I am a freelance web designer and many of my clients are individuals, entrepreneurs and small business owners who have never had a website before. Often, they don’t know what is involved in working with a web designer to create a new website. If you fall into this category, this article is for you! I’ve found that the following outline can give you a good idea of what to expect and help you to feel more confident about making decisions along the way.
A general outline of the steps involved when working with me to create a WordPress website:
- First, we use phone/e-mail discussions and a short questionnaire to get an idea of what style, size and functionalities you want for your web site.
- I send you a proposal. This includes a price estimate, a timeline for the project and a detailed description of tasks included in the price quoted.
- Next, we sign an agreement (the proposal can serve as a contract) and you place a deposit on the project, usually a 50% retainer.
- We decide on a WordPress “Theme” as the starting point for the look of your site. You go to http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ to look at Themes and choose one you like.
It’s important to choose a Theme based on layout structure and not on color scheme or graphics. For example, do you want a left sidebar? A left and right sidebar? Horizontal menu navigation? Once we choose a Theme, I customize the color scheme and graphics so that it is uniquely yours. - We discuss the direction of the Theme customization. What color scheme would you like? What kind of graphics? At this point it’s helpful for you to provide examples of color schemes or websites that you like.
- I collect materials from you for your site content (button names, site copy, logo and photos).
- The next step is for me to create a first draft of the Theme design, based on the ideas we discussed. I will post it online for you to review from your computer.
- We will go over the customized Theme design and agree on changes, corrections and additions.
- After you approve the revised Theme design, I add all of the site content. At this point I need to have all graphics, textual content, video, etc. in the proper format.
- We both do a thorough review of the website, checking for errors. This is your opportunity to make any last minute corrections.
- Set up a website hosting account with accompanying email and register/transfer domain name(s) as needed.
- And finally, I will post your beautiful new WordPress web site to the Internet! Oh, happy day!!!
