How to Build a Website…The Right Way

A quick review of the website design process.

A quick guide on how to build and design a website, efficiently. The following web site design process will ensure your website is a top your industry now and for years beyond.

Please note that there are an infinite amount of variables that can change how a web site is developed and delivered. Website design projects are never perfectly clear cut and therefore the process/sequence must vary from time to time based on requirements, changes, and customer expectations. Los Angeles web design clients who work in Hollywood may be far more critical than say someone from North Dakota who owns a small motel. A store with one product will have fewer website design needs than the Los Angeles Dodgers. This guide will get you started on the right path.

Step 1: Meet and Greet

One will want to start a website design project with a client meeting. Together, the website designer and the customer need to establish what needs to be done, who is responsible for what role (content, images, logo files, design approval), who are all points of contact on both sides, and other specific customer and developer expectations.

Step 2: Brainstorming

As part of the meet and greet, brainstorming is vital. What is the web site for? Who are the competitors? Who is the top competitor? Who are we trying to beat? Who is the target demographic? What is important and what is not? What needs to be on every page of the website? Is this a Website for Los Angeles Website customers only or do people from all over the world come to this site?

Tip: A flowchart is a great tool to use here. Create the home page and stem from that to create all pages you need. Include all features per page that you need such as customer login, clickable PDF files, interactive forms, photo gallery applications, etc.

Step 3: Wireframe or Hand Drawing

Many people have no idea what a wireframe is but in website design this is very important for a designer. A wireframe is a sketch or skeleton drawing of the website pages showing all of the elements and functions the web page should have once designed. A wireframe will include the header (with elements needed), the navigation with all of the buttons required, specific body/middle area sections of the page such as an area for flash animation or segmented marketing boxes for different user types, and footer information.

A wireframe does not need to include graphic design elements. It is used to solve, at the get go, any problems or missing elements and acts as the blueprint for your design, content, and coding.

Step 4: Content Planning

With a wireframe and page breakdown it is now time to write the content that needs to go onto every web page. Generally, the client or an outside content writer will put together the content and send to the website design team. Writing content is the largest workload for the client during a website design project and can take a lot of time. ATAK Interactive suggests that you closely look at competitors to make sure you include everything they do best and then beat them.

Step 5: Initial Design

While the customer works on step 4, the website designer can work on the home page design which, once approved, will serve as the canvas/template for the rest of the site. It is best to design the home page first and once the client approves move on to the rest of the pages.

Step 6: Client Feedback

The customer must view the website design files (home page only) and approve or offer corrections. The customer needs to check that you are meeting expectations and headed in the right directions. This is the time for the customer to offer their expert industry opinion.

Step 7: Design Rework

A little back and forth is required here. A website designer should expect to do a few revisions to each page and the customer should expect an opportunity to provide feedback. Generally, a website design company is responsible for setting the ground rules on how many revisions will be included and at what point extra fees will be required.

Step 8: Client Approval

The client must approve the home page design once the necessary work and additional work after feedback is complete. The confirmation process in a main responsibility of the client.

Step 9: Additional Page Design

The home page will serve as the skeleton for all inner pages. Once the home page is approved the website designer or design team should then design all inner pages for the website.

Step 10: Confirmation

After doing a little more back and forth (revisions) the client must approve all page designs. This approval must happen before moving on to actual coding because design changes beyond this point take more time to update than they would before coding begins

Step 11: Build the HTML and the CSS…Don’t forget SEO!

A website designer can now begin to build the actual HTML and CSS…converting the designs into a working web site. Make sure to include appropriate build for search engines and include title tags, keywords, and searchable content.

Step 12: Client Presentation

Once the website is ready, the client needs a final opportunity to review and offer any feedback or correction needs so the website is perfectly polished for launch.

Step 13: Test

This is the last hard step. Test, test some more, and test again. Check code, check keywords, check all text to make sure there are no misspellings or inaccuracies. Check cross browser functionality (i.e. Internet Explorer and Firefox) to make sure the website design look good across all mediums.

Step 14: Launch

Go Live! Now is the time to launch the website to the public. Be sure to check the site every day for about two weeks to make sure nothing funky is going on and perhaps ask some of your colleagues or family members to review as well.

Step 15: Revisit

A good website design is one that is always current. Keep updating, tweaking, and improving. The search engines change their rules too so make sure you are on top of your game, or your web designer is. A good tool to install (free) is Google Analytics which helps you monitor user interaction with the site.

As a result, a good web design will attract more and more internet visitors. And Los Angeles Web Design is among the best ones to build such a site.

Source: Los Angeles Web Design

By David Ephraim of ATAK Interactive, Inc.