What goes into creating a great website? In completing a custom web design project, several necessary steps must be taken from start to finish. At Connective, it’s important that our clients understand what happens in each phase.
One of the main ways we can do this is by having a fine-tuned process that allows us to focus on the things that matter rather than the parts that don’t. Your participation is key! After years of building websites, we’ve developed our 7-phase collaborative process with the project’s success in mind.
Our account manager briefs the project manager on all project details and officially hands over the job. Next, the project manager sets up your Google Drive space to store all assets, a Project Tracker spreadsheet to keep everything organized, a Gantt chart to keep everyone on schedule, and a Project Journal to document our meetings, define accountability, and next steps.
A Discovery Questionnaire is sent to the client. This document aims to gather the finer details of your organization and the goal of this project. A kickoff meeting is scheduled. During the session, the stakeholders, the project manager, and the art director from our team are introduced, followed by a questionnaire discussion.
After the kickoff meeting, we will work on solidifying your sitemap and site architecture. The sitemap will define the URL structure and account for every single page of the website.
We concurrently develop wireframe designs for all defined templates that will make up your website. Think of these wireframes as the blueprints for all of the critical sections of your site.
At this point, we are also asking you to gather all of your website copy and any images you would like us to use specifically. (Please note: All assets are needed before we can start the development phase)
We will host a Design Strategy meeting to confirm we are good to start on the home page design. Next, we have our internal design & review stages. Once satisfied, we will call for a Design Presentation meeting. Our web page designs are presented as flat, non-clickable web pages.
The client will now provide one round of edits where we will make adjustments (Please note: additional rounds of revisions will move to hourly, and the timeline will be adjusted accordingly).
Once we have the home page design approval and receive the progress payment, we will work on the inner page templates. All internal page templates are designed at once and sent to the client as a package for approval. The client is given one round of design changes per template (additional rounds of revisions will move to hourly, and the timeline will be adjusted accordingly). Once all templates are approved, we are ready to move to development!
Before starting the web development phase, we confirm that all assets have been provided to us. Then, if we are good to go, we now install WordPress and all of our default plugins.
All design templates are implemented and made to look amazing on desktops and all devices. Desktop and mobile navigations are implemented. Blank pages are also created based on our sitemap and project tracker as we prepare to implement the content.
We now go through and add all of the provided content to every single page of the website. In addition, if there are any web enhancements such as popups, email signups, or other agreed-upon features, this is the time to implement these as well.
At this point, all pre-launch quality assurance items are tested. We send all of our work through a detailed QA process to ensure it’s error-free, including mobile testing. In addition, our art director is now asked to review the website to ensure that the implemented design meets the standards set by the flat designs.
We now call for a website walkthrough meeting where we will present the entire site to you. During this call, we will be explaining how to test the website on your end and how to provide us with a single punch list document.
Once both parties agree on the punch list, we will execute the adjustments in one round.
Final payment is now provided as we prepare for launch. We will set up the website in your live environment. Actual orders are placed, contact forms are filled out, and deliverability is verified. All post-launch quality assurance items are vigorously tested.
We will set up Google Analytics and submit an XML sitemap to Google to help speed the indexation process. If this is a redesign and URLs need changing, we will be setting up 301 redirects. This is the point where website caching and speed optimization will happen by leveraging WP Rocket or Nitropack.
All assets and access are handed over to the client, and we schedule a training meeting with you and your team. Our training will cover the specifics of how you and your team can work with your new WordPress website.
Although we give you all the tools needed to handle edits yourself, we are available to work hourly to address any ongoing tasks you may need. If you have decided to do monthly marketing with us, this starts now. Our team has been keeping notes during the development phase so we can hit the ground running.
Let’s make sure you connect with your customers!
Keeping all of your software up to date is highly recommended to ensure your website runs efficiently and provides the best experience to your visitors. We do show you how to do this yourself. Just make sure you are on reliable hosting with automatic backups if something goes wrong.
In doubt or too busy? You can hire us to update your software periodically.
Each project is thoughtfully crafted and custom-designed around your customer’s needs. We deep dive into your organization’s strengths, goals, and pain points. We learn what matters most to your clients, and, from there, we recommend the best approach to show your brand in the best possible light that connects with your audience. SEE OUR FULL PORTFOLIO
Wondering what we can do to help your business grow? We can help you make smart decisions that best meet your needs. From basic questions to complex inquiries on branding, web design, or marketing, we’re here to help!
Ready to start the conversation?
Call us at (818) 570-5620.
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