The Website Design Process
Having a plan and communicating expectations are vital to ensuring an organized, easy, and enjoyable process – for both my own workflow and your overall client experience. In order to give every website the attention it deserves and remain as efficient as possible, I only take on 2 website design clients at a time. You’ll find more about what to expect at every step of the website design process below.
01. GET IN TOUCH
After your initial inquiry, you can expect a response with further details, pricing info, and a projected start date based on my workload at that time. If needed, we can set up a time for a quick phone call to chat about your design goals & ideas and see if we’re a good fit for each other. I do typically book up at least 3-4 weeks in advance and keep a running waiting list.
02. LET’S DO THIS
Every full website design includes a 2 week website design timeline and full Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & monitoring for 90 days from your project start date. Once you are committed to working together and agree to the quoted timeline, a $100 non-refundable design reservation fee secures your projected starting date and spot in line. After paying your design fee, you will receive the exact dates of your 2 week design time period for your project, along with a link a Web Design Questionnaire to complete that helps me learn more about your business, your brand, your design preferences, and your goals.
03. YOUR HOMEWORK
After your completed Web Design Questionnaire arrives back in my inbox, I will provide you with “homework” to complete while you’re waiting for your projected start date to arrive. This homework consists of organizing text, verbiage & content for the site, preparing images and other files I’ll need, creating a vision board, etc. and is required homework before I begin on your website.
**IMPORTANT!! When reserving your start date, it is important to make sure that you will be able to set aside time to do the prep work required on your part BEFORE your starting date. If you know you’ll be busy, schedule a start date that works best for your schedule. Your homework is due the day before your website start day to ensure there is no delay in the design process. Failure to complete your homework in a timely manner will result in your site being significantly delayed – and I’ll probably be a little grumpy.
04. THE MAGIC HAPPENS
I only accept two web design clients at a time to ensure I have the time to devote to each site while remaining as efficient as possible. The design process is broken down into a 2 week timeline. So while you are with me for 90 days total, during your 2 week design timeline, you and one other site are my top priorities!
week 1
Yay! Your time has finally arrived! You’ll receive a link to make your first payment and your 90 days begins. Once I have received your payment, homework, and brand/style info, I sit down and begin the creative process. If needed, we’ll schedule a time on Day 1 for a final phone chat before the actual designing begins. Days 2-5 I am in total design mode! I work meticulously to ensure that everything is perfect for you and exceeds your expectations. At the end of the first week, you’ll get your first look at the new site. You’ll be asked to carefully look over each page and provide me with a list of any edits or changes you’d like made.
week 2
I’ll begin the week by working on your list of edits and we’ll continue the preview/edit process for a few days. There is no limit to the number of edits. My goal is to have your site live by mid-week of Week 2. Once the site is live, I continue to pore over the site looking for anything that may have been missed, view the site from multiple devices and tweak anything that’s needed to ensure it looks absolutely perfect from every device it’s viewed on. We will continue to communicate back and forth until you are 100% satisfied with your site. By day 14 you’ll be showing off your BRAND SPANKING NEW SITE!
05. BEHIND THE SCENES
The work doesn’t stop once you’re live for me! Every website design includes Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and while some of that is done during the design process, there’s a good majority left to do after the site is live – page SEO, website speed, submitting to Google, reviewing rankings, etc. So in the weeks after your site goes live, we’ll be in contact less, but I will still very much be checking up on things behind the scenes.
After the site is live, you will also receive an email from me with information about how to make changes to your site on your own. While I do offer ongoing website management, I never want clients to feel like they are trapped into paying someone every time they want to make a few changes on their site. At your request, I am happy to set up a phone call and walk through things together online as well. **I’m hoping to have quick video tutorials to reference available in the near future as well.**
Your final email will also include a link to easy to understand, invaluable SEO information for you to utilize going forward. Including information on the optimization I have done already, page optimization, blog post optimization, image optimization and so much more.
06. LOOK AT YOU GO!
Around the 60 day point, I’ll run a full keyword ranking, review the results, implement SEO changes, and resubmit the site to Google to help boost ranking if needed. SEO requires a commitment to expanding and improving your website content. While the basic SEO process is similar for every website, there are many factors that figure into Google ranking – domain authority, market saturation, # of website pages, amount of content, website age, SSL…just to name a few. There is no quick fix that will magically boost you to page 1 of Google immediately, and I could do the exact same things to two different websites in the same market area and they would have different results, therefore I do not make promises about where your site will land. BUT…I can guarantee I will give it my absolute best and be honest in my advice and communication with you.
07. FINAL RESULTS
Hopefully you’re on your way to rockstar status by now! At the end of your 90 days, I will run a final keyword ranking, and again make comparisons and tweak SEO as needed. If warranted, I will provide you with suggestions on how to continue to optimize your site for best results. If you’d like, we can have a phone chat to answer any final questions and then I’ll send you on your way.
If you choose, you do have the option to continue website management on a quarterly basis. This includes things like WordPress, theme, & plug-in updates, updates to pages, text & images as requested, continued SEO monitoring & updates, identifying security issues & implementing prevention measures, ensuring regular backups are scheduled, etc.