You’re finally taking the plunge! You’re ready to build your new website. Congrats! Whether you’re redesigning an existing site or starting from scratch, we know the process can be a bit overwhelming. In this post, we’ll be breaking down every step of the process so that you’ll feel confident and know what to expect along the way.
Quick note about DIY vs. custom web design
If you just stumbled onto this blog post, you might be wondering about the pros and cons of DIY sites vs. custom sites. Obviously, we’re a bit partial to custom website design. That’s kind of our whole deal. 😉 But we completely understand why a DIY site might be the right choice for your business. If you’re still unsure which option is best for you, this post may be helpful: DIY vs. Professional Websites: Here’s What You Need to Know
What are the steps for building a website?
What we’ll be discussing here is the process we use with clients at Control Yours. If you’re working with another company, your experience may be different. However, this guide should help you understand the basics and hopefully answer some of your questions!
Phase 1: Discovery
The Discovery phase starts with a “getting to know you” meeting, either virtually or in person. We like to start with some general questions about your company and map out the primary objectives for your new website. You’ll have a chance to chat with our team and ask any questions you have about us and our process as well.
When you’re ready to move forward, we’ll develop an estimate for your project and include a breakdown of all the various services required. This will include the site design, development and any additional services you’ve requested, such as copywriting, editing, branding, etc.
After you’ve had a chance to review and approve the estimate, you’ll receive a welcome email with an approximate timeline for your project and a client questionnaire that will give our team insights about your customer demographics, marketing goals, content needs, design preferences and other important information about your business.
For reference, a new website typically takes about 2-3 months to complete, depending on the design complexity and the number of pages.
Phase 2: Design & Next Steps
Here’s where the fun part begins! We’ll develop a site map that shows the location of each page on your new website and a rough outline of the page content. This is a great time to consider what actions you want customers to take on your website and how to successfully engage with them on their customer journey.
Next, we will talk about your site’s content. In website terms, “content” refers to all the words and images on your website. If you’re redesigning an existing website, you might want to keep the content you have or just do some minor updates. But if you’re rebranding or launching a new website, you’ll probably want to start over with fresh content.
You’ll have an opportunity to meet with one of our copywriters who can help you clarify your messaging and craft a compelling presentation of your company’s brand and values.
Along with site organization and content, we’ll sketch out the visual design of your website, using the information we gathered from your client questionnaire. We’ll send a site mockup for your approval, so that you have a visual sense of what the final product will look like. This is a great chance for you to give us feedback and tell us if there’s any changes you’d like to make.
Phase 3: Development
Woohoo, all the planning is done and the pieces are all in place. It’s time to build a website! The Development phase typically takes between 6-8 weeks to complete. Don’t worry, we’ll send you weekly updates so you can track your website’s progress from start to finish! The development team takes the lead here and translates all our design and content work into computer code, bringing your website to life.
Once we have everything in place, we’ll send you a link to the staging site. This is a private version of your website that only you and our team can view. You’ll be able to click through each page and make sure the site flows the way you want it to. We’ll make corrections and changes based on your feedback.
The next step is quality assurance. That means we’ll take a week to review and monitor your website’s functioning and make sure that there aren’t any errors or bugs to work out.
Phase 4: Deliver!
Okay, here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – launch day! Your website will go live on the web and become accessible to visitors.
But wait there’s more! If you’re a CY customer, you’ll have access to ongoing support through our membership program! That means you get behind-the-scenes technical support, hosting, security updates, creative recommendations and all kinds of other good stuff.
Click here to learn more about membership!
Ready for the next step?
Like any big investment in your business, launching a new website can be intimidating. But working with a team you can trust makes a HUGE difference. If you’d like to explore your options for site design, digital advertising and print packages, head on over to our services page!
Questions? Schedule a call or meeting today!
