How does web design work in practice? Five steps to a great website.
Many business owners know they need a new website, but feel daunted at the prospect of starting from scratch. Fortunately, our experienced web designers are here to help. Our web experts will see you safely through the whole process, keeping you on track and delivering results you’ll love.
When you’re updating your website or starting a new one from scratch, you’ll usually end up working with a team of our virtual experts, made up of marketing managers, copywriters, graphic designers and web designers. We can also work alongside your in-house team or preferred freelancers.
In this blog, we look at how web design works in practice.
How does web design work in practice?
Step one: audit your old website
Sometimes a website only needs a few tweaks to bring it up to date. But at other times, the best thing to do is start again. Our web designers can audit the effectiveness of your site and help you decide what to do next.
Step two: establish your messages
Next, you should identify what you need your website to tell people. You will know every detail of your business – that’s what happens when you work hard and really care! But it’s important to decide what to include and what to leave out. If you put every single fact on your website, you could overwhelm your potential customers instead of converting them.
Our marketing managers can help you pin down your key messages. If you’ve already done a marketing exercise, you’ll probably have your brand and messages clearly outlined already. Our web design team are always happy to work with what you’ve already got, as long as it’s up to date and accurate.
Step three: get the wording right
It’s usually easier to start with the web copy and design the website around it. Our copywriters will help you decide what pages you need on your website and what information you need to include on each one. Your copywriter will ask you a lot about the people you imagine will read your website – that will help them decide what words to use to describe your business. They can also advise on SEO, also called search engine optimisation (or helping Google find your website!).
After the copy is written, you can choose to read it as a Microsoft Word document or wait until you see it in the context of the website.
Step four: build the website and add the pictures
With the wording agreed, your web designer will start to build the website. As with the copy, we’ll ensure the design reflects your business. Your web designer will also ask you for photos to illustrate the site. It’s great if you can supply unique photos of yourself, your business and your team. They create a better impression than stock photos, and there are no limits on how you can use them because they belong to you.
Step five: review the site
With the draft website built, we’ll show it to you before it goes live. This is your chance to review it and give the team your feedback. If you’re not used to reviewing websites or giving feedback, don’t worry – we’ll support you. Check that the wording is accurate and you feel it sounds like your business. If we’ve made any mistakes, like linking the wrong pages or using the wrong image, please tell us so we can put them right. We can even book a Zoom call and go through the site with you page by page.
How long does it take to build a website?
There is no fixed timeframe for creating a website. If you’re ready with branding guidelines and your own images, it will be a quicker process than if the team has to start from scratch. It’s also a good idea to block off time in your diary to review the website so you can give feedback promptly.
Can I change the website in the future?
Yes! Most of the websites we make are very easy to change. Big changes like altering the structure of the page are a bigger commitment than removing a bullet point, but nearly anything is possible. It’s also worth remembering that updating your website is good for SEO – find out more about that here.
Outsource your web design
If you’re ready to update your website, we’re here to help. To find out more, contact your local regional director here.
