s go over the extensive list of services to make sure we are on the same page about the possibilities.

— Custom website development.

Clients are capable of applying for the creation of a custom solution with the team delivering end-to-end development that strictly follows the established requirements of the project. It can include corporate websites, as they are according to the individual needs of the businesses, resulting in a tailored website.

— Web applications.

The services in web development also extend to the building of integrated web applications which encompass a range of programs that can include CRM and CMS development and are accessible via the browser. The technical team’s job is to ensure seamless functionality of the web app which is stored on the remote server.

— UI UX design.

Most of the companies that are specialising in web development offer various kinds of design services. They are meant to enable the client to receive a fully fledged solution by the end of the collaboration without the need to further outsource the design options.

— E-commerce solutions.

Since websites are often used for retail and e-commerce purposes, you won’t be hard pressed to find providers that take care of creating solutions in that niche. This can include building webstores using specific platforms like Shopify and Magento, product management systems, the migration of e-commerce stores, etc.

— Search engine optimisation.

When a variety of different websites are being built, the company for development can also suggest search engine optimisation (SEO) services. These are aimed at maintaining the appropriate strategy involving metadata to keep your solution visible in search results and drive organic traffic to the website more efficiently.

— Web hosting.

Another commonly proposed service by website development companies is related to the hosting of the solution, meaning the provider is responsible for making the website or a web page visible on the internet. The specialists reserve the space for the data on the server which ultimately enables online access.

— Ongoing maintenance and support.

It is unlikely for a development company to skip the offerings of maintenance and support in the long run, although such cases could be possible. In a nutshell, such services are aimed at warranting your website is functioning correctly after the launch by monitoring the performance, introducing patch updates, fixing bugs, etc.

Key tech stacks used in website development

The programmers working on websites have at their disposal a multitude of different technologies, each of them serving unique purposes and having distinguished benefits. The kind of tech stack (which encompasses established programming languages, frameworks, libraries etc.) developers decide to use is defined by the requirements of the project.

To put it into perspective, we shall look at the most common technologies.

Front-end development:

The programming languages typically used in a web development service include:

• HTML or Hypertext Markup Language is considered to be the most popular technology skill which has been chosen by 56.9% of development specialists since its inception in 1993.
• CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is thought to be the second most widely used technology utilised by 32.76% of experts as represented by the same study.
• JavaScript is considered to be the go-to language for the creation of interactive and dynamic content.

As for the frameworks and libraries used in front-end development, the popular ones are Vue.js, Angular and React.

Back-end development:

When it comes to the back-end programming languages, engineers usually employ:

• Python is recognised as quite a versatile and easy-to-read language which earned favorability among specialists.
• PHP is an open-source and general-purpose language employed to create robust websites.
• Ruby is mostly implemented with the goal of crafting web applications and is particularly useful in data processing.

The aforementioned languages that a web development firm typically uses also run on frameworks such as Django, Laravel and Ruby on Rails, in the same order.

Database management systems:

The utilisation of database management systems is an integral part of conscious development since it helps programmers store and retrieve various types of data effectively. The availability of the numerous databases out there can make it seem daunting to choose the right ones; however, the commonly used ones include:

• MySQL is a leading open-source database delivering efficiency and stability to some of the most popular websites across the globe.
• MongoDB is a NoSQL document-oriented database perfect for storing a vast amount of data during web development services in the UK.
• PostgreSQL is referring to an object-relational database which is predominantly used in large, enterprise-level operations.

Of course, there is a wide diversity of tools the development specialists give their preference to, all based on the type of project they are taking on.

How long does a web development services company build my project?

The time it will take for any company in the United Kingdom to walk from the initial stages of development to a fully-fledged deployment of a solution is, unfortunately, not a straightforward answer like “this amount of hours.” This is balanced on a plethora of factors that define the expected timeline, making it extra hard to estimate the time to completion without getting to the bottom of specifics and nuances.

Even then, we know that you would not be satisfied with such an easy answer so our duty is to put every intricacy and detail on the line to try and paint the big picture of the average deadlines, starting from each stage a web development service provider goes through.

Let’s shift our attention to the table below and get the gist of the range of hours required for every step in the development lifecycle.

