VP Web Solutions offers high quality professional websites custom built around your Brand. They feature interactive & intuitive front end, responsive design, fast loading speed and integrated SEO. Our web design is SMART, not just pretty. When going through development process we keep your business’s goals as top priority. We understand your real business goals: bringing leads, generating sales, getting newsletter sign ups, ranking high on Google SERPs. Not just is much more important than stuffing your site with numerous cute pictures, clever quotes and funny videos.
Our Web development team is aware that your site loading speed and mobile friendliness (responsive web design) are among major factors for Google organic search algorithm rankings. Therefore, we keep them as key priorities when crafting your site. At the end of the day, it is the most important digital marketing asset you possess, your customer traffic and your revenue highly depend on its ability to attract and convert leads, and we keep this in mind throughout entire development process.
7 Steps of Web Design Process
Creative brief – Web design project
This is a step when our initial meeting will take place, followed by a detailed questionnaire you would need to feel out for us to better paint your businesses picture. Your ideal customer, your toughest competitor and most importantly your business goals. So we understand, what you are trying to accomplish with your new website (traffic, awareness, sales). Usually, this process takes about a week. And another week for us to go through it and analyze your company’s business niche. Completed creative brief will be send out for your approval.
Project Scope
Once we receive approved creative brief, we will start analyzing your web design project in terms of required hours, tools and scope. It usually includes: number of pages, website functions and features requested, projected completion timeline as well as total cost of your web design project.
Planning Layout
At this stage of web development process we determine your site structure, menu layout, number of pages, page relationships & hierarchy and document it all into a sitemap. Next would be creating a wireframe for every page of your future website. Once sitemap and wireframes are done, it will be sent for your final approval in order for us to start actual web design process.
Web Design
During this step your site is taking shape and forms its identity, we select colors, fonts, graphics, visual elements, special effects to be implemented in your website. Our web design team is tasked with making your site interactive and functional as well as to use responsive web design in order for it look equally great on desktop, smartphone or tablet. Ultimate goal is to deliver your website visitor’s excellent experience, allowing them browse your site pages with minimal effort. And be able to find information easily, as well as produce desired action (sign up, submit inquiry, complete purchase).
Web Development
Everything we designed in previous step would be developed into code providing frame and backbone of your site. In most cases we use WordPress content management system (CMS). Our web development team codes your site structure around your brand; we prefer not to use themed templates. Reason we do not like to use ready themes, because they produce slow and boring websites. In addition, themes can be adjusted, but never fully customized and personalized according to your business needs. During this step we also integrate content provided by customer: articles, product descriptions, images, videos, brand elements, etc.
Launch
It is a final stage of the website creation journey; last push and your custom-made website is live. Prior to transferring your new site to your domain and server, we perform final testing, proofing and quality assurance. Once your website is live, we connect it to Google analytics and Google search console. It will enhance its “searchability” and provide you with valuable statistics in the future. Last but not the least creating admin panel for you to be able to make small adjustments and providing you basic training on how to operate it.
Maintenance & Security
Technically it is not part of initial web design process, but since it is extremely important for its effectiveness & security, we include it as ongoing process. Your website is your most expensive digital marketing asset and you cannot afford NOT to keep it in top running shape. We recommend all our clients to opt in for maintenance & security package, as they will always need plugins & security updates. In addition we will do bad link audits, seasonal product changes, promotions, homepage picture changes, etc.
* At VP Web Solutions we use Gantt Chart Project Management tool to track all our projects and report progress to our clients on every step of the process. Please see a website development project progress as an example above.
** Customers provide all website content not included in your web package (articles, product images and descriptions, team videos). We recommend to start working on your website content as soon as the contract is signed. It takes time to gather all the content especially if you are creating it from scratch. You might need to write articles, film “about company” video, have your team’s photoshoot scheduled, etc. We won’t be able to finish your website if content won’t be ready. We need to work together in order to complete the website by established deadline. Once client provides all the content, our team will integrate it on the pages. We will also ensure it flows well with the rest of design elements providing interactive user experience.
*** Be aware, you cannot simply copy & paste information or images from the web, as it would violate copyright laws. Plus, Google bots will find and penalize you for “plagiarized” content and can easily blacklist your site for that. Therefore, your site’s content has to be authentic.