The Custom Website Design & Dev Guide

What You Need to Know Before Starting a Website Build.

Building a website involves more than just design and functionality—it’s about creating a digital experience that aligns with your business goals. As a client, understanding key aspects of the process can help ensure your website not only looks great but also performs well and meets your objectives. From defining your goals and target audience to preparing content and deciding on features, being well-prepared will lead to a smoother project and a successful outcome.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through essential questions and considerations to help you get ready for your website build or redesign, so you can make informed decisions and get the most out of your investment.

The Client Website Questionnaire

When we begin discussing your website project, one of the first steps involves answering a simple questionnaire. This helps us better understand your goals, preferences, and needs for the website. Below are some typical questions we ask to guide the process:

Key Questions for Website Redesigns:

  • What are the main issues with your current website? What works and what doesn’t?
  • What are your goals and objectives with the website upgrade?

General Questions for All Website Projects:

  • What is your budget for the website project? This will determine the time and resources we can allocate.
  • What are the key actions you want visitors to take on the site? (compare products, call, fill out a form, etc)
  • Who are the main points of contact for this project, and what are their roles?
  • What percentage of the content (text, images, videos, etc.) do you already have prepared for the site?
  • Do you have a sitemap or an outline of the main pages for your new site? If so, what are the key pages or sections you’d like to include?
  • When would you like to start the project?
  • What is your target completion date?
  • Do you have any preferences on web technologies, platforms, or systems to be used?

Note: Answering these questions helps us tailor a website solution that meets your specific needs, budget, and timeline. Every website we create at Front&Back is custom-designed and developed to ensure it meets your unique requirements.

The Website Development Process

At Front&Back, our typical website development process involves four key phases:

1. Planning

In this initial phase, we work closely with the client to understand their business, goals, target audience, and website requirements. Key activities include:

  • Gathering and analyzing client questionnaire responses
  • Defining the site structure and navigation
  • Identifying key features and functionality
  • Creating a project timeline and milestones

Thorough planning lays the foundation for a successful website project.

2. Design

Once the plan is in place, we move into the design phase. This involves:

  • Creating wireframes and prototypes
  • Developing the visual design concept
  • Presenting the design to the client for feedback and approval
  • Finalising the design with any necessary revisions

Our goal is to create a design that is both visually appealing and user-friendly, effectively communicating the client’s brand and message.

3. Development

With the design approved, we start building the actual website. This includes:

  • Coding the front-end of the site using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • Developing the back-end functionality, perhaps using our custom framework Pre-FaB, or a CMS like WordPress
  • Integrating any third-party services or plugins
  • Populating the site with the client-provided content
  • Thorough testing and quality assurance

We use industry best practices and standards to ensure the site is fast, secure, and scalable.

4. Launch and Maintenance

Once the site is built and tested, we move into the launch and maintenance phase:

  • Deploying the site to the production server
  • Final testing in the live environment
  • Handing off to the client with training on how to use and maintain the site
  • Providing ongoing support, updates, and enhancements as needed

Our job isn’t done when the site launches. We continue to partner with our clients to ensure their site’s long-term success. This includes regular software updates, security monitoring, performance optimisation, SEO and content updates, to keep the site fresh, relevant and easily discovered.

Throughout this process, we maintain open communication with our clients, providing regular updates and opportunities for feedback. The exact timeline varies based on the project scope and complexity, but this general framework guides our approach to delivering high-quality, custom websites that achieve results.

Factors That Affect Website Cost

While we tailor pricing to each client’s specific needs, there are several key factors that impact the overall cost of a website project:

  • Technology: This includes web hosting, any third-party services or integrations, and anticipated visitor traffic. More complex tech requirements generally mean higher costs.
  • Planning: The time spent in the initial planning phase, defining the site structure, features and functionality.
  • Design: The design prototyping process, including the number of revisions and level of custom design work required.
  • Development: The technical build process to implement the approved design and functionality.
  • Content: Gathering, creating and populating all the required content for the site. Client-provided content helps reduce costs.
  • Testing: Thorough testing of the site across different devices, browsers and platforms. More complex sites require more extensive testing.
  • Timeline: Accelerated timelines sometimes necessitate additional resources and costs compared to a more relaxed schedule.

The exact mix of these factors is unique to each project, and we work closely to align the scope with budgets and goals.

Let’s talk!

Any questions? Give me a shout.