As you can now bear witness to the numbers, the time it takes to create a website from start to finish can take up anywhere between 700 to 900 hours. On top of that, these are considered general hours, not accounting for the specifications of the solution like its complexity and scale.

You should also be aware that web development companies in the UK can showcase differences in their speed of building a project based on additional aspects besides the amount of work as we mentioned in the previous section, so the ranges we have described above can fluctuate further.

Now, what exactly can become the crux of the matter that leads a website development services company to go out of the estimated deadlines? The three disrupting factors include the type of technology used, the methodologies implemented into the development and the number of iterations at each touch point. Here is what hides behind the terms in more detail.

Just like we have talked about in the section regarding the tech stack, there is a myriad of unique programming languages and tools that developers can employ in their work process and each option carries its own bag of pros and cons. Generally, the clients who are not well vested in the technological aspect of the development let the providers decide on which tech stack would be the most appropriate.

However, in some cases the development team can make a wrong judgment in regard to the tools and languages they will be using which can ultimately prolong the timeline due to the limitations within the stack they use. This shows that being a part of the planning process can yield supplementary benefits in the realm of accelerating the delivery of services for web development.

The choice of a methodology within a team behind the company is also going to affect the efficiency and speed of development as each method is defined by its approach to the progression. Some of the most widespread ones include Agile, Waterfall, Lean, Scrum and so on which represent unique strategies in terms of development.

Speaking in general, the Agile methodology is the most valuable for keeping the deadlines as short as possible since it offers flexibility to adapt to any incoming changes which means you have to pay attention to the kind of methods the technical specialists use.

Stages tackled by a web development agency are not immune to the iterative process which entails the team providing the finished result at a certain stage up for client’s approval. If the client finds something that is not up to standard the team is obliged to make revisions according to the feedback until it meets the goals perfectly.

The more such iterations are coming into play the more time it will consume before the launch of the web solution. This puts extra pressure on business owners to opt for partnerships with reliable and knowledgeable providers.

Keeping these factors and average timelines to deliver the project you can now also make a more educated guess on the expenditures on the development in a matter of hours.

Price for building a website in the UK

There is a myriad of aspects that web development services providers take into account to come up with a custom quote on each project for making a website so it is not as simple as making a random guess. To understand each nuance of how costs are formed, we have to take a look at several defining moments.

Cut above the rest lies the complexity and type of the website which is ultimately going to influence the client’s budget the most. Luckily, there are ways to estimate the charges for your individual requirements before jumping into consultations. Let’s take a look at the table below to get a basic understanding of how each distinct website compares to one another and their ranges in fees.

As you can see, the complexity of the solution creates pretty significant disparities in putting a price tag on the work of specialists. These simple breakdowns could give you a starting idea of how much your website can end up costing. However, there is more than meets the eye so let’s continue to a few other aspects.

The costs of website development services in the UK are also heavily reliant on the size of the company since bigger, more established providers with a large number of staff tend to set higher charges for their assistance. On the other hand, boutique establishments with a compact team usually set lower fees for their services.

In each case, there are pros and cons to picking either one of them and it will ultimately depend on what you are looking to build.

The next prominent influence on the total cost of development is the level of experience of the specialists you pick. As with any facet of life, experts who are more knowledgeable and skilled are seeking to receive fair payment for their aid and, on the contrary, professionals who are at the beginning of their journeys can suffice with a junior-level payment.

Of course, these are pretty extreme ends of the spectrum so you will have no issue finding experts in the middle range and with an according quote.

Speaking of fees, let’s look at the pricing models for services web development in more detail. We won’t be discussing every possible payment method under the sun and only focus on the three most widely used models in today’s world.

• Hourly rates are one of the most prominent methods developers use to charge for their work and it essentially entails that the client pays for every hour a specialist is working tirelessly on creating the website. This fee can have a vast range due to the aforementioned factors like experience and size of the team so you can land anywhere between £20 to £100+ for an hour. In a way, it makes it easier for you to choose the team as you can see upfront what the costs of development are going to look like.
• Fixed-price model is another model you are likely to come across often as it entails that you agree on a fixed charge for the end result and pay either partially during the development or the entire sum afterward. The positive of this model is that all charges are calculated into the web development solution so you won’t have to worry about additional expenditures but the downside is that you cannot predict the price before the company analyses your project’s requirements and proposes a quote.
• Hybrid models are becoming more popular as time goes on because they offer a level of flexibility in terms of payment for the client. Typically the hybrid model involves a combination of fees like a subscription, time and material, KPI-based and so on, leaving you free to choose how you want to pay.

