Web development is a critical element in any digital marketing campaign because your website lies at the heart of all your online marketing. Your paid ads, social media, and email campaigns ultimately lead users back to your site.

Developing your website involves creating and optimizing your website, making it one of the most vital parts of your marketing. Web development should never be an afterthought — it should be one of your top priorities.

The web development process

The first thing you should do before you develop a website is lay out a plan. Don’t just start throwing together a homepage right off the bat — take the time to figure out what you want for your site.

The best way to do this is to list specific goals. Some common goals are things like “allow users to buy our products on our site” and “educate users about our products and services.” You may also have goals like “familiarize users with our team members.”

Then, consider who you’re trying to reach with your site. Who will visit your site? What will they want to find? Throughout the rest of the development process, keep your goals and target audience at the forefront of your mind.