This post outlines the skills required to build a simple five-page website. It will be helpful for all freelancers who need to explain the process to their clients and explain why their prices are higher than they might expect. This post will give you an outline to expand upon depending on what type and size of website your clients require.
Website Example:
The following is an example of what is required to correctly set up a simple WordPress website. I think you will agree that it is not so simple after all if done correctly, meaning at a high level of quality and professionalism.
The example is an essential WordPress website custom-designed to match the client’s business. It’s a service-based five-page website similar to what many small businesses request when targeting a local market.
Outline:
Most clients want a custom design to stand out from the competition.
Our Example Includes:
- Custom Design
- Home Page
- About Us
- Services
- Contact Us
- Request Quote Form
Steps Required
- The first step we always take is to interview the client. We find out what they want in as much detail as possible. Details include color options, similar websites they like, and the type of layout they want
- We then view the websites they like and see if they are within their budget.
- Then, we determine what to use to build the site: should we use WordPress, Joomla!, or something else such as a custom CMS?
- After collecting all the details and getting a good idea of what the client wants regarding design and layout, we created a mockup. This mockup is placed online so the client can review it carefully and request changes via email or our project management system.
- When the design mockup of the home page is 100% complete, and the client has fully agreed to it, we create an internal page based on the home page’s colors, layout, and fonts. We then get the client’s approval again for the internal page mockup.
- When the client has agreed to the home page and internal page design, we create the website content management system template. The website is usually created with Joomla! or WordPress, but the client can use a different CMS, such as Drupal.
- After the template has been created and installed on the CMS, we build the menu system to match the design. In this case, we would build the menu items and pages for each of the above pages.
- We would enter the content provided by the client into each page. If the client does not have content and has the budget for it, we will create the content for them.
- The form plug-ins are installed and configured to store and send leads/contact details to the client’s email address.
- One of the client’s leading SEO plug-ins will be installed and configured on the site.
- We then optimize each web page for search engines by adding meta tags and strategically optimizing the content on each page to optimize it correctly for search engines.
- We set up the Google Analytics code on the site, and the thank you page to track conversions and traffic.
- We add the site to Google’s Webmaster Tools to track further data.
- We then set up any email accounts on their server so that their emails are fully functional when their site goes live.
- We point the name servers from their domain to their new server.
- We then usually create video tutorials for clients so they know how to use their website.
- Then, we discuss any marketing plans and implement their overall marketing strategy based on their budget.
So, as you can see, even the most basic website takes a lot of time, skills, and effort to create correctly. If you think about all the skill sets involved in doing the above tasks, they include the following:
- Design Skills to develop the initial design of the site.
- Web Development skills to build the design into a website and configure all the plug-ins and features.
- Search Engine Optimization to optimize the site correctly for Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines.
- Online Marketing Skills to Promote the site after it goes live
- Web server skills to set up email and connect the domain name correctly.
- Good communication skills and organization skills to manage the project efficiently
This post may have helped some of you explain your project to your clients. Please comment below and share your experience with our readers if it did.
Thanks Robert!
I plan to use this as an outline to come up with an estimating form—it’s so hard to estimate sites!
If you already have an estimating contract or form that coincides with these steps, I would love to have it! If not, I think clients should see the basic steps listed so they know we aren’t just making a Word doc and taping it to their computer screen…that is just a little bit of how clueless clients might be, so just seeing a huge estimate might leave them bewildered. (I’m not knocking clients! I’m a visual designer who works with a programmer, so I don’t even understand all of it myself!)
Thanks again!!
Trisha
Hi Robert,
Thank you for sharing this most valuable information. I am web designer in the making and learning everything and getting it in the right order is sometimes a huge challenge. Getting the client to tell you what they want can be a challenge and sometimes, I find I get a design created and sent for approval and never hear anything else. No feedback what so ever. What’s your take on this?
Thank you
PS added you to my G+ circles
Hi Hayden,
If you are paid upfront for your design and don’t hear back from them after showing them a sample then this is not a good sign. However, if they have not paid you anything upfront and do not respond then they might be using your design and just not paying you. Do you get paid upfront? I always get 50% down, I’d recommend you do the same.
First of all thanks for the post to tell how we develop a website step by step in a good and efficient manner
Hi Richard, if you post a project in the form below that says “GET A WEB DESIGN ESTIMATE FREE!” I’ll get you a very good price on that logo change.
Thanks Robert I would like to change or upload my company logo which I use for all my letterheads etc to the Header of the website. But I dont know if its possible or not. At the moment its a jpeg and probably not the correct size either
Hi just found your site, have been running my WordPress website for around 6 months. I was a complete novice when I started and it takes a lot of time to learn about SEO meta descriptions etc and getting your keywords right. If your looking at paying for someone to do it, its good to know what work goes into it. A lot!!
Hi, yes and the items I mentioned are not even including everything and it is only for a very small site. An eCommerce website is far more involved and complex. If you happen to need anyone for any design and or development work let us know.
Your comment above that building your own template from your own design is spot on. A great overview of the steps involved in making a client site. We find communication is the key if the clients expectations are to be met.
Hey Robert ,
Salutary share . The step by step guide for web development explains everything really well. I too have learnt few new things.
Thanks I’m glad it helped you. I’ll be adding more soon.
It’s nice to read this as I had just few ideas about it. I have you to thank for what I just learned on your post. Cool! Kudos! Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for sharing a step by step guide in developing a website. This is so informative and will be helpful for freelancers to do tasks to satisfy their clients. I’m going to share this to my friend.
Hi, I’m very glad it helped you.
OK thanks, glad you liked it.
Very informative post! Developing a website is really a daunting task since every client wants their site to stand out among others.
Hi Sarah, yes it can be, but I think as long as you explain things up front in a contract it can be much easier.
A brilliant post!!! As an audience what we gets is a functional website, but we never get to know how actually the entire process is done. The post brilliantly highlights all the procedures involved in the development of web. Thanks for the vital share.
Thank you Aayna, I’m glad you liked it.
That’s a very helpful post I must say. You have shared a step by step guide for web development. Thanks for the share.
Thanks Fatima, I was hoping it would help someone. I plan on expanding upon this post to go into more detail.
Good run-down on what can be involved in the creation of a website. However, I would think that if someone is really wanting a custom site there could be a lot more involved. When constructing my own site, I didn’t use a CMS for the main site, just the blog. The process may take a while longer, but I like to actually have full control over every aspect of the website creation process.
Hi thanks, but if you custom design and develop your own template from your own design then it really does give you the best of both worlds. You can design the site exactly as you like but still have the ability to update it via an admin from anywhere in the world.
Talking to client is one of the most important thing, people are not able to understand what to do with their sites, sometimes they just want results..
Hi Vikram, yes I totally agree, it’s sometimes very hard to explain the costs of a website to a client as many of them have no design or programming background and therefore have no idea what it takes to build a custom site.
Hiii Robert..nice work…very informative post…It will be really helpful…!!!
Thank you Rahul, are you a web designer?