Website Development: A New Chapter

7th October, 2010

Website development has evolved as the internet as evolved. Making the earliest websites was an exercise in dissemination of information. The use of HTML was very prevalent and websites had to conform to some basic browsers like Internet Explorer and Netscape. Today’s websites use various kinds of technologies to interact with the user – making it a much more dynamic environment for not only information dissemination but also new applications, user generated content, and more.

When Web 2.0 came about, social networking was the first sign of a new wave of technologies created to allow people to interact with each other in a very web friendly manner. The use of flash and video brought about the advent of websites that catered to the people who could do more than just read – they could now process information in a new way.

Technologies like Java, Ajax, DHTML, and Flash have enabled website development to evolve in many new directions. Adding new layers of security and interactivity, these technologies have helped create platforms, tools, and applications which have made search engines, social media, and advertising on the web a new industry. But making websites goes beyond simply incorporating new technologies. It is a new way of processing and receiving information, new way to make connections and finding better ways for revenue generation. Website design decides how a user can interact with a website, how to simplify this experience, and maximise the interaction.

The other side of website development is graphic design and how that affects the people who come to the website. A banking website for example has a lot of information that needs to efficiently categorised. Every bank offers many products and services like bank accounts, credit cards, loans and mortgages, debit cards, and more. Logo design, web banners, and links to suit each product can take a lot of effort and ingenuity. Most banking institutions have added interactivity in their websites. Things like online banking need high levels of security provided by the 128 bit SSL technologies. All this information needs to integrated into pages and each page needs to be well designed in keeping within the boundaries of the brand guidelines. Web design takes care of putting these disparate elements together in a cohesive format.

Restaurants use website development in completely different ways. Most restaurants rely on online marketing efforts like local search engine marketing and paid advertisements to attract new customers. Restaurant web design is one of the most favoured businesses for local independent designers and contractors.

Hotels also use the web to attract customers and increase user occupancy of their rooms. Hotel web design focusses mostly on ensuring that customers can book their rooms online without any hassles and in the simplest manner. Websites coupled with online marketing efforts can be the biggest revenue generating platform for hotels.

Summary

Website development has evolved with the development of technologies and services online. Specific industries require website design to perform or highlight specific details. The use of technology has made the internet more secure and has allowed for the creation of various applications which are used by businesses like online reservation systems, online banking, search engine management, and more.

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