A look into my design and redesign process to learn what you get when you work with me
Discovery call
First I ask clients what their business goals are both long and short term. Plus ask them who their target audience is. If the client is unsure of their target audience/the groups of people they serve, then I recommend that they take time to do the research first on their own or consult with a market research pro first. Then come back to me once they are ready. I also ask clients what their highest price service offering or package is because ultimately, we are designing to market to the right audience and make sustainable income.
I then ask the client for their website copy or I come up with a draft of website copy (tailored to their target audience) plus ask the client for information about their process, business or industry that I need to include in the copy.
I also ask if they have design assets available (photos, logo, brand colors, font pairing, etc.). If the client doesn’t have all of these available, then we can include branding as apart of the design process (not including logos).
Lastly, I ask if they need any online tool integrations or a domain transfer.
After the discovery call if the client is a good fit, I will then send a proposal that states my design process, client goals and expectations for the client to read over. The client can let me know if they would like any changes to the contract before signing. If they decide to sign, then they pay the initial payment and the process can begin.
Wireframe Stage
Next I take my notes from the discovery call and develop wireframes for each section of the website in Figma so the website is structured for strong, technical SEO foundations (align heading tags plus customize HTML structure for search engines) plus include website copy and functions the site needs to help achieve business goals like integrating a scheduler, email subscribe form that adds client data directly into Client’s email marketing took or CRM etc. I also make sure that the design layout for user experience is aligned for the needs of the target audience.
Design Asset Gathering/Branding
While developing wireframes, I ask clients to send me the design assets they already have like their logo (I don’t design logos) and photos, possibly icons or illustrations too. Plus brand colors and font pairing if they already have them.
Digital Tool Integrations/Domain Transfer
If any integrations from other online tools will be included like schedulers or email subscribe forms, I also request either the direct code embed that you copy from the online tool and email it to me or I request your username, password and 5 minutes of your time for you to receive and tell me the confirmation code in order for me to sign in and get the code embed. If a domain transfer is required, the same username and password process applies, but for your domain account.
Wireframes Completed
Once wireframes are done, I present them to the client without any branding elements just so they understand the overall structure and reasoning behind the structure without getting distracted by the branding. If the client wants to make some changes to the wireframes or copy, this is the time to make those requests.
Optimizing Photos
I then take the photos and optimize/shrink them without losing photo quality for faster loading speeds plus I rename them for SEO and place all the optimized photos into a project folder.
Begin to Enter Website Builder
Once everything’s approved, photos are optimized and we have all of the design assets, then I enter the website builder. I upload all the design assets (optimized photos, logos, etc.) and set up the fonts and brand colors in the builder before I start building or rebuilding the website.
Begin with building the Homepage
Now I start building the website by recreating the wireframe structure plus I incorporate the branding. I just do the homepage first because the rest of the page designs are based off of the homepage and I show the client. Then I will take up to two rounds of tweaks and feedback from the client before building the rest of the site.
Once approved, I then build the rest of the website pages. I make sure that all the header tags are tagged properly plus make sure that each section is responsive on a mobile screen. I also make sure that each page is named properly for SEO. I also upload code embeds to the right pages and sections and test to see that they work properly.
Once this is done I have the client look it over and do up to two rounds of design tweaks. I will also inform them if their design change requests will compromise the SEO quality.
Domain Transfer and Website Testing
Along with design tweaks (if necessary), I do the domain transfer (if needed), which should transfer within 48 hours.
Once this is done, I test all the links and integrations to make sure they are working and that the site is visible and the layout is shown as planned.
Wrapping Up
At this point the site is done and ownership is transferred to the client. If they are interested in making minor tweaks and updates themselves, I will then show them around their site builder and show them how those updates can be made.
Lastly, I congratulate the client and send them a couple social media graphics that align with their branding for the client to post and share with their audience that their website has been redesigned or designed and to go check it out. As an add on, I’m also happy to create an email newsletter in their email marketing platform for them to announce the site.
The process doesn’t have to stop there. If the client is looking to get found by their target audience online without working overtime, then I can help them through performing consistent website and search engine optimization (SEO). Since their website was designed or redesigned with strong technical SEO foundations, they now have an excellent starting point to build off of. This strategic partnership can greatly benefit the client’s business by turning their website into a powerful lead generation tool for attracting their target clients. To learn more, schedule an appointment today.
