According to surveys, more than 30 percent of web development projects are late or over budget. If you don't follow the proper steps during the website design process, you may end up spending way more than you expected.
Contents7 steps in the website design process1. Identify the objectives of the website2. Define the scope of the project3. Plan the sitemap and wireframe layout4. Create content5. Design the visual identity6. Test the website7. Launch the siteDon't skip these important stepsFortunately, there is an easy-to-follow process for good web design. Let's look at the steps you should follow.
Many people think website design is all about how a website looks. Although visuals are part of the overall design process, they are only one step. And it's not at the top of the list.
The first thing you need to know before any coding or graphic design is the purpose of the website. In other words, what is it for?
Is it an e-commerce site? A place where customers can get help? A lead generation tool? The purpose of the site affects how it looks and works.
Once you have a goal in mind, you can determine the scope of the project. In other words, what pages and other features does the site need to achieve the goal? And what is the timeline to get through the full design process?
When you've defined your scope, you can start laying out the site itself.
The sitemap lists all the content on the site and defines how everything relates to each other. The wireframe is an outline of the visual layout of the website.
Now that you've planned your sitemap, you can start creating your website content. It can be text, images, video or a combination thereof.
At this point, you need to think about search engine optimization (SEO) when creating content. It's much easier to start with SEO in mind than to go back and rework your content later.
Once you have some content ready, you can start working on the visual aspects of your website. This includes things like images, logos, color schemes, branding, and other design elements.
If you use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or Drupal, you can edit the visuals independently of the content.
When the website is ready to go live, run some tests to make sure everything is working as expected. You can use a combination of manual navigation and automated exploration tools to test different aspects.
Once the tests are done, it's time to launch the website. Depending on the purpose of the site, this can be as simple as making it available on the internet or more complex preparation up to the launch date to engage your audience.
It is important not to skip steps in the website design process. Taking shortcuts to save time or money will usually end up costing you more in the long run.
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