How to select professional web development services?

Now that we have gotten the basics down which makes the critical value the right solutions can bring to the table for your business clear as day, it is time to switch our focus to a piece of more practical advice. Making the wrong decision in terms of who you choose as your provider of the development services can ultimately make or break the project.

We are going to steer you away from this occurrence ever happening by outlining the material you need to keep in mind when you select which vendor of services website development you want to partner with. So here are five things to note while you are researching.

One of the pioneering factors you have to prioritise to pick the most suitable services is looking at whether the professionals have any relevant experience in your niche. Yes, experience overall matters but it fades into the background if the specialists you are shortlisting do not possess any comprehension in regard to your industry or specific sector.

Being masters of their craft is absolutely important yet what can be more vital is being able to showcase fruitful projects that are similar to what you are looking for as this will serve as proof of the expert’s competence to handle your request.

Speaking in general, top web development services are considered that way if the company carries many years of experience and can show, don’t tell about their prowess. This means that being capable of backing up their words with a solid portfolio is a must to be regarded as one of the best.

It should be noted as well that providers with fewer years on the market are not necessarily disqualified from being great specialists. In fact, such firms can employ a variety of talent at higher levels so in this case it could be better to check for any accolades or awards won as well as the specific accreditations of the members of the team.

What former clients have to say about a service provider can speak louder than the words they use to describe themselves on the website. Your best bet is to search available online resources that post reviews about specific vendors and evaluate the overarching consensus the public has on any given company.

If such an ability is present for you, you can also ask around previous clients of the preferred web development company and gauge what they can say about their experience collaborating with them in the past. After all, word of mouth is an ancient technique of assessing the value any organisation brings.

This aspect may not be as obvious to the naked eye as the others but taking a closer look at the development approach of a vendor can say a lot about their relationship with turning ordinary solutions into outstanding ones. In this case, it relates to how creative the team is as having a striking website that goes beyond top-notch functionality is a win-win situation.

On top of that, the capacity to innovate during the process of building a website can be a marker of how much your solution is going to stand out from the crowd and offer something unique or never-before-seen to the end users.

Lastly, it cannot go unnoticed that web solutions should be priced reasonably and within the capabilities of the specialists you work with. We will talk about the price of website creation next but for now keep it in the back of your mind that you should be selecting providers according to your budget range.

This factor can be evaluated more closely during your initial consultation to see how a particular firm sets the costs for its offerings and whether it will be worth your penny in the end.

How website development company is secured and protected?

Warranting security and easing the mind that your solution is under thorough safeguarding protocols is priceless to any client who cares about the value of their project. As a result, the best web development services, as a standard, need to incorporate various methods and practices to put protections into place.

Let’s talk about some of the most critical ones:

• Standard secure coding practices. These entail various precautions, like code review, password management, access control, taken by the developers during the writing of the code.

• Data encryption. Turning regular text into ciphertext allows data to be encoded that can only be accessed using a special key.

• Two-factor authentication. All of the best website development services include 2FA which means that users have to employ two means of authenticating themselves.

• Regular security audits and patching. This keeps the website secure by introducing the latest updates.

• Routine backups. It enables the developers to have a backup of the data in case of breaches or data loss.

On top of that, providers need to keep various compliance regulations in mind, such as:

1. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is widespread in Great Britain aiming to protect the personal information of users.
2. Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) should be considered within an offering in the realm of electronic communication.
3. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ensure that the website is accessible to consumers with disabilities.

Lastly, contractual security measures must be implemented for both of the parties, including:

1. Intellectual property (IP) rights are necessary to be addressed before commencing the website development services as they delegate ownership of the solution solely to the client.
2. A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is signed to obligate the company from disclosing any project-related or client’s confidential information to other entities.

All of the above mentioned measures have to be taken into account to preserve the discretion and security of the future web solution.

