For a business with ambitions bigger than its current budget, we usually suggest working in phases. Get a good site earning money sooner, then put some of what it earns into the next upgrade. It is slower on one hand and considerably faster on the other, because a simpler site that is live and trading beats a fancier one still being argued about.
Building and redesigning websites
A website built properly is a piece of equipment rather than a brochure. It brings in enquiries or orders without needing to be nursed, it looks like the same company on every page, and it is still serviceable in five years when the business has changed shape and nobody remembers who built it.
Most of what we build is a replacement for something that already exists. A business trading for any length of time usually has a website already, so the useful question is not whether to have one, but whether the one you have represents the company you are now and is earning its keep.
How a build actually goes
We start by working out what the site has to do, rather than by drawing something and hoping it fits. That means a written plan first: who it is for, what you want them to do, which pages will earn their place and what has to happen behind them.
Then we agree what it should look like, which is easier by reference than by description. Most people cannot say what they want in the abstract, but everybody can point at a site they like and say why, so we gather examples, agree on colours and style, typefaces and tone before anything is designed. Once that is agreed, the designs themselves come together quickly, usually within a week or two, and you see those before we move to the next stage.
The build follows from the approved design, typically mobile first. Then it is tested properly, on real devices, before anybody talks about a launch date.
Building in stages
What we need from you
Three things hold up almost every project, and all of them are yours: your logo and any brand materials, photographs of your products or premises, and the words for each page. Having those ready before we start is the single biggest thing you can do to keep a project on schedule.
The words are the usual culprit, and they are also the easiest to hand over. Jon worked as a writer and editor before any of this, so if writing the pages is the thing standing in the way, we will do it. That normally means interviewing you about what you sell and who buys it, then turning what you know into copy.
When a redesign is not the answer
A site that is trading perfectly well and merely looks a few years old may need a tidy rather than a replacement, and we will say so, even though the smaller job is worth less to us. Rebuilding is worth it when the site is holding the business back, when it cannot do something you now need it to do, or when it has aged to the point where maintaining it costs more than replacing it.
What it costs and how long it takes
A straightforward site of about five pages starts at around £750 and takes about a month, including revisions. A major ecommerce rebuild runs from £5,000 and takes three to four months, of which a good few weeks go on planning and design. There’s more on our pricing page.
Where to start
Tell us what your site needs to do for your business, and whether you are starting from nothing or replacing something. We will tell you what it would take, what it would cost, and whether to do it all at once or in stages.