Having a proper process in place enables us to draw some clear lines with regard to scope, budget and timelines. Christina is always amazed when someone tells her that they’ve been working on a website build for two years! There really is no need for that. The reason that this happens is probably that the clients in question are dealing with web designers working from a more open-ended, creative-focused perspective. With us, our conversion-focused approach is accompanied by a project management-oriented process. More than that though, at CIPR, the person project managing your build is actually knowledgeable about design and development, which is not always the case with other agencies. This creates a steady flow of information and feedback among all the different people involved, which helps the project get done faster, more efficiently and with a result that is in line with the client’s needs.

The basic steps in our process are as follows:

• Workshop: When we start working with a client, we apply our tried and tested template to the project, which lays out the exact sequence of events, allowing us to show the client exactly what to expect. The key is transparency: everyone should know exactly where the project stands at all times. The first step, with this in mind, is a workshop attended by our team, and everybody on the client’s team who will be involved in contributing to the build or approving work at any stage. In addition to questions of look and feel, we dive deep into the expected functionalities of the new website, as well as practical considerations such as account log-ins, etc. These workshops ensure that, before we even start any work, we have all the information we need.
• Site map and content architecture: After the workshop, our team starts to develop the site map, as well as an outline of what all the content requirements will be on each page. We call this outline the content architecture. At this stage, we create mock-ups and get sign-off from the client before proceeding to the next phase.
• Development: Having got sign-off from the client, we start building the website, going through a rigorous first round of internal edits before we show the client anything. From there, we go back and forth between us and the client until we get it right.

Find out more about CIPR Communications’ web design services by listening to the seventh series of our podcast. For more information about web development, content marketing, SEO and our other services, read our blog, listen to other podcast episodes, or contact us.