What is the Process of Building a Website?

Just what is involved in building a website? What can you expect when you hire a vendor to develop your website? Every vendor is different, as is every project. However, any good vendor follows a process similar to this:

Whether you’re using a large agency, an individual freelancer, or a company that is some size in between, your vendor should follow a similar process. Every project should begin with a lot of questions to understand your requirements, audience, and so on. If your vendor doesn’t start by asking a lot of detailed questions, fire them and get another vendor.

Types of Agencies

Website development agencies generally come in two varieties:

• Brand and visual design agencies—These agencies are often brand marketing or brand design firms. They are especially concerned with graphics, logos, colors, fonts, brand messaging, and making sure the website is visually stunning and consistent with your marketing message. Freelancers in this category generally have a visual design background.
• User experience design agencies—These agencies are especially focused on understanding the website visitors and their needs, as well as your business needs, to design a website that looks good and drives the results you are seeking (such as purchases, downloads, or registrations). They are focused on SEO, the sitemap, navigation, website forms, and other elements that the user interacts with on your website. Freelancers in this category generally have a background in usability or information architecture

Both visual and user experience design are important. A good vendor considers and addresses all aspects of a website. Be aware, though, that vendors tend to lean one direction or another.

See our PDF for detailed information about the website development process.  If you need a website developed, contact us at Coherent Interactive.