How the Web Development Process has Changed - For the Better!

Six-Step Web Design Process Before You Start Building!

When I started creating websites, I was not like your typical millennial with lots of web usage experience, viewing and finger-swiping from one website to the next. 1996 was a very early time in Internet history, Netscape was the browser of choice, and most of us were still using dial-up Internet. AOL and Yahoo are the most popular sites. Having built websites from scratch since 1996, my technical know-how of web development grew with every mistake I made until I got it working in a design layout I liked and optimized to attract visitors. I learned simple HTML code, JavaScript, and CSS to help with the website creation process and eventually started creating better design layouts.

As a single Mum raising my son and working at the hospital emergency department in my spare time I learned how the Internet worked. It was not easy for me to solve math problems, but I was good at it. I also used my intuition to understand how the data code can turn into visual design and user interface (images and text copy, columns, page organization and so much more). I knew there was more to the Internet than what people were doubting and mocking me, and as you can see, I was right. When you look back, you can see how the Internet changed things. Marketing tactics changed drastically for small businesses over these 30 years. The Internet revolutionized everything for suppliers, distributors and all forms of business models all over the World Wide Web...

My focus, though, was local - bringing small businesses to a level playing field in their respective marketplaces and presenting them with tools that the big brands used to gain a competitive edge in the digital space.

The challenge I faced back then (1996) was that one website project build would take months to complete. Now, in 2022, it only takes hours. *2024 update, AI ChatGPT can create a professional website in seconds. Our web design project process hasn't changed that much over the years, as we still provide an extensive research discovery and planning process with the client. Marketing strategies are just as important to the client back then as it is now. The biggest change has been going from desktop layout to mobile, and Google indexing Mobile first websites. This project process helps us to better understand the client's business requirements, content creation capability, scope definition, start time and launch date, and budgetary needs.

I believed that creating websites was a very visual process back then. Imagine an old small desktop monitor and clunky keyboard that was slow as molasses; designing and building websites was much easier to spread out as a visual layout structure across my living room floor. I could move the navigation and various elements (images, text copy, links) around until a visual layout structure was chosen.

The last ten years have made it significantly easier for small businesses to eliminate hiring a web developer full-time but instead either get one built quickly at an affordable cost or build using a "Do it Yourself (DIY) model, where you have complete control over the process. Here at SimplifyingtheWeb, we strive to provide you with the proper education so that you can take the tips from our web development process and have the confidence to scale your business online.

So before you jump right into working with the website builder platforms, consider doing this homework first to help you with the website planning process.

Step 1: Why are you building this site?

• Setting your objectives and understanding the "why"
• What do you want your website to achieve? Are you looking to build brand awareness, generate leads, sell products/services, or make an information portal?
• Are you meeting your business requirements with your user's (visitors) requirements?
• Create a list of business needs by adding "must-have features to do x task" - assign numbers 1 - 10. This helps with setting priorities

Step 2: Take a look at your competitors

• Choose three of your competitors and review their design layout, sections, and how they move their readers from one area to the next. Also, review their messaging. Write down what you like or dislike about their websites.
• I used to draw the site out (wireframes) with my proposed layout and the sections within my menu navigation.

You can do the same now, using tools like those listed below. Imagine a visitor to your site, and their flow goes from one section to the next. Ask yourself if there are any impeding objects or things that don't make sense with the flow.

Example tools:

• I use mindmeister.com for brainstorming and laying out my ideas in a mind-map view
• Map your user experience workflows in MockFlow
• Two key questions can be answered here, 1. What are some ways we can solve problems our customers are having? And 2. How do I know if this solution solves their problems? The more choices of layout, the more you can see the best way to solve the target audience's questions.

Step 3: Brainstorm

Some words that can help you create sections on your website are "keywords." You should also consider the key metrics you want to collect and how people will flow through your website.

Tools that can be used are SEMRush, Keywords Everywhere, Ubersuggest

Step 4: Branding design & messaging

What colour palette do you want to keep consistent throughout the site?

- gather your colour theme - primary colour, secondary, third and "call to action" colour. Go to Looking for something new? and see 2022 Colour of the Year - Very Peri hexadecimal colour code #505ea1 or you can go to and mix and match perfect palettes for your website

Step 5: Media assets

Prepare all the tools you will need to build your website. Examples: stock photo sites, image editing and optimization tools like Canva, Google Page Speed, LastPass for your passwords, domain registrar, favicon creator

Step 6: Set up Folder management and project management

The folders you may want to consider:

Website -> Images --> Source Images, Optimized Images, Content --> drafts, Final copy, Brainstorming, Backup, Statistics, Expenditures, Social Media

I use tools like Trello to manage my task cards, which allow me to move forward and backward and add to-do lists that can be checked off when the completion date is met.

Now that you know how important web design is for your business, we can take your overarching strategy and help you make it more successful. We can help you use this important part of your marketing strategy to drive more sales online and offline.

This blog post discusses the importance of website design for small businesses, and outlines a six-step process for planning and executing a website build. The post includes tips for researching competitors, brainstorming website content, and setting up project management tools.

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