If you need to build a new website or redesign an existing one, it’s best to hire a website designer to do the job. When choosing the digital marketing agency or freelancer to work with, two of the main things that you will discuss before the work starts are the budget and the timeline.
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What Is Website Design?
First, let’s define exactly what to expect from a website designer. Whether you need your existing website to be redone, or you want to launch a brand new site, a website designer will decide on the layout elements, such as the fonts and colors, and how to structure the website in the best way possible.
The designer will want to know what your website should contain, how you would need it to be structured, and will ask more about your brand, its voice, and personality. Your feedback is crucial for the final project to feel right, so you will be involved in the process as little or as much as you would like.
What Are the Steps for Designing a Website?
1. The Brief
The very first thing that you need to do before a website development project is to determine what kind of website it should be. You should describe the purpose of the website, provides information on the target audience, the personality of the brand, and how you need the information to be structured.
As a client, you should be ready with a list of requirements and take the time to discuss the details of the project properly. At this stage, the web designer can give you important insight into any elements that might cause issues later, and replace them with more efficient options. Custom websites can take a lot of time compared to template-based ones, so be sure you know what you want from the beginning.
On average, this step takes from a few days to a week for the typical website, depending on how complex the website is and how much time you allocate for meeting, calling, or writing to each other.
2. The Plan of Action
After your needs and ideas of what the final website should look like are layed on the table, the web designer will create a plan of action. This step usually takes a few days and it’s meant to settle and agree on the details that will go into the website design and functionality of the website.
The plan of action should describe the website structure and elements precisely, while still leaving room for adjustments.
3. The Mockup
Based on the indications you discussed with the web designer, they will create a mockup, which is like a very detailed sketch of the website. The main elements will be there, the site structure will be built as you wished, and everything will be in place to give you an idea of what the final version will look like.
It takes about a week or two to develop the mockups of your main pages (or any requested page) and to approve them to give the developer the green light for starting the actual web design.
4. The Feedback
Based on the mockups you receive, it’s time to send your feedback to the web designer. At this stage, there will be a lot of back and forth between you and them, and it’s hard to predict how much it’s going to take. It can be anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, depending on how many changes you want to make and how complex the website is.
This stage will also depend on how fast you can provide the content for the website, so be sure to work on it as early as you can. The final website launch depends on that, and on how well you communicate with your web designer. Don’t hesitate to speak up about things you are not pleased or sure about, especially if they have to create a unique design for your brand.
5. The Revisions
Before your website goes live, you have to review and approve every page it contains. Test every one of its functions, check the details against what was discussed originally, see what your friends, family, or employees think about it.
If the previous stage was based on efficient communication, the revisions shouldn’t take more than a week or two. Usually, this step is only about minor things that need a little tweak. Once the final revisions are done and the website is given green light, you can celebrate its launch.
It’s also wise to discuss the maintenance part with your website designer. If any changes are to be done in the future, it’s easier to work with the same team members or the freelancer who built the website.
Conclusion
As you can see, the time put into web design and development varies a lot, depending on how complex the project is, and how fast you can send the deliverables to the designer. On average, it takes between 5 weeks and 3 months and a half from start to finish.
Estimating a timeline is possible because pros have a clear procedure when building a website, so make sure to communicate everything from the very beginning, and have a clear list of your requirements.
We at Australian Internet Advertising like to focus on the quality of every project we work on. Our goal is to design you a website that is optimised for SEO, offers a great user experience, looks and feels modern, and needs minimal maintenance, especially for small business owners who don’t have their own marketing team yet.
Contact us and give us your brief, and we will be able to give you a realistic timeline of the project. Our experience and expertise allow us to provide the high quality we pride ourselves with, in the fastest amount of time achievable.