Advantages of receiving web development solutions

The various types of business owners would not be investing time and money resources in development if it failed to bring substantial benefits to their organisation. So what exactly can you acquire as a result of stepping into the collaboration with professional experts? See the most compelling advantages of cooperation below.

Customisation according to your needs.

Being able to stand out from the crowd within your particular industry is a precious gift as it compels users to remember you since your website looks and performs in a distinguished manner. Working with renowned web development service providers can warrant you the ability to build your solution as you see fit and include every feature you dreamt of having.

The professionalism of experts.

While you have the capacity to create a website on your own with available website builder tools, it does not stand a chance of being as technologically driven as opposed to receiving a professional solution. Into the bargain, experts in development are skilled at optimisation techniques that make certain your operations and functionality are up to the standard to avoid common pitfalls.

Competitive advantage on the market.

A team of specialists that provide the best possible dev services can open the opportunity to create a unique offer that will differentiate your website from the competitors. As any business owner would come to find, having an advantage over your competitors can mark the success of your project in terms of securing stable flows of revenue and customer acquisition.

Better outreach to end users.

With an expertly fine-tuned search engine optimisation strategy, you have a better chance of organically reaching your target audience through the means of the internet. It also helps you rank higher in search results and make your website more visible online. On top of that, a cohesive interface and branding are going to make your solution more recognisable among wider audiences and strike the right cord.

Impeccable user experience.

Delegating the design of the project into the hands of seasoned specialists will bring another advantage in terms of creating an enjoyable and memorable user experience which will form a lasting impression in the minds of consumers. By utilising such website design and development services you can promote improved customer loyalty to your brand and raise overall satisfaction rates.

Security of the solution.

Trusting the fate of your project into the reputable hands of development providers you further secure yourself and the website by guaranteeing the operations are fully protected from vulnerabilities. The technical team employs various measures of security to safeguard your solution from data breaches, DDoS attacks and much more which we talked about in detail later previously.

Business growth and scalability.

The last but not least objective benefit of opting for building a web solution with a top grade team is preparing for the future of your business. Keeping scalability in mind, you are capable of crafting a website that can withstand the test of time and be easily upgraded over the years as the market demand calls for innovation.

Emerging trends in crafting a competitive website

The niche of building impactful solutions is ever-changing and each web development services provider must be keeping a hand on the pulse for the innovations that are currently trending. Here are some of them.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Over the last few years the scene of development has been highlighted by the implementation of AI and ML which are at the forefront of current trends. It is not just a foreign concept anymore but a valuable tool that helps businesses automate mundane processes and improve the user experience of the website by incorporating personalisation through data collection and so much more.

One of the popular ways artificial intelligence is utilised in creating a website development solution is the implementation of chatbots that are ready to support customers at any time of the day.

Serverless architecture.

The ease of use that serverless or cloud architecture delivers is revolutionary as it entails that there is no need to manage an underlying server. Leveraging the help of providers like AWS, which is thought to be the most popular on the market, you are no longer burdened by the hardships of running the backend and the developers can put more attention to fine tuning the website.

User-centric design.

Putting the users first and focusing on providing a memorable experience worth telling others about is one of the aspects that should be a priority within services. It’s a matter of placing effort into crafting ease of navigation, logical layout, animated UI, personalised offers and many other trends that go along with it.

Mobile optimisation.

While optimisation for mobile devices is not necessarily an emerging trend as it has been around for years, it still plays a vital role in attracting and retaining a large portion of users. We already talked about the share of web traffic using smartphones at the beginning of our overview but it’s worth emphasising it again to consider a mobile-first approach with development.

Looking for website development services in the UK?

To make sure you are receiving cream of the crop web development services in the UK, the business owner must fight an uphill battle, getting familiar with the most critical information to land on the appropriate provider. This includes getting into the trenches of the types of development and its advantages, discovering the variability of the technology stack, settling on the budget and deadlines and many more aspects.

On top of that, it is a matter of knowing what to look for in a provider in order not to go amiss and sacrifice the quality and security of the project. Being well acquainted with the latest trends in website creation can further emphasise the value proposition of the solution, having a better shot at appealing to the end users.

In our outline, we touched on every one of these subjects to make it easier for you to understand what a web development service company should be like to deliver a result that truly exceeds your expectations.