Over 5 billion people use the internet today, more than 60% of the world’s population. Given the internet’s enormous popularity, we believe that Jakob Nielsen’s classic piece of advice about web development from May 11, 2002, still holds true today:

“Homepages are the most valuable real estate in the world. Each year, companies and individuals funnel millions of dollars through a space that’s not even a square foot in size. For good reason. A homepage’s impact on a company’s bottom line is far greater than simple measures of e-commerce revenues: The homepage is your company’s face to the world.”

But for businesses, websites are much more than their homepage. A well-crafted, holistic website experience is more important than ever. While some tools offer drag-and-drop solutions to web development, customization is essential for businesses of a certain size and complexity.

That’s where we come in. For more than 15 years, we’ve been designing and developing websites. We recognize that the future of UX design will look much different in 5 or 10 years than it does today, so we’ve proactively expanded in innovation services, digital transformation consultation, AI/ML, XR, and robotics.

But designing and developing websites and web applications will always be a central part of our company identity, and as the internet continues to evolve, we look forward to evolving our approach.

In this hub, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about our web development services. Explore how we approach web development and learn what you can expect when you decide to design a custom website with Fresh, including:

• Our end-to-end philosophy
• Design and development under one roof 
• The ability to design for any platform 
• A focus on measurable results

Our end-to-end philosophy on digital experiences

A website is a fantastic starting point for any company seeking to reach its customer base. 

Web development begins with your visionary idea, the journey of building and maintaining a website never truly ends. Businesses change and customer needs evolve. Continued updates, maintenance, and optimization of your website are essential. It’s also vital to consider things like design strategy, brand evolution, inclusive design, and accessibility as you build your company’s website.

While your digital journey may start with your website, the businesses positioned to thrive in our increasingly competitive global economy seek to diversify and expand their customer experience. See our previous note about starting with website design and expanding into new territory as we recognize new ways to provide value to our clients and partners. We’ve grown in a strategic, calculated way. Doing so has yielded tremendous results, and we’d encourage businesses to at least consider what opportunities are out there besides the most obvious ones.

But back to web design––a logical starting point in any company’s end-to-end digital journey.

Every custom web development project at Fresh rests on the foundation of usability and optimization, which are enabled through focuses like decreasing loading times, search engine optimization (SEO), mobile device strategy, and other factors of website optimization. Making it easier for users to use and navigate your website is essential––from there, once the basics are mastered, expansion into new domains makes more sense.  

If you’re interested in diving deeper into what we mean by “end-to-end,” these resources cover our full-service web development approach in greater detail:

• UX Principles for Websites – A curated collection of the essential things to consider when designing a website. From the copy on the page to interactive elements and CTAs, it’s a detailed overview of what any business should consider when crafting a website. You can find a white paper that expands on the principles on our resources section as well.
• How To Improve Your Website Design And Development Process In 11 Steps – An easy-to-use guide on building your website from planning to testing, launch, team training, and ongoing analysis.
• A Roadmap For Website Design Across Industries – A detailed look into the history of the internet from Web1 to next-gen Web3, as well as insights on how the development process shifts depending on the industry. End-to-end looks different depending on the project, the industry, and the client in question.
• Our Approach To Mobile And Web App Development – When most people hear “website,” they think of a page accessed with a browser and a URL. But mobile apps and web apps are also key digital touchpoints, “websites” in their own way. This post provides an overview of how we handle each development project and what you can expect to see during every phase of the web and app development process. 

Design and development under one roof 

Web design comes in a wide variety of flavors. Design-it-yourself options, courtesy of service providers like Squarespace, make sense for many businesses. Drag-and-drop options like it can help smaller businesses generate a quick, functional eCommerce website without needing extensive planning, design, development, testing, and ongoing expert guidance like we provide. Pricing is also often lower than working with an agency. With integrated tools and widgets, Squarespace builders can still generate good usability, graphic design, and performance. 

The return on using a DIY website builder begins to diminish as companies increase in size, scope, and complexity. For companies that can afford it the custom web development route can take you further than a drag-and-drop tool. Approaches like ours are a  comprehensive, ground-up approach to meet your business needs.

When building a competitive brand identity––constructed on a foundation of user insights, dynamic media, custom technology architecture, and much more––working with an external agency is worthwhile. 

At Fresh, our in-house experts often start with a strategic phase to lay the groundwork for the project, something other web development companies gloss over. From there, we develop a customized plan based on each client’s needs and resources.

The final product is more than a website. It’s a launchpad into your brand differentiation that helps you rise above the competition. And being able to deliver high-end experiences is much easier when working with an agency that can do it all.

Here are more resources on our comprehensive design and development approach: 

• How To Plan For A Website Redesign – A bird’s eye view on how to prepare for a successful website redesign. Many clients come to us with something in place already and we work with them to take the experience to the next level, which is why the principles associated with a “redesign” are so important to keep in mind.
• A Designers Perspective: Fostering Good Communication Between Design and Development – This article includes guidance for fostering effective communication between design and development teams. Also covered is setting ground rules and realistic expectations so teams can work quickly and fluidly.
• Utilizing UX Research To Measure Design Success – A case study on Agoda’s research practices, which illustrates the vital connections between detailed research and the eventual design and development of a digital product. 

The ability to develop with any technology for any platform

At Fresh, we understand that every business is unique, even competitors in the same industry. Nuances are important to understand, and we place a premium on Phase Zero work to understand what problem you’re trying to solve rather than just building a website. 

Our software engineers can design web solutions for any platform or CMS. We go beyond simple web design as well, and our ability to deliver on multiple fronts is why many of our client relationships stretch over multiple years:

• Enterprise Systems
• WordPress Development
• Cloud Architecture
• DevOps
• Progressive Web Apps

Our developers focus on recommending the best technology stack for any project, but at a base level we have deep experience in front-end and back-end development languages including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Python.

To reiterate, instead of approaching your project with a one-size-fits-all mindset, we spend time diving into what makes the most sense for you and your company.

A focus on measurable web development results

What good is a beautiful website if it doesn’t meet your business needs? That’s why working with Fresh beats working alone or with an agency that doesn’t take customization as seriously.

Our team leverages a variety of services, capabilities, and methodologies to ensure that your website delivers positive results, functioning as intended and thriving post-launch: 

• UX Audits
• User Research and Testing
• Competitive Analysis
• Data and Analytics
• The ROI of UX
• Methods of UX Analysis
• Methods of Information Architecture
• Methods of UX Testing

Upfront analysis includes baseline marketing strategy, establishing KPIs, and general technical reporting. Ongoing support includes identifying improvements, AB testing, and design changes and implementations. 

Create a website that moves the needle for your company

Fresh’s design and development services match strategic consultation and tangible output. While not every client needs the full bevy of services we provide, a holistic approach is beneficial in most cases. But it’s essential to define what “holistic” looks like for each client, which is why we emphasize upfront estimation and project management.

Truly generating value on the internet requires more than getting a website online. Jacob Nielsen’s adage that “Homepages are the most valuable real estate in the world” is powerful, and it captures so much of what we’ve discussed in this piece.

To take advantage of that valuable real estate, a full-service, end-to-end approach is worth considering.