Some of the companies may be enjoying a huge potential customer database without actually having a serious online presence. Take another step back and ask yourself if a large piece of the US population can really be accessed, without a proper functional and credible business website up and running. Whether it is a basic startup or a professionally managed conglomerate, a website for businesses today is much more of a necessity than a luxury, given the competitive nature of the global internet arena.

Definition of Website Development
Website development involves building and maintaining websites. This term also includes aspects such as web engineering, web design, e-commerce development, server scripting, client-side scripting and database management, among other tasks associated with building and maintaining that website. The purpose of website development is to ensure that, a good looking site does not only look pretty but works well, gives value for the time spent on it, and provides the services that the users intended to find.

Crucial Factors in Creating a Website
1. Adaptive Design
In the current era where mobile applications dominate, it is very important to have a website that can be accessed by all devices. An adaptive design enables a web page to rearrange its structure and textual information to suit varying screen sizes to ease use on mobile phones, tablets, and even computers.
2. User Experience (UX)
The success of the website is also related to how the users interact with it. Therefore ideally developed websites should be simple to use, straightforward and appeal to the user such that further action including interacting with the content and subsequent visits is guaranteed.
3. Speed and Performance
When it comes to visitors, speed is very important in keeping them on the site. Research indicates that most users would abandon a site even before viewing its content if the loading time goes beyond a few seconds. Image optimization, code reduction, and proper hosting can enhance a website’s functionality dramatically.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
No doubt, a pretty looking website can only be of value when it is visible to the public. Adopting the measures that are referred to as SEO optimizations during the development phase will ensure that your site is visible to the expected customers without much strain by appearing among the top search results of different browsers.
5. Safety
A secure website is becoming a necessity due to the rise of internet criminals. Professional website development factors in the necessary precautions to avoid any security threats such as the use of SSL certificates to secure the website and users from external threats such as hacking or leaking of information.
6. Growth Potential
A good website should also keep up with the developments in the company. Growth potential is creating a website that will have additional features, more visitors, and more content when the business grows.

Advantages of Hiring a Professional Web Designer
1. First Impression is the Last Impression
Most of the times, your website is the first brand touchpoint for prospective clients. Having such a website designed by professionals will ensure that they create a positive first impression which could help in regaining their attention and eventually make a purchase.
2. Enhance Credibility and Trust
With a properly designed website, the possible clients will have no doubts as to the presence of the business. Trust me more and become more engaged with the company with a professionally designed, regularly updated website than with a with no site at all or one which is in a terrible condition.
3. Tailored Solutions for Every Business
As it is possible to achieve the set objectives of website development by designing the specific needs of an organization. If it is an e-commerce site, or a bookings site or a portfolio site custom design will always ensure the site meets the specific needs of the client.
4. Higher Conversion Rates
When a website is optimized properly, it enhances the user experience which in turn increases the conversion rate. The action they are persuading the users into is also designed in the web layout and such resources help websites to convert.
5. Accessibility and Reach
Impeccably built websites can span across borders and help in attracting and engaging customers present in any part of the world. Moreover, features such as a multilingual site, and ADA compliant site widens the customer reach further.
6. Ongoing Support and Maintenance
Owning a site involves regularly revising and maintaining the site in order to enable efficient running. This means that working with a web development company helps ensure that your website is always up-to-date in as far as technology, security updates and even content changes are concerned.

Website Creation Steps
Most of the time the process of website development is organized in stages so that every angle is taken care of and the end result is as per your expectations. Let us analyze the procedure step by step.
1. Planning and Strategy
This stage entails researching your business goals, target users as well as the competition in order to appropriately formulate the website strategy. This helps in understanding the site’s structure, features, and the look and feel of the site.
2. Design and Prototyping
At this point, the designers are developing wireframes and prototypes of the site in order to capture the look and feel of the site in terms of layout, colors, and general appearance. This is an important step as it helps in finishing all designs according to the branding guidelines.
3. Development
At this stage once the design is complete and approved, the developers take over and write code to give breath to the site and add functionalities throughout the site. This incorporates front end (visible to user) and back end (server side) websites development including making the site mobile friendly and optimizing for search engines.
4. Testing
The last stage before the website goes live is the testing stage, during which the site is checked for bugs and performance and security weaknesses. This allows for smooth implementation and effective use of the site.
5. Launch and Maintenance
When everything is in place, the website is ready for launch. Following this, every so often, maintenance is performed to update, protect and ensure the website operates as intended.

The Importance of Building Websites for Businesses in South Africa and beyond.
Everything that is said or done in life is reflected on the web therefore every South African enterprise should consider having an effective online presence that will cater for its target market. Most of the western countries and developed nations are now coming to the reality that few if any, concerns in the current age can do well without having an effective corporate website and so are various business entities, government and non government organizations in South Africa.
In addition, the boom in the technology sector in South Africa culminated in the need for businesses to go a notch higher in providing superior user experience and performance through access to quality websites. No matter if it is an IT company or software development company South Africa with such a transformation taking place, modern cannot exist without internet and so does marketing.

Conclusion
Investing on professional website design not only improves the image of the company’s brand over the internet but it also lays a foundation for expanding the business in a highly competitive environment for years to come. Business growth requires a developed website whether creating an online e-commerce platform, a showcase, or complex web software applications. This is where working with a software development company that understands your business and provides specific solutions helps a lot.