Most business owners who decide to get a website built start with the same question: "What do I need to do in this process?" The agency is expected to handle the design and the software, but part of the work always stays with you. Only you can explain what your customers ask most, what sets you apart from your competitors and which kind of work you want more of. Below, we walk through the process step by step, together with what is expected from you at each step. You don't need a perfect plan; it is enough to know rough answers to the questions under each heading. Knowing the process in advance also shows you how much time you need to set aside at each stage. That way, the project doesn't sit waiting for an approval or content from you during a busy period.
What should you prepare before the first meeting?
- Goal: Write down in one sentence what you want the site to bring you. Phone calls, form submissions or online sales? When the goal is clear, the structure of the pages takes shape around it.
- Visitors: Think about who will visit your site and what they will look for there. A purchasing manager visiting a manufacturer's site looks for technical information, while a restaurant's visitor looks for the menu, the address and a way to book a table.
- Examples: Note down sites you like and sites you don't, along with the reasons. Look at your competitors' sites too; the gaps they leave show you opportunities to stand out.
- Brand identity: Keep your logo file, your colors and, if you have one, your old site's address ready.
- Access details: Find out who your domain name (your web address) is registered with, where your hosting (the server your site lives on) is, and where your business email runs from.
- Priorities: Separate the features that must be there at the first launch from those that can wait.
- Decision maker: Decide from the start who will approve the design and the content.
What is expected from you in discovery and design?
In the discovery meeting, the agency tries to understand your business, your goal and your customer profile. By the end of this meeting, the number of pages, the platform the site will be built on (for example, a ready-made system such as WordPress or a fully custom build) and the timeline become clear. At this stage, also clarify what the quote covers: how many pages will be built, which features are included, how many revision rounds there are and who will prepare the content. Ask every question on your mind in this meeting; a question asked at the start is always less trouble than a change made later. In the design stage, you are shown how the home page and the key inner pages will look. Your job here is to judge the design through your customers' eyes rather than by your own taste. Can visitors easily find the information they are looking for? Is it clear what they need to do to call you or write to you? Ask to see the design on a phone as well as on a computer screen, because a large share of your visitors will come to your site from their phones. Collecting your feedback in a single list and sending it in one go shortens the approval rounds. It is even better if at least a draft of the texts is ready at this stage, because a design approved with placeholder text often needs rework once the real content goes in.
How do development, testing and launch work?
Once the design is approved, development begins. The main thing expected from you at this stage is completing the content: service descriptions, product information, photos, client references and contact details. If your photos are not high enough in resolution, finding this out now gives you time to fix it before launch day. When development is finished, the site is tested before it goes live. How it looks on phones and computers, how fast it loads, whether forms reach the right address and the security settings are all checked one by one. You should also browse the site on your own phone at this stage, fill in the forms and check whether the messages reach you. If the site includes a transaction such as a sale or an appointment booking, try it from start to finish like a real customer. On launch day, the domain name is pointed to the new site. If you had an old site, redirecting the old page addresses to the new pages is important to keep the visibility you have built up in search engines.
After launch, it should be clear who does what
The work doesn't end when the site goes live; a new phase begins. If you will update the site yourself, you need to learn how to use the admin panel, and a short training session for this is a good idea. Keeping the platform and plugins up to date, taking backups and monitoring security all need regular work. If it isn't clear from the start who handles these tasks, they all end up with no owner. Knowing in writing what maintenance covers and whom to contact when a problem arises removes uncertainty later on. Keeping the site alive over time by adding new services, client references and announcements also shows both visitors and search engines that your business is active. Track the calls and form submissions coming from the site in the first months as well. Seeing which page brings in business is the most reliable guide for the next improvements.
Your next step is simple: fill in the preparation list above and ask the company giving you a quote who will provide the content, how many approval rounds there will be and who will handle maintenance after launch. If the answers to these questions are clear, the process goes more smoothly whichever company you work with. At Adorb, website projects follow the steps of discovery, design, development, testing, launch and maintenance; the domain name, the site and the content belong entirely to you. We can talk about how this process would fit your business in a free discovery call.