The Web Design Process

Whatever plans you might have for your website, I can help you realise them. Whether you are starting from scratch, have an old website that needs making over or simply want another opinion on how you might improve your existing online presence, I can guide you through the process.

Many professional web designers have a rigid pricing system, where they charge based on how many pages constitute the web site, or by the hour, but I find this to be a simplistic and inflexible approach. I offer several packages that cover most requirements, specifications of which can be found in this pricing guide.

Highlight's Web Design Process

Every website I build, however complex, goes through the same, simple 6 step process from start to finish.

Stage 1: 9 Point Web Assessment

The Highlight 9 Point Web Assessment covers the whole spectrum of planning your web presence, from what you hope to achieve to how best to reach new and existing customers. This is a free service that I offer without obligation, so if you decide against a website after it there's no pressure to buy, By the end of it, you should have a much clearer idea about how you can highlight your best features online.

Stage 2: Put together an easy to navigate site

After your 9 Point Web Assessment, I put together an outline of a website based on your specifications. This is the stage where we either create a brand for your business that will translate to your other types of marketing, or incorporate any branding you already have. Most of the time, the first outline is close enough to what my customers had in mind to proceed to the next stage, but in some circumstances I'll put together multiple outlines before we settle on one to move ahead with. Putting together the outline usually takes 1 business day.

Stage 3: Fill it with rich content

The next stage is to create the content for the website. Typically, this is done with information gathered during Stage 1, though clients with a background in copy-writing tend to have a bigger input at this stage. This stage usually takes up to 5 business days.

Stage 4: Make it Beautiful

Obviously a lot of work is put into making the site look beautiful in Stage 2, but Stage 4 is where we add the finishing touches. Photo galleries are put together, header images are completed and any animation is finalised. This stage usually takes up to 5 business days.

Stage 5: Get people to look at it

This is where the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) comes in to play. Site-maps are created, pages are indexed with search engines and directories, link building and ppc campaigns are initiated. This stage usually takes 1 business day.

Stage 6: Finishing touches, and giving the user complete control

Once the website is completed and uploaded, the finishing touches are applied. This obviously varies widely from project to project, but usually its not more complicated than setting up email accounts on the clients computers. Once this is done, the customer is given access to the site's ftp and control panel, giving them complete control over the website. Naturally, I make backups before this happens, in case any mistakes are made!

Every website package includes 12 months of support, so you're not left high and dry after stage 6 is completed!

If there were any terms used on this page that you didn't understand, be sure to check the FAQ, which outlines the basics of web page construction.