Palmdale Web Development | Palmdale Web Design Service

Web Design or Web Development, What’s The Difference?

We can tell by looking at our Google Analytics that businesses are searching for both Web Design Company and Web Development Company. Nowadays these terms are virtually interchangeable as “web companies” alternate the way they describe their services. The truth is that the terms reference two fundamentally different aspects of the website building process requiring two unique skill sets.

Why is it important that you know the difference as you look for someone to design and develop your company’s website? Let’s see if we can provide some clarity.

Web Design

Web designers must always begin by considering a client’s website objectives and then move on to an Information Architecture to set a website’s information hierarchy and help guide the design process. Next, web designers can start creating wire frames and finally move to the design stage. Web designers may use several basic design principles to achieve an aesthetically pleasing layout which also offers excellent user experience.

Web Development

Web developers, sometimes called programmers, take the design created and build a fully functioning website. To put it (very) simply, think of the design as a non-interactive “picture” of a website. Developers take that design and break it up into it’s components. They then either use just HTML or a more dynamic approach incorporating programming languages such as PHP to develop the various website pages. More advanced web developers may choose to utilize a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Joomla in order to streamline development and allow clients an easy way to maintain and update their website.

Web developers may convert a static layout into a dynamic website by using image and content sliders, active states for links and buttons, and other interactive elements.