Introduction
The real estate agency website was designed and developed to reach customers around the United Kingdom by providing housing and office to their clients. These services include shops, flats, apartments. The website has been designed with HTML, CSS and JavaScript on the front end side of the website. Html and CSS have been designed to create a perfect white color background of the navigation bar on the website page. On other hand, wireframes shown on this document, describe the contents used on each page of the website in an easy understanding, (Gauchat, 2012).
This document covers information related to website development on the standard a good web page should possess to be useful to the audience it was meant for Various platforms, tools and methods of developing websites have been discussed in this section also
Website domain system
A domain name is the main name of the website. This name is used by clients of the website to search online and get a link that is used to open the web pages. The domain name system has got three levels where which represent different parts of the website page, (Zouina, and Outtaj, 2017). The domain name consists of the following parts namely: the protocol, domain name and top-level name.
Using an example of my URL website, the domain name will be:
Whereby “https” represents the protocol, “realestateagencyuk.000webhostapp” represent the domain name and “com” represents the top-level name of the website
Web hosting
This is a process that enables companies to display their website information on the internet by hiring website hosting companies. This process happens when a Company requests for internet services through hosting service providers company which controls the website information on the internet. In the end, internet users can access the website page of the company. There are different types of web hosting plans that one might choose when hosting his website on the internet. These types include shared hosting whereby the website shares resources with other types of sites. This type of hosting is mostly provided by Bluehost. Virtual private hosting is another plan of hosting which occurs when the individual company sharing the hosting services grow the owners might decide to upgrade their services in terms of hosting services but at the same time reduce the number of companies sharing the web hosting resources, (Douglis et al, 2012). A good example of VPS is the “INMostion” company which offers their client-dedicated resources from the server to the client-side of the web pages.
WordPress hosting is another type of hosting plan a client might decide to use during the hosting process. This type of presenting enables usage of the WordPress platform as the main feature to host the website, the main example of WordPress hosting platform is WordPress engine (WP engine).
There are various software technologies used in web hosting this includes, the windows web hosting technology, cloud web hosting technologies and Linux web hosting technologies, Jalalian and Dadkhah, 2015). On the software side: Ftp service for email, FTP panel, domain redirecting, redirection tools are necessary the process of web hosting to go through.
Communication protocol
These are channels that regulate communication between over several entities on the internet. These protocols control communication between different software used on different devices. This ensures communication between one user using an application to another is efficient and relevant to the point, (LIU and SHI, 2011). There are various communication protocols used by clients of the website, these protocols include:
File transfer protocol: This protocol enables the users of a website to exchange or transfer files over the internet. This includes files like textiles, multimedia files, documents and program files.
HTTP: This protocol is designed to share hypertext among several applications. This protocol utilizes the Html links that usually are in form of images or texts. This enables the client application on the website or application side to send requests to the server-side. The server can respond by giving the resources the client application has requested. In this process, if the server fails the whole process of communication will collapse, (Willcocks, Venters and Whitley, 2013).
HTTPs: The protocol is used to control communication among two or more machine computers whereby one is the client using a browser to fetch the information from the server. This protocol is more secure than the normal HTTP protocol by allowing data to be transferred in an encrypted manner in certain instances. This ensures that when data is moved in packets format, the hackers cannot modify or interpret data transferred.
Client-server architecture
This is a computing process in which a remote process machine(client) requested for service from a more powerful machine called the server. The server responds by providing the resource requested by the client. Clients can be personal computers located at a particular network while the server is located outside of the network, (Avedissian and Sreenath, Scorpcast, 2017).
For example, a phone or PC can be operating in an eCommerce platform ca use client-server communication when entering stock entry of products to be displayed on the website page of the eCommerce of real estate platform. Taking an example of admin as a user of a system. The admin will face the login page and enter the username and passwords as a client. Then the server responds by checking om the database where the admin is registered so that he can view the many pages of the website. If the details are correct the server responds by allowing the client to view the website pages of the website.
The admin can decide again to send requests in regard to store details of real estate like the price, location of the estate, number of rooms of the estate. The server will respond by accepting these details and storing them into the database for future reference in case they are needed
Web development technologies
This are technologies that enable computers to communicate with each other through markup and browser usually on the internet. This technology is divided into two: Front end technologies and back end technologies, (Esposito, 2016). Front end technologies include Html, CSS, JavaScript, React, Angular and many others. Back end technologies include PHP, Laravel framework, Express framework and many others. On the UK house website have user JavaScript, CSS, PHP.
The development of both front end and back end technology needs to be designed so the website can be attractive, one of the best web page design is Dreamweaver software. The software enables capturing of the important aspects and features used on the website like the navigations bar, footer, images position, animation location and many other features. In terms of coding. Brackets play a big role since it as a good interface that is easy to read and write the code during the development process, (Edenhofer, 2015).
