Building a website can feel like a step into the unknown.
We get it. Let us take you by the hand and cut through the jargon to provide a simple guide to the process.
We’ve distilled down our experience and expertise to outline the steps needed to create a website that stands out.
We’ll work through these steps together. You bring the insight and knowledge about your business and we’ll lead you on the journey to create a website that make your brand come alive.
All it takes is four simple steps together:
Define
Brief
Let’s get our heads together and work out what you need.
We ask the questions that help us understand the who, what, how, why and when of the project.
And we can help dig into what the real challenge the site is trying to address. What are the key objectives? Knowing the purpose of the website is crucial.
If you’re not sure, our handy briefing document can help.
Scope
We clarify with you and compile a defined record of your requirements and how they’re going to be delivered from a technical and functional point of view.
By the end of this stage, we’ll all be confident about what is and isn’t being delivered and by when.
Create
Look and feel
If as part of the project requirement any form of brand development was included, this is the stage that we investigate any new brand concepts or evolution of brand.
We develop different creative concepts and show them how they will look across various media both online and offline.
The concepts are developed, tweaked and evolved with you, until you are happy with the final look and feel.
Content
The site copy is the real heavy lifter and shouldn’t be underestimated.
It’s fundamental to the site and needs to work in harmony with imagery and video.
We have communications consultants who can help with your strategy, as well as copywriting and copy editing if needed.
Wireframes
The whole website is designed, purely at a structural and functional level. This is called wireframing.
A wireframe is used to refine the navigation, functionality and user experience of all pages to provide the best possible user journey.
Full design
Once the design concepts, wireframe and content are all approved, the full design stage begins.
Here you’ll get to see all the different creative elements coming together – from images to icons, every detail will help your brand and story come to life.
We design up to 5-page templates that the entirety of the website will be based on and if required any other pre-determined content blocks that require consideration in isolation. These are the foundations we build from.
Develop
Build
Now your site really comes to life! We create a development version of the site, hidden away from the world, so you can see it take shape safely before your very eyes.
At various stages we’ll share the development site with you so you can have a stroll around, test, check and give feedback for us to apply.
Testing
The site needs to be tested in fine detail, the more eyes on it the better!
We test emails, mail listings, form submissions, responsiveness on various devices and different browsers.
We will test as much as we can from our side, but some things can only be tested from your side. Don’t worry we’ll give you a guide to what to check.
Launch
Go-live
So your site is ready to be released into the wild!
We only go live when you’re ready, at a time that suits everyone, and have given full approval.
Once live, we recommend giving the site a once-over for peace of mind. We are in constant contact with you at this stage, keeping you up-to-date on progress.
Aftercare
We leave you with everything you need to hit the ground running and we’re only a phone call away.
If you need it, we can create training videos to guide you through the back end of your site, so you can refer back to these as much as you need to.
We are on hand following go-live for 30 days to make any adjustments within the scope, if required, for your peace of mind.
We also offer an ongoing package to support you and your website, so you’re not alone!
And that’s it. Not so scary now?
There’s more detail in this lovely guide.
If you have any questions about our process and how we work, we are always happy to answer any questions by email or by arranging a free discovery call.
Click to book a discovery call
Find out more about Website building, the Alive way.