How do you design a website?
One of the most common web design questions that we get asked is "what happens next" or "what is the process" after a new client has decided that they would like to work with us on a website. Although every project will have unique elements, we follow a process that we have used for over 10 years and this insight explains the process.
SIGNUP
Before you start working with a web designer you need to be confident that they will be able to do your project as you expect and to get to this position there are numerous things you will want to do. Typically reviewing other websites that have been designed by your web designer, speaking to them on a number of different occasions and also asking if the person you are speaking to will do the work or if that work is then passed to another person or even outsourced to a different country are all sensible things to check.
After you have made a decision, if you decide to work with us, then we will go through the signup process where we set you up on our system so that you can then login and do the design questionnaire, send you an invoice for 50% of the project total and then agree a rough timescale for that project.
WEB DESIGN STAGE
After completing the design questionnaire our team will then discuss your project before asking you if anything is not clear. Following this we will research your sector and what you have asked for in your questionnaire and merge that with our ideas and experience to create a proposed design for your homepage. This typically takes around 2 days of work so depending on our workload around 1 week from signing up.
The design stage is your opportunity to get your website exactly as you want so we offer unlimited revisions which means that we will keep working on the design until you are 100% happy. Often, we compare this to designing and building a new house, so this design stage is the equivalent to the architect stage after which it moves to the actual build.
BUILD STAGE
Once a design has been agreed for the home page, we will then build the agreed design as a fully responsive website. Once the homepage has been built, we then work through all the inner pages sharing the progress with you as we progress with a development preview link. Although at this stage you will not be able to make changes to the agreed design there are elements on the inner pages that have not yet been agreed so its very much a case of working together to ensure that everyone is happy.
Because a website is not a simple purchase (like business stationery or a new office fridge) and relies on the ability of your chosen web design firm it is critical that you take the time you need before starting work to be confident that you have picked the right company to work with as we have numerous phone calls each week from people who have worked with other web designers, often heavily influenced by a low price, where the project has then not progressed as expected.
During the build stage you will need to supply the words and images for each page or on a more complex project other things, such as videos if applicable or the products if it is an ecommerce website.
LAUNCH
After the build has been completed and you have approved every aspect of the website, we will then work with you to plan the launch. Normally this is straightforward and if you already have a domain name, we will help you link that up with our servers. At this point you will also be asked to pay the other 50% of your project total which was agreed at the start.
Importantly at this stage we will also give you a training session on every part of the content management system (CMS) that you will be able to use to keep your website updated. Often though by this point we have shown you the parts of the CMS that you will use most frequently.
ON-GOING SUPPORT & MARKETING
We pride ourselves on having a great relationship with our clients and supporting them over the long term. Many of our clients have worked with us since the early days of our company starting. After going live, you will be able to keep your website updated through the CMS but if you need ongoing our help our team are here, and we have an hourly charge for any work you want us to complete for you.
Importantly we can also help you with marketing and getting more people to look at your website so if this is important to you then it is certainly worth getting in touch and one of our team can explain how we can help.
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