A lot of people think a website redesign starts with choosing colors, fonts, layouts, and figuring out what the homepage should look like.
In reality, design shouldn't be the first step at all.
We've found that the strongest websites come from doing the strategy work before anyone starts designing. It prevents expensive revisions later and helps make sure the finished website isn't just attractive—it actually supports SEO, lead generation, user experience, and the goals of the business.
Here's what a solid web design process should look like:
1. Discovery & Business Goals
Before touching the design, figure out what the website actually needs to accomplish.
Who is the audience? What problems are they trying to solve? What actions do you want visitors to take? What isn't working with the current website?
This is also the time to look at competitors, analytics, existing content, technical requirements, integrations, and the overall project scope.
2. Strategy & Planning
Once you understand the goals, create the blueprint.
That usually means developing the sitemap, mapping customer journeys, deciding what pages are needed, identifying conversion opportunities, documenting required functionality, and establishing project milestones.
Every important page should have a purpose and a logical next step for the visitor.
3. SEO Research
One mistake we see fairly often is treating SEO as something you "add" after the website has already been designed.
By then, the page hierarchy, navigation, URLs, and content structure may already be established.
Keyword research, search intent, content mapping, URL structure, metadata, and internal linking should all be considered while the website is being planned—not after it's built.
4. Wireframes & UX
Before worrying about colors and imagery, map out how each page should work.
Wireframes help determine information hierarchy, navigation, calls-to-action, mobile behavior, and how visitors will move through the site.
It's much easier (and cheaper) to identify a confusing user journey at this stage than after development.
5. Visual Design
Now it's time to make it look good.
Typography, colors, imagery, spacing, hierarchy, and branding should all support the strategy that has already been established.
Good web design isn't just about making something visually impressive. The design should help visitors quickly understand where they are, what the company does, and what they should do next.
6. Content Development
Content shouldn't be filler that's dropped into the design at the end.
Homepage messaging, service pages, FAQs, SEO content, calls-to-action, and supporting copy should be developed alongside the design.
The words and layout need to work together—especially if you're trying to explain a complicated product or service.
7. Website Development
Once the designs and content are approved, development turns everything into a functioning website.
This includes responsive development, CMS setup, integrations, performance optimization, security, accessibility, forms, animations, and everything else happening behind the scenes.
A beautiful website that loads slowly or doesn't work properly on mobile is still a bad website.
8. Quality Assurance (QA)
Before launch, test everything.
Menus. Links. Forms. Mobile layouts. Different browsers. Analytics. Redirects. Metadata. Accessibility. Integrations.
The goal is for your team—not your customers—to find the bugs.
9. Website Launch
Launch should be planned rather than treated like flipping a switch.
DNS, hosting, SSL, 301 redirects, analytics, Search Console, XML sitemaps, backups, forms, and performance should all be checked.
It's also smart to launch when your developers and other key team members are actually available in case something unexpected happens.
10. Ongoing Optimization
This is the step that's probably overlooked the most.
A website isn't finished just because it launched.
After launch, you should be looking at search rankings, conversions, user behavior, page performance, content opportunities, technical health, and analytics.
Businesses change. Customers change. Search changes. Your website should change with them.
The biggest takeaway: A good website isn't really a design project. It's a business, marketing, UX, SEO, content, and technology project that happens to result in a website.
Skipping the early strategy steps might get you into design faster, but it usually creates more work later.
We put together a much more detailed breakdown of all 10 steps—including what should happen during each stage and why—here:
Source: r/e9digital · by /u/e9digital