design really just refers to the layout of your text, images, buttons, page elements, and so on -- in other words, what you can visibly see. Website development, on the other hand, encompasses many aspects of a website that may be visible, but the majority of time is spent writing code "behind-the-scenes."

Website develeopment focuses on the complex programming and database design involved in enhancing the function of your site. For example, shopping carts, content management systems, bulletin boards, photo galleries, newsletter/press-release postings, dynamic event calendars, real estate database websites, and so on.

Basically, anything that allows you to add and/or edit your website pages through an internet browser or anything that allows the collection of information from website visitors is usually categorized under website development. Website development involves higher-level programming and is more time-consuming and thus is generally more expensive.