How to Develop a Web Portal For Your Business

Are you in need of a secure and centralized platform to share information and streamline business operations? Web portals are a powerful tool for achieving this. They offer a secure, personalized online space for customers, employees, or any stakeholder group to interact with your company.

A web portal allows you to share special announcements, deals, and data efficiently. It streamlines communication, enhances customer service, and optimizes business processes.

But with so much potential, the question remains: how do you actually develop a web portal? This blog post is your roadmap! We'll break down the development process in simple steps, from concept to launch.

Aside from covering how to develop a web portal, we'll even touch on costs and timelines. So, if you're someone looking to leverage the potential of web portals for your business, keep reading!

What is a Web Portal?

Before we start discussing how to develop a web portal, let’s first define a web portal and how a website portal is different from a website.

A web portal is a special kind of website designed to serve unique purposes, meet your business goals, and collect and present information in a personalized and more diverse way.

Businesses basically create portals to offer personalized information to users, such as safety manuals or a customer website, employee training, and so on.

Additionally, these portals are used to enhance customer, employee, and supplier interaction with the business and improve information collaboration. Even though these personalized portals are just like websites, offering information to users or readers, they are different.

A website is a virtual face of your business carrying all information related to your product and services. At the same time, an internet portal is created to cater to the specific needs of a group of people. It is the best option for users who are looking for particular information.

For instance, in job portals, you can get all the information regarding job openings from various companies in different cities. You need to sign up on these portals to access all the information.

Let’s understand the difference between a web portal and a website in detail in the next section.

Difference between a Website and a Web Portal

A website includes text and media content, accessible to all via a URL. Companies use them to showcase their activities, products, and services. We can understand it as a showcase site, an e-commerce site, or a blog for example.

On the other hand, a portal is a special category of website that aims to bring together digital content, applications, and services relating to a theme or useful to a community (customers, employees, partners, etc.)

In an online portal, users are generally required to identify themselves to access resources, which may be exclusive content or come from other sites.

Moreover, users can communicate with the company via a messaging system. The portal can also be collaborative, providing the opportunity to exchange views with other users via the forum.

In short, several critical features differentiate a portal from a website. Still, the boundary between the two remains blurred. For example, not all portals require user identification, while some websites do allow users to create a personal account.

Recommended Read: 12 Reasons Why You Need Website Redesign Services

Why Businesses Should Invest in Web Portal Development

Delving into how to develop a web portal makes no sense if you don’t know why you should consider creating a web portal in the first place. There are several benefits of a web portal, such as a simple and integrated gateway to the online world, making consumer, business, and staff interactions easier and less complicated.

Here are some of the primary benefits or, say, reasons for investing in web portal development:

Improved Customer Loyalty and Service

By building an online portal, you can provide your customers with an advanced way to interact with your business by receiving faster updates and notifications of any query, order, cancellation, wish list, or other issues that they might have during their online approach.

Client portals are much more time-saving than traditional ways, as self-help is effective in such cases of interaction on a digital level. Multiple queries are resolved within minutes without any human interference, which saves time and labor.

Faster Communication and User-Friendly

An online platform makes accessing any data user-friendly by providing the needed data in a one-point system. The essential pages are centralized and are used for faster communication and access. Moreover, the portal can be accessed with a single username/login ID and password, making it more straightforward on the consumer’s end.

Data Accuracy with Faster Access

With a web portal, you can understand the standpoint of your business in the market and reach out to your target audience thoroughly by receiving accurate data, statistics, and reports.

This helps understand the overall health and performance of your business on consumer grounds. This single system keeps a record of all the data so that you can build proper decisive strategies to enhance its performance and grow accordingly.

Enhanced Production and Innovation

Production and keeping track of all the related information manually is a complicated task, but with an organized central data interface, you can easily manage, arrange, edit, and format data as needed in the business by entering the database with an admin URL or password.

Secure and Centralized Data System

By keeping many points of access, enforcing security or end-to-end encryption becomes challenging and impossible. A centralized, structured web portal provides better safety both on the business and consumers’ end.

So, a portal web app can become a unified gateway for every digital interaction and access needed for your business that needs to organize its expansion and customer relations.

How to Develop a Web Portal?

Now comes our main topic how to develop a web portal, the development of an online portal involves designing and developing applications using a specific set of tools. Each web development company has its one project flow and process.

However, here are 8 general steps  that most development companies follow to make a web portal for businesses:

Step 1. Identify the Goals of Building a Web Portal

The first step in creating a website portal is to define your goals. It would help to consider what you want to achieve with your online portal and how it will benefit your audience. Your idea should solve certain problems or offer unique value to its users.

For example, Facebook helps you connect with people, and PayPal solves the problem by instantly transferring funds.

To define the objectives, brainstorm your online portal development idea and ask the following questions:

• What problem your web portal will solve?

• What is the USP of your web portal?

• What is the expected result from the web portal?

Once you’ve decided what you want to achieve by building a portal, it will become much easier to know what functionalities and features you want in your web portal.

Step 2. Choose a Technology Stack

The strategic choice of the best technology stack for the portal stands as a pivotal decision in how to develop a web portal process, wielding a profound impact on the overall success of your development of the internet website.

Thus, it’s critical to do thorough considerations including crucial factors such as scalability, performance, and compatibility.

The decision to determine the most suitable tools and frameworks, even choosing the right programming language becomes instrumental in translating the vision of your web portal project into a seamless reality.

By carefully considering these considerations, you can not only ensure the current effectiveness of your chosen technology but also lay a resilient foundation for the future growth and evolution of your web portal.

Step 3. Design and Wireframing

The aesthetic appeal and intuitive online portal design of your web platform are critical elements that contribute to its success.

The web portal design and wireframing step involves carefully mapping out the user interface and user experience, ensuring a seamless and visually engaging navigation experience for your users.

In this phase, don’t only focus on visual aesthetics but also include user-centric design principles, striving to create an interface that not only captivates but effortlessly guides users through a journey of meaningful interactions.

By prioritizing both form and function, you can create a portal where users can access information and enjoy a delightful and purposeful online experience.

Step 4. Frontend and Backend Development

When talking about how to build a web portal, this step marks the transformative stage where the vision of your web portal takes tangible form.

In this phase, the intricate coding process unfolds, weaving together the user interface elements and building robust server-side logic.

This concerted effort ensures the seamless functionality of your portal web app. The visual aspects are sharpened to perfection by meticulously crafting the front end, creating an immersive user experience.

Conversely, the backed development establishes the underlying infrastructure, orchestrating the intricate dance of data management and user interaction.

This collaborative synergy between frontend and backend development endeavors breathes life into your web portal, incorporating the envisioned digital landscape with precision and sophistication.

Step 5. Database Design and Implementation

At the heart of each member portal is its database structure, a foundation for the entire digital ecosystem.

This is an essential step in the process of developing a web portal. This phase is more than work; it requires carefully designing and implementing a robust database architecture.

This guarantees that data is stored efficiently and managed seamlessly to support the Portal's diverse functioning.

The thorough consideration of database design and execution entails anticipating your web portal's scalability needs, encouraging an atmosphere in which data retrieval is quick and personalized to match your users' dynamic demands.

In short, this phase is akin to shaping the foundation of your digital edifice, where every data point harmoniously contributes to your web portal's overall stability and performance.

Step 6: User Authentication and Security Measures

Security must always come first. Implementing secure user authentication techniques is critical for protecting sensitive user information.

Advanced encryption and thorough security measures not only protect your web portal from potential threats but also build digital trust, allowing people to participate in your platform with confidence.

Must Read: How to Build Digital Trust in 2024?

Step 7: Test and Deploy

Thorough testing guarantees the delivery of a perfect web portal. Rigorous testing, with a focus on detecting and fixing faults or issues, provides the foundation for offering a polished product to customers.

