How Does Web Design Differ From Web Development?

Web design and web development are crucial for any e-commerce business. However, these two terms are always referred to together and so many people think they are the same or that they are interchangeable.

Though, there are key differences between the two which make each term distinctive.

Web Design Explained

Appearance and feel are within the scope of a web designer’s job. These professionals are your partners in achieving short-term and long-term goals in branding. They orchestrate how users interact with your website and engagement is also part of their job.

Web designers select the best items to include on your website and entice visitors. They are often engaged in creating layouts, choosing color schemes, customizing graphics, and similar tasks. Given how all these things affect the brand, it’s essential for internal teams to maintain open communication with web designers to create a brand that is in line with the company’s mission and vision.

Related Article from Sydney Web Design Company: “9 Important Features of Every Good Website”

Web Development Explained

The web developer takes up the burden right after the designer prepares all the raw materials. Website functionality is the primary duty of a web developer. Responsive designs and cross-platform functionality are just some of the responsibilities of the developer. Search engine optimization is also part of the process. Developers make sure Google or other search engine crawlers can find the website.

Look into these 5 web design errors that are spoiling your efforts.

Skills required for this position include coding for all kinds of platforms. Even after launching the website, developers continue to provide support and updates to make sure that the website is running smoothly. In the current world, downtime means lost revenue and sales.

Check out this cheat sheet for web development for more details.

Why Web Design And Web Development Are Important

Websites have to look pretty to attract visitors, but that’s not all! They also need to load quickly and function properly. Most users will wait for the page to load for 11 seconds. After that window, they will go back to the search results page and click on the next item listed.

Yes, loading time in seconds matters and data supports this claim. Internet users expect a website to load in two seconds or less.

Web design and development have so much to do with loading time and aesthetics. Ugly websites ward off visitors, and so does a website that takes forever to load.

Why Websites Don’t Make Money

Web performance and web design are really a big deal and not just because of the loading time. There are a number of other factors that will affect the conversion and bounce rate of a website too. For example, when a website has a bad color scheme or too much text it will fail to bring in expected revenue. Also, if the layout is just too busy and no navigation has been included, visitors will not stick around on the website for long.