As a small business owner you realize “Hey, I need a website. I think I’ll go online and find a good website designer.”  So there you are, flipping around, trying to decide which web designer is right for you, when you realize that you’re being bombarded with what appears to be an alien language: JavaScript, web site host, domain name, database, CSS, HTML, ASP… Pretty soon you may be thinking “Do I have to know about this kind of stuff to talk to a website designer? I’m not even sure what I want to say on the site, let alone whether I need a database or not!”

Without a doubt, producing a website involves a variety of disparate elements:  visual design, marketing, writing, organizational skills…all brought together by means of a mysterious technology that may seem like black magic. So, it’s no wonder the average small business owner may dread the thought of dealing with it.

So, what’s the process of creating a small business website?

Do you need to know anything about all this website technology? No, not at all. Ideally, a website designer will be able to discuss these topics using common English, and if necessary simply demonstrate by showing you other websites that use the particular technology.

It’s important, however, that you understand that building a website is a collaborative process. And since the site will represent your business, only you can know how you want it represented. So there will be decisions you’ll have to make. But mainly these will be about more understandable issues, such as how you want the site to look, what you want to say, etc.

Although each website designer has their own method, the process is generally the same for a small business website. Here’s a rough outline of my own process:

Initial discussions

1. The first meeting is usually a phone discussion, just to get a rough idea of the scope of your website project. For instance, is this going to be a simple “brochure website”, where it just gives your company a professional online presence? Or is this going to a larger project with a complete portfolio of all the projects you’ve worked on in the past?
2. If you’re in the Tr-State area (Ohio, PA, NY) we meet in person to discuss your website in further detail. We will discuss what pages and sections you envision having on your website, and you can show me other websites that may be similar to what you’re after. It’s not uncommon that many small business owners simply don’t know what they want to say on their website. They know they need a website, and have a vague idea of some of the information they want to have, but organizing that into logical order may be a challenge. If this is the case, we’ll discuss the options, and the possibility of working with website writer to formulate your thoughts and organize your material into a cohesive website.
3. We will also discuss some functionality options that might be effective for your website, such as using a “drop-down” expandable navigation (buttons)? Or perhaps using an impactful opening “slideshow” of images to grab the visitor’s attention?
4. Another important issue is search engine optimization and what your goals are as far as being listed in Google and other search engines. For some small businesses, it’s imperative that their website be highly ranked in Google. For others, it may be that their potential audience will access their site purely through referrals.
5. Once I get a clear understanding of your website design needs, I send you an email with a firm quote for the project. I ask for a 50% deposit and have a contract that details what will go into your website, completion date, etc.

Creating the website: Phase I

1. Once the contract and deposit are in place, I then create up to three rough prototypes for your website and post those to a private area online. You can view the designs on your computer just as you would a regular, completed website. This step can be a little confusing to people, since what they see on their screen seems to be a “real website”. But what they’re actually looking at is a “picture” of a website. Think of it this way: It’s much the same as if I create a website design and then print it out and present it to you on a piece of paper. Instead, I just show it to you on a computer screen. So it’s important to remember that at this stage your website is far from complete.

1. You choose one of the design prototypes and then we work together to finalize that into exactly what you want. For instance, you may find that you like the layout of one of the designs, but want to see it with a different color scheme, or maybe a larger logo. This is the stage that we work out all those issues. Remember, we’re still in the “picture of a website” phase.

Creating the website: Phase II

1. Once the visual design is finalized and approved by you, we move out of the “picture” phase and I start the process of coding the design into a real, functioning website, with clickable menus, slideshows, and other functionality.
2. At this stage, we will have a functioning, real website – although one without any content. During the above stages, I use temporary filler text and placeholder images, just to give you an idea of how it will look when your content is added. Once we’ve finalized the look and I’ve created the functioning pages, we then add your content, provided by you and/or your writer.

How long does it take to complete a website?

Every project is unique. Some websites are completed in a couple weeks, while others take many months. Easily the biggest issue that slows down the progress of a website’s completion is the client getting their written materials together.

There are other details to the website design process, of course. But this should give you a good idea of how it all comes together. Who knows, you may even find when it’s completed that you enjoyed it. For more information: