Live demos Website design and development for local businesses

Project process

A clear project is easier to price, build, review and maintain.

The process separates business decisions, content responsibilities, visual design, functionality and launch checks instead of treating everything as “make a website.”

Six project stages

Each stage answers a different question.

The exact depth depends on the project. A five-page service site does not need the same discovery and testing as a store or customer portal.

1
Business understanding

Discovery and project fit

What the business does, who the customer is, what problem the website must solve and whether the required timing and budget are realistic.

Outputs Project objective Audience and actions Initial risks and dependencies Recommended starting scope
2
Information architecture

Pages, navigation and content plan

Define which pages are needed, how visitors move between them, who supplies each piece of content and what information the forms should collect.

Outputs Sitemap Page purpose and hierarchy Content responsibility list Functional requirements
3
Visual direction

Design system and key layouts

Typography, colour, spacing, buttons, cards, forms and representative page sections are designed as a reusable system.

Outputs Visual direction Responsive key layouts Component states Agreed revision round
4
Development

Build pages and functionality

The approved structure and design are implemented, then connected to forms, bookings, content, payments or integrations in the agreed scope.

Outputs Working responsive pages Functional forms and interactions Content placement Internal review build
5
Acceptance and quality

Customer review, testing and corrections

The customer checks the agreed content and business rules while technical testing covers devices, forms, accessibility, links and launch requirements.

Outputs Customer acceptance review Device and browser checks Form and integration tests Release checklist
6
Production and support

Launch, measure and maintain

The website is made public after approval, analytics are confirmed, key actions are checked and the chosen support arrangement begins.

Outputs Production release Analytics and search submission Handover information Care plan if selected
Project-room demonstration

Make progress visible instead of hiding it in scattered emails.

This interface is a concept showing how a larger project could present status, deliverables, approvals and open actions.

Website Growth

Project overview

On track

Stage progress

Discovery100%
Content structure100%
Design system80%
Development35%

Customer actions

Recent decision

Use a short enquiry form on service pages and a longer qualifying form on the quote page.

Approved

Next review

Responsive homepage and service-page layouts.

Review milestone
Shared responsibilities

A website project needs decisions from both sides.

Social Blade responsibilities

  • Explain the proposed structure and technical approach.
  • Build and test the agreed pages and features.
  • Raise risks, dependencies and scope changes early.
  • Protect credentials and avoid placing private data in public code.
  • Provide a clear handover and support arrangement.

Customer responsibilities

  • Provide accurate business, service and legal information.
  • Supply or approve text, images and brand assets on schedule.
  • Review the agreed scope rather than introducing silent additions.
  • Provide access to domains and third-party systems safely.
  • Complete acceptance checks before launch approval.
Interactive launch checklist

A launch is a controlled change, not just pressing publish.

Tick the demonstration items to see the kinds of checks a release should make visible.

Content and business

Technical

After launch

The first process step is a usable brief.

Record the business, objective, page scope, functionality, timing and budget before deciding how the site should be built.