Website Design and Development Process

Click on the steps in Figure 1 below to view tools, knowledge and resources I gathered for reference.

Website Development Team Client Initial meeting Initial meeting PLANNING Create site outline Create sitemap Plan Assement of needs Assement of needs feedback and review Sitemap plan review Sitemap outline review Wireframes review Research Create wireframes CONTENT Site content submission Content outline and SEO strategy review DESIGN Create highly defined inner page designs Highly defined inner page design review Highly defined landing page design review Create highly defined landing page designs Make final content adjustments DEVELOPMENT Front and backend web development Cross Platform and browser testing Website build review Content migration and population UAT testing Serach engine submission Analytics set-up Final content review and sign-off Final website review and sign-off Launch Final testing Upload site to server TESTING/LAUNCH SITE MAINTENANCE
Figure 1. Website development process.

Step 1: Information gathering

Initial meeting, define purpose, main goals, and target audience of website

Audience

Do you know your target audience?

Having a solid understanding of your target audience and what their needs are, can help you decide what type of content to include on your website.

These questions can serve as inspiration for developing your content:

  • Who are you building this website for?
  • What are your visitors’ needs?
  • What are their pain points?
  • How can you resolve their doubts and concerns?
  • Will your website be able to easily fulfill your visitors’ needs?
  • Are you answering their basic questions?
  • Are you speaking to them in language they can understand (don’t get to technical for a wide audience)
  • How will you substantiate your claims? (e.g., testimonials, social proof, etc.)
  • Are you guiding your visitors to do something on your site, like take a next step?
  • Is there a “call to action?” (e.g., sign up for a newsletter, make a purchase, submit a contact form, visit a next page, etc.)

Step 3: Content

Content inventory, create new content, and create content brief

Nine common pages used on websites

1. Homepage

This is one of the most popular web pages that every website must have. The content of your home page should be relevant to your business. You need to make sure that your home page content is interesting, engaging, and have a flow to grab the reader’s attention. Your home page should be well-designed, fast-loading and easy to go through.

What to include
Well, it depends on the type of business. If your website is about selling any service, you need to highlight some featured services or products on the home page. It is best if you can use a slider right after the navigation area to show your services and other important information.

For a business website, there should be a big headline to put the most important information. You can also use several CTA (Call to Action) buttons either on the slider or on the important sections to get your desired customers.

2. About us page

This is an important page that provides information about you, your company, what you do, and what you provide to the visitor. It is the best page to tell your visitors how you are different from your competitors.

What to include
A complete overview of your company where you can mention the history of the business. If you are running a blog or an affiliate website, you should also have an “about” page to disclose what you are doing.

You can also include a CTA to engage your audiences. If you are running the website by yourself, you can also showcase your bio, awards, and other information.

3. Contact page

A contact page plays a vital role by allowing communication between the website owner(s) and the visitors. It is always important to display your contact information as this is also a big trust factor.

What to include
Your business address, phone number, email address, and most importantly the contact form. You need to design a highly interactive contact form that tells visitors to reach you. If you have a business website, you can also mention your business hours on the footer.

4. News/Blog page

A blog is a site, or a section of a website, made up of topically related posts (e.g., journal entries). It gives your business a voice, creates a place where you can tell your story, share expertise, and engage with your customers.

Blog posts are typically listed in reverse chronological order with the newest blog posts appearing first. If you’re running a small business website without a blog, you’re totally missing out and you should prioritize starting a blog while making your website pages list.

What to include
Develop a strategy - figure out your audience and relvant topics to cover. Use casual and conversational language to keep users engaged.

5. Services page

Here you can list all the details about the services your business provides. Start the page with a brief explanation of your services to outline them. If your services contain extensive descriptions, consider splitting them into sections. You can also add a link to a landing page where users can learn more about your services.

What to include
A summary of your services. Present them in bullets with short paragraphs. Links to learn more about particular services, the advantages, how your services differ from what your competitors offer, etc.

6. Products page

This is where you can offer details of the products you sell. You can give a short summary of the products before listing them. If you’re going to sell multiple products, you can divide them into categories.

What to include
An outline of available products, product descriptions, links to product pages containing more additional information, what your customers can expect from those products, and why they should buy from you but not others.

7. Meet the team page

Every project, business, or brand is only as good as the people behind it, which is why having a team page is such an important piece of a company’s website. Whether you’re recruiting new hires or introducing visitors to your employees, your team page must be strategized and look appealing. This is a similar concept to the about page, but some websites with a large staff will choose this route to tell you more about the individuals rather than about the company.

What to include
Include a list of people who are making the magic happen in your business. Let the visitors know what makes your team qualified and stand out.

8. Testimonials page

A testimonials page will allow visitors to hear what others think of you and your business. These opinions—coming from previous customers or third parties—carry the added weight of social proof. Testimonials can be incredibly persuasive.

What to include
Make sure to include titles, locations, and full names to add legitimacy to the testimonials published on your website. Use customer photos or videos when available.

9. FAQ page

If you receive the same type of queries from different customers, you may want to consider a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page to provide answers. It’s a great place to impart valuable information about your company. Identify what your visitors want to know, and then design questions/answers based on those facts.

What to include
Use the FAQ page to answer common questions or address objections/frustrations/challenges regarding your product or service. Use the FAQs to educate clients/site vistors.

Step 5: Development

Build and deploy website, add special features and interactivity, and SEO for website

Step 7: Maintenance

Intergrate reporting system, fix bugs ASAP, and ensure content remains relavant and current