Gathering the website design and build requirements can take anywhere from 5 minutes to several weeks or months, depending on the client and scope of the project. As a designer and developer of the website, it is vital to understand the requirements that the clients need before starting any work on the website. By understanding your end goal, we can leverage our expertise toward a viable solution and help you make the best design and functionality decisions based on those requirements. 

Requirement gathering can take 5-15 minutes in situations where

• The client already knows what they want or has a good idea
• The website is simple, or the requirements are straightforward (i.e. copy a PDF menu)
• A template is already in place
• There is a clear budget and scope of work 

Requirement gathering can take longer when

• Requirements or scope of work is not precise or set
• There is no template 
• The future website will have a many pages or posts
• The client is looking for a particular custom design or functionality
• You are working/coordinating with multiple people (try to avoid that)
• The website is for a larger business ( More approvals, red tape, etc.)

Design and development sometimes occur in two phases. The first phase is the website’s design in a mockup known as wireframes. Wireframe tools for website design mockups include Adobe XD, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch and Figma. Once the design is completed and approved, the website gets coded based on the wireframe design. 

A designer/developer can also code the website right away. This approach is best if the client has a good idea of what they want to see in the website design. We recommend the client showcase a few example websites they like. In addition, it is a great idea to mention: 

• Primary (main) colour of the website
• Secondary colours to use
• Fonts you like
• Give concrete examples of actual websites you like

Usually, by picking out a few existing websites or themes, a good designer can build the website to your specifications using your content, pictures and branding style. 

Be prepared to pay 2x more for a website design project that includes a wireframe/mockup as it takes up to 2x longer to do. Often a designer and developer will need to work together on wireframe projects. A dedicated designer will create the wireframe, and the developer will then build the website based on the wireframe specifications.

A local website designer often uses premium stock photos to build your website, especially if you don’t have your own. Sometimes premium stock photos might cost extra, and you will need to discuss this with your local developer to see if it is an additional cost. A website designer can also use your photos and edit, resize, compress and crop them as needed to be website ready.

In the end, it is up to you to decide. I recommend using a mix of readily available photos and stock photos where appropriate if you are looking for affordable options. Hiring a professional photographer will make your website stand out from the crowd, but you will have to reach into your wallet.

SEO refers to “Search Engine Optimization,” and having a beautifully designed website is worthless if nobody will visit it. A website designer and developer typically will work to ensure essential SEO aspects of your website are optimized. On WordPress, plugins like Yoast or Rank Math (we prefer the latter) can be set up and configured. 

A small or local business often overlooks the process of SEO. Often the client may not even be aware of the time needed or benefits of optimizing website content for search engines. 

We believe a designer or developer should inform their client of the benefits and time required to properly SEO optimize a website and to price a website design accordingly to factor this in. Doing so benefits both the client and your local designer in the long run. Popular SEO optimization tools that a designer can use include Math Rank, Ahrefs, SEM rush and Google Search Console.