The Website Design Process - My Secret Sauce

When my clients start the process of doing their pre-work it’s not unusual that they send me emails asking for help or feedback. Very often in these emails they finish by telling me how much they love ‘doing the forms’ or going through ‘this process’.

What are they talking about?

They are talking about the fact that I have set a system that guides them through the steps of preparing for their website. A process that makes them feel calm and relaxed and takes all of the overwhelm out of the whole exercise of getting a website launched.

When you’re thinking about launching a new website your mind is probably a morass of inchoate questions, mild worries and sometimes full blown fears that sound like this:

But I need a newsletter sign up too, should I get pictures? What colors should the website be? How will I use it? How will I ever figure out what kind of text to write for my website? Maybe I should add a pop-up for my new program… Can I do that with Squarespace? Will it cost extra? What about SEO? Do I even need to worry about that? When am I going to have time for all of this? Where do I start?...

And on and on and on.

You just want to get this web design project out of your life and get on with your business.

And that’s what the process helps you do. I talk about the individual pre-work here, but the process really starts with our discovery call. This call is really about finding out if this way of working is right for you.

I’m pretty candid with the fact that a Launch In A Day website project is not for everyone.

It’s great if you like to work fast and are decisive. We get that cleared up at the beginning. I’m lucky to be in a position where I don’t need to take every potential client that comes along.

I have had lovely discovery calls where I have ended up referring the lead to another designer.

I want this to work for you. I want this to be good and I want you to be happy. So that first step of making sure a Launch In A Day project will work for you is one of the most important.

This may sound a little over the top, but when the client and the website design process are a good fit, it’s magic. We’re able to get the website done quickly, easily and painlessly.

It can even be joyful. It’s when I get feedback like this:

What my process really does is give you a step-by-step method for tackling the confusion and overwhelm of getting your website launched.

Instead of tackling an enormous hairy beast, you’re taking it one achievable step at a time. In those forms my clients talk about are prompts, links to helpful blog posts and videos, for each step.

Every couple of days you’ll be guided through defining your objective and requirements, thinking about your brand attributes, writing and structuring your site copy and defining your visual style.

When I get a question repeatedly, I refine my process to address it, making it even easier and more seamless.

Since I’m constantly monitoring your workflow, even though you’re answering and providing the questions yourself, you have a guide all the way through. You can send me emails any time while you’re working on your pre-work. I don’t leave you in the lurch.

By the time we get to our kick-off call shortly before the day of our launch, you’re may be a little spent, but proud. You’ll be just about there with your content. We look through everything together in a kind of ‘pre-flight’ check and prepare for launch day.

Mostly you’ll feel good that you’ve taken action, you’ve crushed your fears and can swat away that nagging worry about never getting started.

Going through the process you’ll have gone from confused and hesitant to confident and decisive.

When your new site is launched, you’ll unleash a confidence you didn’t know you had. Yes, we’ve built and launched a website together, but what we’ve really given you is a new pride and feeling of legitimacy about your business.

All thanks to the process!

Ready to talk about your Launch In A Day website project?