10 Stages of Website Design

1. Define

• The product or service;
• The purpose of the website; and
• The target audience;

2. Requirements

• Number of webpages;
• Function of each webpage;
• Initial list of keywords;
• Colour scheme;
• Customised graphics/logo; and
• Special features.

3. Quote

• Costi the project; and
• Tender quotation.

4. Receive Content

• Final draft of text for each webpage; and
• Images, photos or logo.

5. Plan

• Analyse competitors' websites;
• Propose the website structure, folder/webpage names;
• Prepare the webpage template;
• Prepare/validate the Style Sheet;
• Perform a keyword analysis;
• Suggest alternative/additional keywords as necessary;
• Prepare a webpage mock-up; and
• Receive/review/respond to client feedback.

6. Develop & Test

• Create custom graphics or logo;
• Optimise the client's draft text for keywords and keyword density;
• Hand code the optimised text into XHTML or HTML;
• Optimise other 'onpage' elements (links, image "alt" attributes, page title, meta tags, etc);
• Verify all local and outbound links;
• Validate the XHTML / HTML code;
• Check compliance with WCAG 1.0;
• Test for cross-browser compatibility;
• Test functionality/usability;
• Upload development milestones to a temporary internet location; and
• Receive/review/respond to client feedback on each milestone.

7. Final Acceptance

• Upload the completed website to a temporary internet location; and
• Receive/review/respond to client feedback.

8. Publish

• Upload the website by FTP to the client's domain or web space; and
• Receive/review/respond to client feedback.

9. Promote

• Submit the website URL to the major search engines and directories; and
• Receive/review/respond to client feedback.

10. Maintain

• Update the content to keep it fresh for repeat visitors; and
• Receive/review/respond to client feedback.