Web Design Process – Website Design Project Management

Our web design development process is a tested method that has been in success for many years. This process is a series of phases that are built on each other, reducing downtime and getting to the final site with a structured design approach. It takes 12 to 15 weeks to complete most projects.

6-step process of developing the design of the site:

1. Gathering requirements
Based on conversations with you, the client, we learn about the objectives of your site and create an offer to adjust expectations, guide each other, establish features and volume, and set costs and duration.

Step 1: Discover

The “Discovery” phase of the web design process is to collect information. This is essential for you to learn more about your client’s business and industry, the target market and clients, and the website’s ultimate goal/objective.

Ask the client questions at this stage:
What does your business or organization do?
What makes your business or organization different from its competitors?
Who are your competitors?
Who is your ideal customer?
Describe the concept, project or service that this site is designed to provide or promote.
What is the purpose of your site?
Who comes to your site?
What is your dream about this site?
Is there a budget for their web presence?

2. Kick-Off
An extranet project is created for interacting with the team. We ask you to answer the questions that become the agenda of the instructional kick-off meeting. We then discuss project details, including design preferences, results and deadlines.

Step 2: Plan

As well as gathering information, the stage of site design planning is an important part of the launch of a new site. As designers, it is easy to immediately wish to move to the phase of design development, as it is the most creative (and enjoyable) part of the project. But in the end, research and planning will help to clarify your goals for the site and direct your design, so spend a generous amount of time at this stage of the process. Spending time on site planning is a good investment that will ultimately save you time and even money in the long run.

During the planning phase, you will want to review or create a SEO strategy for the site. Since sites often organize a lot of information in a user-friendly format, it is also a good time to get an idea of the missing content before you start developing something. The planning phase also helps clients understand their role in meeting content delivery deadlines so that the launch process is not delayed.

1. View or create a SEO strategy

•  Consult with the client on search queries for their business/industry.
• Research and review of keyword volumes
• Create a keyword/keyboard spreadsheet.
• Audit of existing content for SEO focus
• Make a list of SEO content required to fill in the gaps.
• Combine keywords/keywords with existing or required content.

2. Create a Sitemap site

After working on the SEO strategy, it is time to build a site map. A site map is, in fact, an outline of the structure of pages, which will consist of the site. Planning a site map before working on any website design has several advantages, because you can build your design around the most important pages, plan your site navigation more effectively and get an overview of the content that still needs to be written.

• Using your SEO strategy, create a site map with an appropriate hierarchy of pages and content silos.
• Create an actual document for the site map/site outline. You can use the site map as a checklist for project management.
•  Include the main pages of the site (About the program, Contacts, etc.) as well as additional pages with keywords/keys.

3. content review and development

The last part of the website planning process involves an in-depth review of the content. You will need to audit existing content (if the client already has a website) and plan to create new content. Clients may be responsible for creating new content, but sometimes it may be useful to contract a freelance author to complete the content.

• Browse existing web content
• Ask for non-web content such as brochures, business cards or flyers.
• Hire or assign writers for content needs.
• Set deadlines for content completion

Step 3: Design

The third stage of the web design process is the development of the design of what a website will look like. At this stage, a site frame is created with the main elements of the web page, such as title, navigation, widgets, etc. Then the framework can be moved to a more realistic layout using a program such as Photoshop.
The design should also accommodate the content. Content often accommodates design, and in the end very little attention is paid to the content. The content of the site – this is what you want viewers to notice the number one. For each page design, ask yourself these questions:

What is the main purpose of the page?
Is it clear to users, what actions they should take?
How does the design encourage users to take action?
Good web designers also remember how the design will be translated into code. Even if you do not develop on your own as a designer, it is a good idea to invest in your coding skills. Let the developer review the design before it gets to the client.

Finally, use the Design step to work with the client to refine the overall look of the site and discuss color, typography and image solutions with them. Confirm the design with the client before moving on to any development.

 

Step 4: Develop

At the development stage the design of the site is transformed into real code that makes the site work. This stage may be the longest, so keep customers informed about the status of the project.

Such an email with 3 offers is perfect to keep in touch with the client:
it includes the main stages of site development:

Installing WordPress on your local host or test server.
Installation of WordPress start theme.
Install the WordPress backup plugin as BackupBuddy. Running the backup plugin during development makes it easy to 1) return changes to the file and 2) move the site to a live domain or server to run.
Using the layout, move the design to a live site.
Testing and optimization in progress.

Step 5: Launch

It’s finally time to launch the site. Since there are so many steps involved in launching the site, it is useful to use a checklist to make sure that you have not missed a single step.

Use these checklist messages to make sure that your site is running smoothly:

Step 6: Maintenance

This last and final stage of web design is often overlooked by freelancers, but site maintenance is important for the long-term health and success of the site, and as a source of potential recurring revenue.

Even before a new web project begins, it is necessary to educate potential customers about the long-term responsibilities of the site owner. Just as owning a car or house, a website needs maintenance and technical support. Just like owning a car or a house, a website will need maintenance and technical support. Offer monthly WordPress maintenance to get rid of your customers’ website maintenance tasks.

As a basic level, WordPress maintenance includes the following steps to keep your WordPress website running smoothly:

WordPress Updates
Theme and plugin updates
WordPress Backups
WordPress Security
Analytics Tracking and Reporting
WordPress Hosting
////
Site corrections
Changes in content and form
Installation plug-ins
Slight improvements
Questions “How”
Availability of site
Website operation
CMS and plugin updates
Accommodation issues
Security
WordPress service may also extend to other areas of the site, such as SEO, adding new content or updating existing content, approving/refreshing comments, cleaning up spam and much more.