Following testing, the deployment step emerges as a critical step, making the portal accessible to users and indicating an important milestone in the web portal development process.

Step 8. Documentation and Launch

The importance of meticulous documentation cannot be overstated. This important step goes beyond the immediate development phase, including the comprehensive documentation of the entire development process for future reference and seamless maintenance.

Later, as the culmination of this meticulous process, the web portal is launched, ready for users to access, explore, and interact with.

Now that you know how to develop a web portal, one thing you still need to keep in mind is that building a successful portal web app is an ongoing process.

Regularly monitor user feedback, analyze usage data and continuously optimize and enhance your portal to ensure it remains relevant, engaging, and effective for you and your users.

How much does it cost to launch a Web Portal?

The cost of building a web portal varies greatly based on a number of factors, including the project's complexity, the features and functionalities required, the competence of the development team, and the technological stack chosen.

If you hire a professional Web Portal Development Company to build your web portal, the cost can range from a few thousand dollars for a simple, off-the-shelf solution to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a highly customized, enterprise-level portal.

The cost of developing a web portal in 2024 can range from $25,000 to $500,000 or more, depending on the size and complexity of the portal.

A medium-complexity online portal can cost between $25,000 and $50,000, whereas a sophisticated web portal can cost $50,000 to $500,000 or above.

Also Read: How Much Does Website Development Cost in 2024

How Much time does it take to build a Web Portal?

Understanding the time it takes to build along with how to develop a web portal is important.

The time it takes to establish a web portal varies greatly based on the project's complexity, the features and functionalities needed, the development team's competence, and the approach to project management.

A web portal's development timeframe can differ from a few weeks for a simple, off-the-shelf solution to several months for a highly customized, enterprise-level portal.

Simple portals normally take 4-6 months to create, medium portals 6-8 months, and big projects 8-12 months or longer.

How Arramton Can Help You Build a Web Portal

If you’re convinced that building a web portal can offer many benefits to your business. Building one might seem daunting, but with the right approach, it becomes a game-changer for communication and collaboration.

Web portals aren't just for companies – service providers, resource platforms, and even websites aiming to boost traffic can benefit. The key? User experience! Easy access, intuitive navigation, and engaging visuals are crucial.

That's where a web portal development company comes in. They guide you through the entire how-to-make-a-web portal process, ensuring a smooth journey.

Speaking of web portal development companies, you can connect with Arramton Infotech. With over 20 years of IT expertise, we'll help you build phenomenal web portals. Get in touch today and unlock the potential of a connected future!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is an online portal?

Ans. An online portal refers to a webpage or a website that gives users access to a variety of information, tools, links, and other resources.

Q. How do I create a web portal?

Ans. Creating a web portal involves defining its purpose, target audience, and features. You can then choose a development method like website builders, pre-made templates, or custom development.  Testing and launching are crucial steps after development.

Q. What makes a website a portal?

Ans. Websites primarily offer information, while web portals provide a central hub for various resources and functionalities. Portals often aggregate content from different sources and allow user interaction through features like forums or personalized dashboards.

Q. How long does it take to build a web portal?

Ans. The build time depends on complexity. Simple portals with website builders can be built in weeks, while complex custom portals with unique features may take months or even a year.

Q. How much does it cost to launch a web portal?

Ans. Costs vary depending on development methods and features. Website builders are generally affordable, while custom development can be expensive. However, in general, the cost of developing a web portal in 2024 can range from $25,000 to $500,000.

Q. Who can create a web portal?

Ans. Anyone can create a web portal using website builders with drag-and-drop interfaces. For complex portals with unique features, hiring web developers or a web development company is recommended.

Q. What is an example of a web portal?

Ans. One of the common examples of web portals is University portals. They provide students with a central hub to access course materials, register for classes, check grades, and connect with classmates, all in one place.