We’re working on a new project at MyWork. It is something we’re excited about. This new project will not only improve how we run our company, but hopefully allow other Web Design companies and freelancers around the world to improve their businesses as well. We’ll be revealing more about this in the near future, however today I thought it might be a good time to share how we do things, and maybe get some feedback from others to see how our processes differ from theirs.
At MyWork, each year we design and build hundreds of websites, logos and other branding material for businesses across Australia. We also provide digital marketing solutions for an ever expanding group of clients, and thanks to our growing list of over 4000 businesses who depend on MyWork for their digital services, we’re providing support on an almost continuous basis.
If you’ve ever wondered how we build a website, here is a brief summary of the steps we take…
The Sale
The relationship with our clients naturally begins with the sale. Having determined what our clients require and agreeing on a price, we request for content to be provided that will allow for us to begin the project. As many of our clients are potentially getting a website built for the very first time, we supply all of our clients with our “What We Need To Get Started” document. This ensures we receive content in a standardised format as often as possible.
Scheduling
Having also introduced our clients to our Project Management team by this point, the project is booked into our schedule with a Designer we feel is best suited for the client’s requests. In some instances, this decision is based on the availability of each member of the Design team, in other instances the client may have singled out numerous designs they like that just so happen to have been designed by a specific Designer. Naturally, it makes sense for this Designer to be given the opportunity to work with the client.
Design & Integration
Having read over the client’s brief, the Designer puts together a mock-up of the website, ready for integration. Integration, is the term we use to describe the process of taking the visual mock-up and coding it into a functioning website. In many instances, this work is done by the same Designer who created the design, in other instances we bring in our dedicated coders to get the work done.
Feedback & Launch
After a final quality assurance check by the designer, the website is then forwarded to the client ready for their feedback. The client works with the Project Management team and the designer to perfect the design and get it ready for launch. Following final payment of any outstanding deposits, the website is tested (e.g. if the website is an online shop, we run some test transactions to ensure payment gateways are performing as expected) and finally made live. We submit a sitemap on behalf of the client to Google, ensuring Google learns about the site as quickly as possible and begins indexing its pages.
Of course, there are many vital sub-steps along the way that I have failed to mention, however hopefully I’ve given you a snap shot of how we deliver a website to a client at MyWork.
Throughout this process, we depend heavily on Asana, our task management platform of choice. Since switching to Asana just over 12 months ago, we have seen a steady productivity spike at MyWork, with weekly meetings designed to organise our schedules that previously used to take 2-3 hours, in many instances being shortened back to just over 1 hour. I’d hate for this to sound like an advertisement for Asana (which I swear it isn’t) but I can’t recommend this platform more highly enough.