Web designers often think about the web design process with a focus on technical matters such as design, code, and content management. But great design isn’t about how you integrate the social media buttons or even slick visuals. Great design is actually about having a website creation process that aligns with an overarching strategy.
Well-designed websites offer much more than just aesthetics. They attract visitors and help people understand the product, company, and branding through a variety of indicators, encompassing visuals, text, and interactions. This means that every element of your site needs to work towards a defined goal.
So, here are 7 of the main steps our team follows, when creating a website.
Goal identification
The first step in the creative graphic design process is the creative brief. It helps the designer learn more about the needs of the client. This step is critical since the designer needs to gather as much information as possible about the client, his or her company, and his or her project expectations.
Scope definition
The client sets out with one goal in mind, but this gradually expands, evolves, or changes altogether during the design process.
This isn’t necessarily a problem for designers, as it can often lead to more work. But it is important for the increased expectations to be matched by an increase in budget or timeline, so the project can remain realistic.
Sitemap and creation
The sitemap provides the foundation for any well-designed website. It helps give web designers a clear idea of the website’s information architecture and explains the relationships between the various pages and content elements. Building a site without a sitemap is like building a house without a blueprint.
Content creation
First, content engages readers and drives them to take the actions necessary to fulfil a site’s goals. This is affected by both the content itself, and how it’s presented.
Content also boosts a site’s visibility for search engines. The practise of creation and improving content to rank well in search is known as search engine optimisation or SEO. Content that’s well-written, informative, and keyword-rich is more easily picked up by search engines, all of which helps to make the site easier to find.
Visual elements
This part of the design process will often be shaped by existing branding elements, colour choices, and logos, as stipulated by the client. But it’s also the stage of the web design process where a good web designer can really shine.
Testing
At this stage, we thoroughly test each page to make sure all links are working and that the website loads properly on all devices and browsers.
Launch
When everything has been thoroughly tested, and you’re happy with the site, it’s time to launch.
A key thing to remember about the launch stage is that it’s nowhere near the end of the job. The beauty of the web is that it’s never finished. Once the site goes live, you can continually run user testing on new content and features, monitor analytics, and refine your messaging.
The Studio 4 supplies web design and development for companies in the UK and Europe. From our offices in Shropshire, we have successfully launched a range of websites for large and small companies.