The Ambitious Design process of WordPress Website Design and Development
Every website project has its own requirements but as a general rule I work in the following steps
Website Design & Development Brief
First and foremost I'll need a brief. Some clients like to provide a detailed analysis of requirements whilst others just 'need a website'. Both scenarios are no problem for me. I will research your competitors in accordance with the brief you provide (be it simple or detailed) and provide you with a no obligation initial proposal containing inclusions and optional enhancements also taking into account Search Engine Optimisation factors and any project budgets you may have. We can then work together to discuss and smooth out any queries or options that may arise from this initial proposal stage. A second and final proposal will then be created and approved before commencement of the project. It is only at this point that the project is considered as a commission.
Website Design & Development
Now that we have an agreed Proposal the fun part will begin - design and development! I will build a look and feel for your website encompassing all the functionality and inclusions outlined in the agreed proposal (in some cases a full Technical Specification will also be written to clarify all functionality in more detail). Images will be sourced and content written - or supplied by you depending on requirements and availability. The framework of the website will be generated including navigation, products and shopping cart (if eCommerce), call to actions, hero headers, contact forms and more.
Population & Testing
By now your website will be really beginning to take shape. The next stage is to populate all the content including logos, imagery, text and products. This may encompass generation of brand, sourcing / creation of imagery and copywriting - or you may already have content of your own to supply, particularly where products are concerned. If your website is eCommerce the cart, checkout and payment gateways will be setup and a concise user testing of the website will take place.
Deployment & Search Engine / Social Media Basics
Your website is complete and you have approved all the content. However it is not yet live. This stage will see the website deployed to a live hosting environment (your own hosting or one recommended) and a final 'live' test will be completed. Your website will already have some elements of good Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media Optimisation built in as part of the build and population but now is the time to tweak and fine-tune these along with adding Google Analytics to track visitors and submit your new website and sitemap to Google so its Search Robots can start indexing your website content organically. Further Search Engine Optimisation work may also be undertaken as a optional add-on.
Administrator Training
To enable you to manage the content of your own website, once your site is live (or even beforehand if requested) training will be provided on how to edit and manage all or specific sections / areas of your website. Some clients want to know everything whilst others only want to manage their blog articles. A written user manual can also be provided upon request.