Web Design Process
A succesful website is built by following a successful process. All sites, large and small, are developed in a series of steps that lead up to taking the site live and making it available to the public.
The process I use consists of the following steps:
- Information Gathering
- Site Architecture
- Visual Design
- Site Development
- Testing and Launch
The details for each step may vary with the size and budget for your project, but every site will go through each of the 5 steps.
Information Gathering
I think it's important to get to know my clients, both as business owners and as people. Early on in the design process I prefer to speak directly over the phone. This gives us a chance to get to know each other and understand better what each of us brings to the site.
Your design will start with this information gathering. I'll learn what you want and expect from the site, your goals for the site, and as much as I can about your business. You'll learn about me, what I can do for the site and I'll offer ideas you may not have thought about in turning your business and site goals into reality.
We'll also chat some and get to know each other as people. Several years ago I worked for a man who treated everyone as a person first and an employee second. I take the same approach with clients. You are a person first and a client second and I hope we can get to know each other otuside the confines of our working relationship.
Industry Research
After gathering the necessary information, I like to spend a few days researching your industry. I think it's important to see what others in your market are doing so we can determine what is necessary for the site to compete. Even more importantly we can discover what is missing in the market to help make your site stand out.
Keyword Research
If you've requested a keyword list as part of your project this is where the research will begin. Keyword research is not a necessary part of the design process, but I highly recommend building a keyword list (whether through me, another SEO, or through your own research) before entering the next phase of the design.
Information Architecture and Site Structuring
How your information is organized and how your site is structured is very important for guiding people and search engine spiders through your site.
During this phase we'll determine what content is needed and where to include it on the site. We'll also determine which content is most important so visitors and spiders can be directed there quicker and more often.
If you have a keyword list we'll structure your site around keyword themes in a process known as siloing. Theming can help your pages rank better for their chosen phrases and is one of the reasons I highly recommend keyword research prior to structuring the site.
Visual Design
Once requirements are set I'll begin working on the visual design of your site. To insure you get the site you want it's important for you to be involved in the process. As your visual design is created I'll send images for you to look at. These images will be rough at first and with your feedback will evolve into a finished design.
Depending on the size and requirements of your site images may be designed to represent a single page or several pages representing the different levels of your site. There might be one design for the home page, a variation of that design for your main section pages, and another variation to represent the individual pages within each section.
Site Development
Once you agree to a design I'll begin development of a site template from which the pages of your site will be built. Very few designs are repicated exactly as they become an actual site. Often small changes will be incorporated from the design image into the site template. Again your feedback is important to the process and your site template will be avalilable for your viewing as it is developed.
When the template is built to your satisfaction I'll create the individual pages that will make up the site. While building each page I'll test them in a variety of browsers and then test the entire site again once the site is complete.
Testing and Launch
Finally comes the moment we've all been anticpating, the launch of the site. There's something about knowing a site is ready for the public that gets everyone involved in the project excited. This is the moment when we break out the cigars and crack open the champagne and generally feel good about ourselves.
Of course very little in life is perfect and your site will probably not be an exception. No matter how much testing takes place before launching a site there is almost always something that you or I will notice that needs correcting. No worries. For a few weeks after the site is taken live I'll gladly make fixes and minor changes to ensure the site meets your expectations.
If you would like I'm available for managing and maintaining your site after launch. I'm also happy to walk you through the process of adding new pages or making small changes to the site should you prefer to handle maintenance yourself.
