Website Development Checklist Template You Must Know

Web development is a complex process. And because it is a complex process, there are many things you need to consider when developing a website. Some of these things are minor, while some are major. Furthermore, some of the things you may need to consider may not affect the overall aspect of the website all too much. On the flip side, some minor aspects can mean the difference between a well-functioning website and a poor one. So, some of you may ask, what things do you need to consider while developing a website? Well, this is exactly what we are here to answer. 

In this blog, we discuss ten website development checklists you must know. So, without any further ado, let's get started! 

1. Secure the Domain and Set Up SSL

As a web developer, you should get your domain name immediately. Why? This is because once the domain name you want is used, it can never be used again. Once you secure your domain, you should secure your SSL certificates. Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL for short, is a security protocol that forms a secure layer between a web server and a browser. Therefore, if you want your website domain to be secure and trustworthy, you should get this certificate as soon as possible. Furthermore, Google has now started favouring websites with SSL certificates for ranking. Therefore, doing so can boost your website's rankings.

Because of all of these reasons, you should secure a domain and SSL as soon as possible. Furthermore, this is also the first thing to check off your web designing checklist template. 

2. Set Up Good Hosting and Storage

Setting up good hosting and storage is another one of the website design checklist templates. Furthermore, you should also note that your hosting plans should be large enough to handle all your scripts and technologies. Although you can develop your website without hosting and storage, in modern times, it is a standard practice to code and deploy websites offline during the development phase. Therefore, getting good hosting and storage plans is a good idea. 

3. Ensure Site Functionality

After securing the hosting and storage, you should check the site's functionality. For this, you can ensure that all forms are working correctly to collect user data, externals, and redirects are in place, and all social media icons and RSS feeds are working properly. Furthermore, you should ensure that all third-party tools run successfully. On top of this, you should also ensure the website is cross-browser compatible. 

Once you have checked all of these, you can proceed to the next item on the checklist. 

4. Optimize for SEO

While SEO may not be the first thing you think of as a website developer, it is still crucial. While developing a website, you should ensure that the website is optimized for SEO. If you do not do this, then the website will not succeed. You can consider website speed, analytics, and proper meta tags for this. You can also read articles and papers on SEO and plan your web development. 

5. Plan Scripts and Languages

The specific scripts and language requirements of web development vary depending on the project. Therefore, before you start the process, you need to plan out the scripts and languages you will use in the development process. That said, this also depends on the scripts and languages you are expert in. Some of the programming languages include Javascript and PHP. 

The key here is to plan your checklist with the scripts and languages to use in the coding process. 

6. Generate XML Sitemaps 

You should generate XML sitemaps in your web development checklist template as a web developer. While generating a sitemap is not inherently a part of the web development process, it still is a crucial aspect of a website. It allows your website to be indexed properly on Google by allowing search engines to crawl your website. Therefore, you should ensure that your website has an XML sitemap properly. 

7. Create an Error Handling Strategy

Regardless of how experienced you are, there is always a chance of bugs in your web development process. There is even a joke that says half of the web development process is fixing bugs. Therefore, you should be prepared to find and fix the errors when developing a website. 

8. Create a File-Handling Strategy

Creating a file-handling strategy is another key aspect to consider when developing a website. Your website is essentially made up of files. Therefore, you need to determine which files are publicly visible and which are not. Furthermore, you must also ensure that your files are named properly so that the search engines can index them. Lastly, you should also ensure that the code files are safe from hackers. 

9. Optimize Security Settings 

Security is an essential part of any project. Hackers can easily hack websites without proper security measures and steal all their data. You should note that hundreds of thousands of websites are compromised daily because of poor security practices. Therefore, creating good security measures is necessary when planning your website checklist template. 

10. Test Website Responsiveness and Mobile Friendliness

Last but not least, another key aspect you should consider when developing your website is responsive and mobile friendliness. Since not all modern devices are the same, you should ensure that your website responds appropriately to different screen sizes and orientations. Furthermore, you should note that over half of the internet users are mobile device-based. Therefore, if you do not design your website to be mobile-friendly, you will miss out on a large chunk of the potential audience. For this reason, you should also optimize your website to be mobile-friendly. 

Conclusion

Website development is a complicated process that requires careful consideration of many aspects. These aspects range from deciding on a programming language to optimizing it for SEO and generating XML sitemaps. Therefore, as a website developer, you should always keep a checklist. By doing so, you can ensure that you cover all the required basics when developing a website. 

In this business, we discussed ten items in the website development checklist template you must know. We hope you found this helpful. If you want further insight into various aspects, check out some of our other blogs. If you want Nepal's best web development services, contact us now at Softbenz Infosys. Thank you for reading till the end.  

FAQs on Website Development Checklist

What is the first thing I should do when developing a website?

The first thing you should do when developing a website is secure the domain name and set up an SSL certificate. This ensures your website has a unique domain and is secure and trustworthy.

Why is SEO important in website development?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is important because it helps ensure your website can be easily found and ranked well in search engines, leading to more traffic and success.

Why is an error-handling strategy necessary?

Bugs and errors are an inevitable part of web development. Therefore, having a strategy to find and fix them is essential.

What are the 10 steps in creating a website?

Here are the 10 checklists you must follow for website development:

• Secure the Domain and Set Up SSL
• Set Up Good Hosting and Storage
• Ensure Site Functionality
• Optimize for SEO
• Plan Scripts and Languages
• Generate XML Sitemaps
• Create an Error Handling Strategy
• Create a File-handling Strategy
• Optimize Security Settings
• Test Website Responsiveness and Mobile Friendliness

What are the 4 phases of website development?

The four phases of website development are:

• Phase 1: Planning
• Phase 2: Designing
• Phase 3: Development
• Phase 4: Testing and launching

What are the 3 types of web development?

The 3 types of website development are:

• Front-end website development.
• Back-end website development and
• Full-stack website development