Our Website Process
Looking to redesign your website and not sure what to expect? Here’s a breakdown of our process working on a website redesign.
We start by asking our clients to fill out a website questionnaire. This allows us to learn about you, your business, and what you’re looking for in a new website. From there we can provide the best possible recommendations for you & your website. Once we are aligned, we can kick off the project.
Phase 1: Website Planning
We start with a project kickoff. This is when both our teams sit down and get to know one another! It’s about educating & familiarizing our team with your brand and answering any questions that arise. We use the insights from that meeting to help develop a brand strategy, unique to you and your goals.
Our next steps include establishing a new sitemap, since it acts as an outline for your new website. It establishes what pages are needed & how they relate to one another. It’s crucial to capture everything correctly as it will be referenced constantly throughout the entire project.
Once the sitemap is approved, it’s time to start thinking about website copy & messaging. It’s helpful to start this process now since it may be time intensive. Maybe you have copy, but it needs to be cleaned up. Maybe you are starting from scratch and need help bringing your vision to life. Either way, our copywriters are here to work their magic!
Additionally, photography is often a huge component of a website’s look and feel. If you need to have your products shot, we like to do this during Phase 1 so our designers can work with the new assets. Depending on your needs we can also provide custom illustrations or leverage stock photography—this is established during our kickoff.
If you’re planning on leveraging a theme for the new look and feel of your website, we will provide 3 options for your review during this phase. (If your project is a custom website, we would jump straight to wireframing!)
Phase 2: Website Design
Upon selecting a theme, we move into Phase 2. Referencing the sitemap, we will create wireframes to determine where elements will be laid out. Once wireframes are approved, we move on to mood boards and home page design concepts.
Each homepage concept is accompanied by a mood board to help communicate the style that will be carried throughout the new website. Once a direction is selected, the interior pages are designed.
This phase also includes the creation of new assets that align with messaging and website objectives. Upon approval of website design, any stock photography will be purchased and we will move into the next phase of the project.
Phase 3: Website Development
Since most clients have an existing website, we will clone your site to create a development environment. This allows us to install a new theme and make changes to your website with minimal disruption to your live site. (If your project is a custom website, the process is slightly different. The approved designs are handed off to one of our development partners. We work together to execute our joint vision.) During this time, we are inputting finalized & approved copy, graphics, and installing requested apps/plug-ins.
Once everything is ready to be reviewed, we will share the test site and complete any final feedback. The site will only be switched over when we receive confirmation the test site is approved. Depending on your platform, this may take a matter of minutes or hours.
Note: As a general rule, we like to launch websites early in the week and early in the day so we are available if any issues should arise.
Phase 4: Post-Launch
Depending on your website’s platform, some tasks may require us to attend to them after launching the redesign. This is done in tandem with Quality Assurance, also known as QA. QA’ing is an important step in finalizing your website. We like to dedicate a few hours to review the site in full, making sure everything is functioning the way it should.
Phase 5: Monthly Maintenance (Optional)
If you are looking for post-launch assistance, we can help maintain your new investment. Depending on your needs, we can establish a set amount of hours each month to keep your site up to date and looking good.
Still Have Questions? Let Us Know!
Contact Dianna Rogers at 814-397-8403 or drogers@brandfirstnj.com for more information.