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Ultimate Web Design Checklist –
Create an Amazing Website

Does design make a good website design? Not really! However, we love the creative part of developing and crafting the design of a website. But there are a few things we need to learn before starting up the process. Let’s learn about the process with a set of rules.

When we create a website, we should look into all the possible aspects. A good website is a website that follows a 360-degree process. Requirement gathering, planning, designing, content writing, development, integration, marketing, checking website loading speed, making the website live. Create a website

Stage 0 : Requirement Gathering

Does design make a good website design? Not really! However, we love the creative part of developing and crafting the design of a website. But there are a few things we need to learn before starting up the process. Let’s learn about the process with a set of rules.

  1. Talking with the client. Video calls, audio calls or one-to-one meetings.
  2. Understanding the client’s requirements and defining it.
  3. Create a set of questionnaires for the project. Wait for the client’s response to every single detail. Finalize every single requirement and at the same time have 10% room for upcoming changes.
  4. Understand clients requirements for brand identity, demographics, target audience, behavior of business, industry analysis, etc.
  5. Send a proposal for development of the website.
  6. Send a proposal for design works/ creatives.
  7. Send a proposal for content writing.
  8. Send a proposal for video production or efforts involved.
  9. Send a proposal for Website Hosting(Linux Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, VPS, others), Domain, SSL, Email Services.
  10. Create and send a Service Agreement to the client. Set a timeline with milestones for client onboarding.

Before you begin: Why not go through Frequently Asked Questions to impress clients and win more business?

Upon signing the service agreement, we then start doing the heavy lifting. Get the team at a place and talk to your team about the requirements. Get feedback from the team and start assigning tasks. The project manager comes into roles and takes the project under his supervision. Content writers for the content work, designer for basic designs and related graphics/ photos and other team members. Project management tools help monitor the project/ website which is set in motion. If you do not wish to do all this heavy lifting, let us help you create a new website.

 

Stage 01 : Kick Off Project

  1. Welcome email to be sent to the team members (involved in the project and to the client.
  2. Create a link structure of website/ website map for proposed pages, sections, layouts.
  3. Wireframe needs to be created.
  4. Based on the wireframes, mockups need to be created.
  5. Time needs to be allocated for designers to work on creative design.
  6. While assigning tasks to designers, assign tasks to content writers, video editors and photographers to use the full potential of time and create the best website of all time.
  7. Define legal policy, terms & conditions, privacy policy, cookies policy and other documents required for the website.
  8. Upon completion of design mockups, send for client’s approval.
  9. If the design needs changes, then the process to be continued between designers and clients.
  10. Upon design finalization, send the designs to developers. Developers need to segregate design and start working as per the specifications and requirement of the client.

Are you able to manage your web design project?

If you’re like us – we’re always concerned. If you do not wish to do all this heavy lifting, let us help you solve your problems.

Stage 2 – Development

  1. Distribute the design modules. Let the frontend developers, backend developers, and database developers create structures based on the requirements.
  2. Use Project Management tool for tasks list/ checklist.
  3. Get back to the entire team for a deadline check and a quick meeting.
  4. Make sure all are on the same page or at the same pace. Keep the client updated from time to time.

Stage 2.1 – Setup Hosting Account

  1. Setup domain, hosting and SSL.
  2. If domain providers and hosting providers are different, then change the nameservers of the domain and point to the hosting server.
  3. Create a database or set up a database. If you are using CMS, make sure the database is clean and strongly held with password.
  4. Check with the website requirements for Hosting Softwares. If Hosting Softwares are not up to date with the latest version, make sure to bring to the latest version.
  5. Upload website source files or Install/ Config the CMS with the created database.

Stage 2.2 – Set Up Website Content

  1. Collect content from content creators.
  2. Check content quality and make sure the piece of content is qualified.
  3. Populate content for social media platforms.
  4. Create a link to your website in the footer (if agreed with the client to do this)
  5. Send updates to clients and wait for modifications/ changes.