All this software communicates and shares information in order to make the process of web development successful to the final user.
Search engine optimization(SEO)
This is a process that improves the website quantity and quality of traffic by raising the feasibility of a web page or website. SEO works when a user types few words on WWW to access the website contents in the webs page. This can be optimized by using relevant key words on the website page.
SEO plays a very important role on by increasing the customers time they spent on the website. This enables the customers to check the houses provided by the landlords at various prices. On other hand CEO, enables the client to have trust and believe services provided by the website by providing relevant content to the users of the website, (Luh, Yang, and Huang, 2016). Lastly SEO enables capturing of important traffic onto the website which lead to several user and customers using the web page at the same time.
Client server technologies
This is a process whereby one application requesting for the resources and other respond by providing those resourced to the application. In web development. Client server development is controlled on web development by use of the front end technologies and the back end technologies for communication purposes. The front end technologies include the JavaScript, React, Html, CSS. The back end technologies include PHP, Node JS, express framework. The front end and back end technologies work together by communicating within a given platform to deliver the necessary requirements of the client, (Kohtz, McMahan, and Schoon, 2017).
While the front end deals with the user interphase rending the necessary resources to the use. The back end technology deal with the database. In this website case, the back end is controlled by MYSQL and PHP. PHP controls the database by registering the users of the website and the content related to the website.
Wireframes
This is a layout diagram that demonstrates the contents an actual website possess before the development process begins. Wireframes play a big role in determining the attractiveness and usability of the website to the user. Through use necessary figures of navigation bar and images, wireframes can communicate an important message on the necessary resources to be developed on the web page, (Tang, Kurtz and Zhao, 2015).
Wireframes enable capturing of what is relevant on the website web page. By giving relevant content of the website and without showing structuring colors of the web page developed. By doing this, the goals of the website can be easily communicated to the client in a given time.
Wireframes enable identification of important functionality on the website page. This reduces the time used to make a revision on the later process of development. By doing the, the overall time of developing the website functionality is reduced to a greater extent by the user of the website.
Wireframes enable capturing of relevant feedback that might not be available if the wireframes were not available during the development process of the website. In long run, it enables capturing of standard mockup of the web pages that will be used in the development of the website, (Morson, 2014).
Custom-built website and online website creation
custom built website
Refer to a process of developing a website that is brand and unique using text editors like brackets. This kind of website is meant to solve specific goals relating to a business.
Online creation website, (Mallapragada, Chandukala and Liu, 2016). This is a special kind of building a website where the user doesn’t need special programming skills in order to develop the website. The feature of the website like the navigation bar, footer header and others can be developed while others can be edited in order to develop the necessary website for the user e.g when using Bootstrap.
Advantages of custom build website
They are unique: Since customer build website is developed from scratch, they are unique in terms of feature and behaviors
They are not limited to graphics. The images on this website can be numerous as the client wants
Performance: customer build website is good in performance but depending on the skills of the developers who made them.
Flexibility: The website pages are easily flexible hence they can be changed at any particular time.
Functionality: The customer build website can be modified to have different functions according to the programmer willing to develop the web page of the website.
User experience: This website is user-friendly such that users can easily understand the flow and the content inside the website. This kinds of the website use unique brand o build a user interface hence making the structure of the website more attractive to the user when using the website by using the necessary professional in web development.\
Control: Owner of the website gave full rights that they possess every feature of the website developed
Disadvantages
The cost of developing a website is very high since there are professional needed to develop this website. Getting the necessary expertise in the fields of web development tends to be a bit challenging for the users of the website.
Time
This kind of the website tends to tell a lot of time during the development process. The professional web developers must design the website complete then start to develop the website pages from scratch moving from one stage to another, (Chen, Huang and Davison, 2017).
Control: User of the online builder cannot claim they poses the website since its obtained from the online builder
Advantages of online builder
Speedy services: Online service take less time in the development process since many features already build online and they can only be modified for a small time in order to accommodate new features on the system
When having small capital: Developing a website with a professional in web development requires a lot of cash for development. When the online build is used, the cost of developing the website is highly reduced since the online service providers tend to be cheaper in terms of service delivery to the people
Disadvantages
The website on online build platforms is inflexible sometimes. The features used are limited and cannot be changed according to the user of the system. If for example, the navigation bar needs to be changed in terms of size it difficult since the user does not have the necessary skills to alter the website page.
Tools and Techniques to build a custom website
There are various tools and techniques for developing a website for users that are both online and offline circumstances of the user. Platforms bootstrap, WordPress, Drupal. This platform makes it easy for the developer to build a particular website by allowing one to use his own images and the navigation style. Bootstrap is more flexible and more user-controllable compared to WordPress and Drupal.
On basis of the software used in the development process. Sublime text is more advantageous and user-friendly compared to other software used for the development process. This is because sublime text requires less processor and memory. Sublime text has proven to be more efficient in terms of development process
Website requirements
This is a list of capabilities, functions and characteristics of the website, (Anthopoulos et al, 2016). The following are requirements of a good website developed:
- Easy accessibility through the use of the domain name
- The time used to login should be less. i.e the speed of the website should be high.
- The website should be secured by using service like the HTTPs
- The website should be compatible with all browsers on the machine-like chrome, Mozilla Firefox and many other browsers
- The website should be easily being integrated with the social medial channels like face twitter ad Instagram
- Reliability: The website should be available 24/7 on the internet without interruption when accessing it
- Accuracy: The website should be straight to point is giving the services to the clients and people, the information on the website page should not be difficult to understand by the user
- The website should allow clients to register and add more houses on the platform and at the same time allow buyers to access the house provided by the real estate agency
Wireframes
This is a blueprint that is essential to designers and programmers to communicate about the feature of the website developed, (Andrews et al, 2012). The wireframes capture detailed of functionalities, images, navigation bar footer and many other kinds of details on the website page
Screenshots of source code and finished pages
Website design and development standards
Good website design can attract the customers to the purchase house or do be loyal to the services offered on the system. If the standards of the website are not good, then the website may turn away potential customers, (Nippold, 2016).
Website standard:
Loading time: No client will wish to spend a lot of time when using a website. Therefore, the time which the website link should take to open should be limited hence the client cannot fill tiresome one the website page, (Huang et al, 2018).
Mobile accessibility: Mobile are becoming common to everyone, therefore, the website should a
Integration with social media: A standard website should be integrated with social media features where people share and learn from another individual on business issues and many other things
Security: The website should be secured from the cyber-attacks and many other issues dealing with cybersecurity that may attack the website pages.
Comparison
Both multipage webs and single page in the website created
Both single page and multipage websites are used to communicate to the final user about the housing services provided by the agency to its client. They both posses’ similar images when displaying this information to the final client
In terms of the difference
Multipage can represent the information to the final user in a standard way by placing each content on the responsible navigation bar whereas the single page makes it difficult since the information is compressed on single page
Evaluation of design documents:
This process is very complex when developing the website web page. Some website development standards must be considered when developing websites. The process of determining the layout of each page of the agency website was challenging. For example, positioning of the areas where a user can view prices. On the admin side of the web page. It was challenging to position an area where the user can register as the main page without disturbing the normal clients who view the website page.
Web testing
This is a process of evaluating the web page if they have errors or bugs before being given to the final user, (Ammann and Offutt, 2016).
Colors should have standard pixels and relation of colors should be present
Graphics: Graphic used on the web page should relate with the purpose of the web page. In this case graphics used are related to housing processes.
Images: Like images, the graphics used on the web page should communicate the same message and the main goal of the website
Importance of good search engines
It improves the usability of the website and user experience of the website since the website will be ranked at the top
SEO increases traffic on the website hence many customers can come on the website for service such as buying the houses for their own.
SEO leads to the discovery of new opportunities on the environment: This is because of many customers seeing the website leading to accessing the previously inaccessible market for the brand.
Bad SEO:
Can lead to lower traffic on the website page since the number of view on the web page will be reduced. Lastly, bad SEO can make the clients not to trust the website thinking it has potential vulnerabilities that might still personal information
Performance indexing is the amount of time in milliseconds a website test to load its contents. If the website takes less time than its performance indexing will be perceived to be high
W3 validation
Impact of a poorly optimized website
This is a process whereby the website takes long to load and some basic feature are not working to the optimum level, (Kwan et al, 2016).
This leads to loss of revenue since many clients will be left the website platform due to boredom of waiting for a long time in order to receive the services room the website page
Standards implemented
Rules
The URL should be easy to understand
The website layout should be consistence in terms of service delivery
Navigation from one page to another should be easy
The website can be displayed on different computer browsers
Elimination of clutter: By placing information on different pages of the website
Setting clear, the goals and purpose of the website.
The website developed can be described to be successful because all the features it was intended to solve were developed.
Recommendations
The website should be updated such that it has animations of JavaScript or CSS so that when the client visits the page he will be attracted towards what is provided on the website, (Bachtiar, and Sumaryana, 2018).
The website needs to offer a discount to loyal customers so that they can be retained in the long run operation of the website
The website needs to use prepared statement on the back end side \so that the SQL injections can be avoided by the hackers who might attempt to hackers the website
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