We're continuing our in-depth series on web design!
Today we're letting you into our unique development process that we use for every new web design project that we take on - a carefully thought out series of steps that takes our client from the groundwork discovery stage to the final stages of testing and optimisation.
It's important to have a solid process in place before undertaking any kind of development project, to ensure smooth workflows and optimal outcomes at the end. It's also important as it helps keep the team on track! Our team at Simplypress are highly skilled at what they do and individually have a passion for quality that’s been developed over years of experience. We always work together as a unit on every single project we take on in our different areas of expertise.
The development process applies to all of the solutions we offer, including:
Keep reading for a behind the scenes look into our process specifically for web design and how we deliver amazing websites!
Every website project must start with a discovery phase which includes keyword research, competitor research, general market research, and a review of the existing site as well as a full SEO audit (if you have an existing site), and more.
The Discovery process gives us raw data that relates to how the site needs to be structured, what pages need to exist, and what type of content needs to be on those pages.
In short, the Discovery process ensures that what we build has a strong chance at being effective at achieving the wide range of goals businesses have. This step is highly important and something you won't find with a DIY template build!
We use insights from the Discovery process to create a visual sitemap for your new website. This ensures that every page of your website has a purpose; all possibilities for ranking are uncovered and planned for; and that there’s a clear roadmap for future growth.
Planning out this site architecture is important to both SEO and User Experience and needs to be done prior to design or development.
Many freelancers and agencies don't design a proper site architecture, which is a costly mistake in both time, money, and lost opportunity. We ensure that your site has the proper roadmap before we start building.
Since every website has a unique goal and every page of a website serves a different purpose, each page requires a unique layout and content structure.
Making sure pages are intuitively laid out to make it easy for visitors to consume, navigate, and comprehend the content requires a lot of experience and expertise. This is called UX Design – designing the experience the user is going to have as they navigate through the website.
The wireframes we generate during the UX phase are like blueprints for a house. They're critical to initial website prototype design and for communicating the UX to the development team so we can build your site correctly and efficiently.
Copywriting is the art of writing persuasive marketing and promotional content that motivates people to take some form of action, such as making a purchase, clicking on a link, calling a phone number, or scheduling a consultation.
A page on a business website typically has anywhere from 500 to 5000 words of written content that persuades the visitor to take a specific action. This content is arguably the most important part of the site because it's directly responsible for generating conversions.
Since your website’s copy can make or break the website’s effectiveness (and timeline if it's not delivered on time), it’s a good idea to have it professionally written by our writing team.
UI (User Interface) Design is the process of making a website visually appealing while ensuring that it matches the brand essence.
This is the step that most people think of when they think “web design.” As you can see, though, it’s only one small step in the process of creating an effective website.
For most projects, we don’t have to design every single page. Instead, our design team designs the Home Page, navigation, footer, dynamic templates, and a “UI Style Guide” that governs the look and feel of all the core elements of your website.
These prototypes, combined with the UX wireframes, are all the development team needs to build the website.
Once you approve the visual design of your new website, it gets sent to our development team who constructs and codes the website while making sure the website is responsive (meaning it looks great and functions perfectly on every device).
When developers have proper wireframes, a professional design to work from, and professionally written copy, development is extremely fast, smooth, and efficient.
Most of the big issues that occur during the website development process occur when the previous steps of UX Design, UI Design, Copywriting, etc. are skipped, neglected, or attempted simultaneously.
By following our process, we’re able to make sure every project is delivered on time, on budget, every time.
As development is being finished, the process of testing and optimization should begin.
Our development team will test your new website in all major browsers and on all major devices and screen sizes. Additionally, we’ll make sure that all images are appropriately sized and optimized, that the code is as clean and efficient as possible, and that all the technical SEO requirements are implemented.
Once testing and optimization is complete we will launch the site so it’s live to the public on your domain. This will conclude “phase one” of your project, at which point we will begin the Website Management & Marketing phase.
An effective business website is a living, breathing thing. Successful companies with successful websites don’t take a “set it and forget it” approach. They know that their website will only work when they follow a consistent marketing & development roadmap.
Some of our ongoing services include: content marketing, SEO (ongoing research, the re optimization of existing pages, the production of new long-tail pages, content marketing, digital PR, and so on), and digital advertising (usually with Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns).
Additionally, websites require ongoing hosting, basic maintenance, & security monitoring which need to be done by trusted professionals.
That's our development process in a nutshell! Of course, we've left out the countless cups of coffee, meetings and need for endless flexibility to adapt to changes which come alongside any good website build or development project.
We’re ever eager to know our clients' businesses inside and out to get the best results as we partner with them to set them up for success and beyond.
We believe in cultivating real relationships with our clients and partnering with them to set them up for real success. If you’re hoping for something generic or bargain-basement, we’re probably not right for you. We get a kick out of working alongside passionate and talented individuals with big picture vision from all types of business - from large scale organisations to small family-run business.
If this is something you're interested in, book in a free strategy call to see how we can help you upgrade your business today!