Quality assurance is the most important phase of a developed product. Make sure the developed product fits the client’s requirements. Detailed work and fine-tuned product, attract clients and build an online reputation.

Make sure the website has a good website loading speed and has a good user experience. An error-free website is likely to provide good results. In 2021, 2022 and upcoming years, responsive website design is quite popular. Make sure the website is responsive and mobile-friendly. Do also check for device compatibility and browser compatibility.

Able to manage projects in one place?

The Project Management tool is quite effective and a team needs to discuss within the self, talk with the client and with the other senior-level executives. Make sure you use a faster project management tool with all the features. If you find it difficult to catch a project management tool, seek our help. Order a project management tool.

Stage 3 – Quality Assurance

Stage 3.1 – Code Quality

  1. Check with W3C Validator, HTML/ CSS Validator
  2. Check with website internationalization.
  3. Ask the testing team to test based on different inputs.
  4. Ask the development team to fix the errors(if any).

Stage 3.2 – Page Content

  1. Run content for spelling check, grammar check. Make sure the content has been proofread.
  2. Remove the dummy content if any (lorem ipsum).
  3. Check for proper image formats with specified sizes.
  4. Confirm with video files and audio files.
  5. Check all linked content such as case studies, ebooks, pdfs, presentations, whitepapers.
  6. Check for all internal links.

Stage 3.3 – Optimized User Experience

  1. Check with website forms and functionality.
  2. Verify thank you page. 
  3. Check with social media share links.
  4. Check with metadata.
  5. Add twitter cards and check if it works.
  6. Link company logo to the homepage.
  7. Check loading speed of websites using Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, Pingdom tools. If not let know for website loading speed fixation.
  8. Check 404 page is linked and in place.
  9. Make sure the website works with www and without www.
  10. Make sure the SSL is integrated properly.


Stage 3.4 – Responsive and Mobile Friendly

  1. Viewport meta tag: <meta name=”viewport” content=”initial-scale=1″>
  2. Check with google mobile friendly tool for website mobile friendliness.
  3. Send the website to the client for review.
  4. Fix the changes and move to the next step.

When the website is developed, deploy it for version control. If you are ready for Launch, plan the launch dates and start the promotion of the website. A good promotion involves a good website reach.

 

Stage 4 – Launch

Stage 4.1 – Analytics

  1. Verify your website with the help of Google Webmaster. Verify your website using domain checker or hosting checker.
  2. Add/ create a property in Google Analytics. Link the google analytics codes back to the website.
  3. Monitor your website uptime and check with the visitors tracking software.
  4. Make sure to take the full backup of the website with the managed plan and well protected.
  5. Make the site live and send an invoice to the client.

Stage 4.2 – Search Engine Optimization

  1. Unique meta titles and meta description for all pages.
  2. Add valid keywords to the pages.
  3. Add alternate names to images.
  4. Create a dynamic XML sitemap. 
  5. Submit the XML sitemap to search engines for website listing/ ranking. Google Bing, Yandex, etc
  6. URLs reflect website information architecture.
  7. Use rel=”nofollow” tags for necessary links.
  8. Create a schema to insert microdata into your pages.
  9. Make sure website redirects work fine. Use lesser redirects.
  10. Link social media to websites and work properly.

Stage 4.3 – Speed and Performance

  1. Check website pagespeed with Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, Pingdom tools. If not let know for website loading speed fixation.
  2. Minify JavaScript & CSS codes, if required.
  3. Check for Leverage Browser Caching.
  4. Optimize and scale images, if required.
  5. Enable GZip compression.
  6. Create a favicon for a website.
  7. Create user friendly URLS.
  8. Add Robots.txt
  9. Send updates to the client.
  10. Close Project or keep working based on recurring based projects.
Thespacecode

We believe innovation is the key to building a better future for our people. We’re passionate about helping businesses succeed and our team is dedicated to providing the best possible service.