Quite often business owners cobble together their first website without a strategy. (We get it, we’ve been there!) But spending the extra time (and investment) to dive into all the details is worth it! In this post we’ll explain what our ideal website design process looks like.
If you’re like many small business owners we talk to, you’ve probably wondered:
- “Do I need SEO or just a better-looking website?”
- “Can’t you just design the website and we’ll add photos later?”
- “Should I write copy first or wait for the designer?”
The truth? There is a better way to approach your website and it starts with doing things in the right order! That doesn’t mean there’s only one right path. But after helping dozens of businesses build websites that perform, here’s the website design process we’ve found to work best!
Whether you’re starting from scratch or picking up mid-project, here’s how we recommend tackling your website from strategy to launch.
Squirrel-sized summary of the website design process 🐿️
Here’s the website design process in a nutshell:
- SEO research – Find out what your people are searching for
- Copy – Write (or outsource the writing of) words that connect + convert
- Photos – Invest in professional photos for your website
- Design – Create layouts that are functional and beautiful
- Development – Build your site cleanly and efficiently
- Launch – Test, tweak, and go live with confidence
Start With SEO Research (Even if You’re Not “Doing SEO” Yet)
Before talking about images or copy (text), finding out how your dream clients are searching is key. This includes keyword research, competitor comparison and if you already have a website, reviewing your current organic traffic.
Why it matters: This step gives you clarity about the website structure and content! It shows what pages are must haves, what topics your audience cares about and how to position your business in a way both Google and real people love.
Of course we understand that not everyone has to budget to start with SEO right away. Just know that you might have to rewrite copy/change your design if you decide to start working on SEO later on.
Write Website Copy
With your SEO roadmap in hand, it’s time to put your message into words. You can work with a professional copywriter (we can recommend some awesome folks) or we can guide you through it for DIY copywriting.
If you’re going the DIY route, breaking the pages down in sections makes it a lot more doable, we’ve got you covered!
Having your copy ready before the graphic design stage is so important! Great design enhances your words. The result is a clearer layout, better messaging, and a stronger connection with your visitors. That’s why we strongly advise against writing your content after the design is done. Trying to squeeze copy into a pre-made layout? It rarely ends well.
Why it matters: Good website copy converts your visitors into clients! And it helps your site show up in search results.
Great Brand Photos (Yes, Before Design)
The best graphic design for your business will be created with your final images as part of the design.
Don’t work with “placeholder images”! The colours of your photographs and their orientation will change the way they are incorporated in the design.
Here’s an example of how this could go wrong: a whole website is designed with a soft muted palette and afterwards you decide to use a brand photo where you’re wearing a neon green shirt. (Ok, that’s an exaggerated example, but you get what we mean!)
Design needs visuals that support it. Whether you’re investing in professional brand photography or curating a collection of on-brand images, having strong visuals early on is the way to go!
Why it matters: Photography plays a huge role in trust. For service businesses, real photos of you help potential clients feel confident reaching out. And for product businesses, the product photographs are the only thing your customer can see online!
The Graphic Design
Great graphic design puts all the previous work together: your words, your photos and your brand. It’s about intentional design choices that guide your visitor from “hmm” to “let’s talk”.
Graphic design includes:
- Clear layout and visual hierarchy: So visitors can find what they need fast.
- Branding that feels like you: Not a cookie-cutter template.
- Calls-to-action that are obvious
We start by designing a visual mockup of your home page first. That page sets the tone for the entire site, so we make sure it feels right before designing the rest. Mockups are a great way to get feedback and make changes without having to edit a website, which is always more time consuming.
Why it matters: Graphic design is what combines your message, brand and visuals into a seamless experience for your visitors. When done right, it makes your site not just beautiful but useful.
Web Development (AKA Building the Site)
Once the design mockup is approved, we build it out! We don’t use bloated themes or clunky code. Instead we build fast, functional pages that are easy to update. The design is of course also mobile friendly, as most people are browsing on their phones.
We build all our websites using WordPress and Elementor, which means you’ll be able to make simple edits yourself (and we’re happy to share tutorials if you’d like a walkthrough).
And if you already have a website? No worries. We build everything on a staging site first, so your current site stays live while we work behind the scenes. Once everything is tested and ready, we make the switch quickly and with minimal disruption.
Why it matters: A well-built site is faster, easier to maintain and creates a better experience for both your visitors and search engines.
Launch and Celebrate
Before the site goes live, we test every page, link and mobile view. And we give you the chance to do so too. We also set up redirects if needed.
Then it’s time to celebrate!
Already have a Website? Here’s How it Works.
We’ll discuss together where you’re at! It’s all about keeping what works and changing what doesn’t work! In this case we always create a staging site (a version of the website that remains hidden until it’s ready to publish) to avoid interrupting your website traffic.
Great SEO, but the website doesn’t feel enticing?
It’ll come down to keeping your url structure and the majority of your content, but you can create a completely different look with new photos (if needed) and a completely different visual design.
Not getting website traffic and the site feels outdated?
Is there anything you want to keep? A complete do-over is definitely on the table!
I love my brand photos, but everything else feels off?
Great that you already have these photos, your new design can focus on them.
Thinking About a New Website?
Whether you’re starting fresh or untangling an older site that’s no longer doing its job, we’re here to help.
Get in touch with us or take a look at some previous web design projects.
