Building your new website: A step-by-step guide.

You've made the decision to engage with a web designer to build you a new website for your business. What happens next? Before a single line of code is written or image uploaded, there are a few things that need to happen.

Any project destined for success will follow a basic phased schedule. Every designer or firm will do things in their own unique way, but they will all include the same broad steps. This step-by-step guide to building websites is the process that I follow with all my projects. Each of my design packages includes three meetings (either face-to-face or online). The first is for initial project planning, the second for an initial review of the first pass of the website, and the third meeting is for the final review and handover.

Your Step-By-Step Guide to Website Building

Phase 1: Planning

This is possibly the most important phase as without a proper plan of how to proceed or what the desired outcomes are, it is difficult to determine when the project is complete.

The following concepts need to be considered and documented:

1. What is the purpose of the website? Is it to sell products or services, provide a place for customers to get in touch, or perhaps promote a social/sporting club?

2. What features will the website need? E.g. contact form, mailing list, appointment booking system, online store. Some features may require different hosting or design solutions which can impact the project and ongoing hosting costs.

3. Who is the target audience? This will influence the visual and language style of the website, as well as any accessibility features.

4. Do you have an established brand (e.g. logo, visual style-guide, etc) that will need to be reflected in the website design, or will you need the designer to assist with creating this for you.

5. Are there any specific visual styles or design elements you would like included?

6. Will you be providing the written content, or will you require copywriting services?

7. Do you have any images/photographs you would like included, or will you be requiring externally sourced stock photography? It is usually a good idea to include at least some high-quality photographs of aspects of your business where applicable, or showcasing your work to lend credibility for potential customers.

Most of these items will be discussed during the intial consultation meeting. Once the basic structure and requirements of the website have been agreed upon and a contract between you (the client) and me (the designer) has been signed, work on the website itself can begin.

Phase 2: Construction

Now that the planning has been completed we're ready to begin constructing the website. I follow an iterative process when designing, going over a website in multiple passes, adding and refining content as I go.

1. To begin with I will typically create a wireframe design first to ensure that all the basic functionality is covered and that the user experience flows well.

2. Once the wireframe is done, I will set up the site master styles, either following the style guide provided by the client, or designing one myself as required if none has been provided. This includes selecting a colour scheme, typography, etc.

3. At this point I will typically send a few preview screenshots to the client to ensure that what I've come up with aligns with their expectations.

4. The next step is to populate the site with text, images, etc.

5. Once the site structure and content is complete, I will hook up any additional functions such as contact form, embedded apps (like maps, online chat, etc), online store, event/appointment bookings, etc.

At this point the site is largely complete and is ready for the first proper review meeting.

Phase 3: Review and handover

During the scheduled review meeting I will provide demo access to the website for the client and walk them through every page and aspect of the website, taking notes of things that need fixing or altering as needed by the customer. I will then go away and implement the required changes.

WIth the majority of the work on the website complete, I schedule a third and final meeting with the client to ensure everything is completed to their satisfaction. At this point (assuming everything is good), I will transfer ownership of the completed website along with any additional style guide or branding materials created for the project.

Conclusion

As you can see, engaging with a web designer to build your website is a very collaborative and structured process. By following a phased approach, we not only facilitate a clear and organised development process, but also ensure that you end up with a polished, functional and attractive website that is truly representative of your business.