The Web Development Process

Whether you’re new to the process of creating a website, or you’ve done it before but with a ‘conventional’ design agency, working with a freelancer can be rather different. Here’s my process, set down in black and white and a little bit of grey.

• Initial contact:

  After you contact me, I’ll send you a list of questions so I can assess your needs. Usually, this is followed by further discussions (by email, phone or face to face) to establish the scope of the project. After that, we’ll go over everything together and I’ll provide you with a quote or a realistic estimate.

• Contract:

  After establishing the project specifications, we can agree a contract. Usually we sign a ‘hard copy’, although we can agree a contract by email if you prefer.

• Initial retainer and content:

  An initial retainer fee of 50% will be required before I can start on your site. Usually I’ll also need the site content (text, photos, etc.) before beginning work on the design.

• Concepts:

  At this point, I’ll provide you with the design concept. Usually I work with a single concept, and allow up to 3 major revisions. More complex projects may require that we work out a series of wireframes before I create the design concept.

• Site construction and preview:

  After you approve the design concept, I’ll begin coding the site. When I’ve finished this stage, I’ll upload the site to my server so you can look it over and we can make any necessary changes or corrections.

• Final payment:

  After the site has been tested and approved, payment of the remaining 50% of the fee is required before the site can ‘go live’ by being uploaded to your server or web host.

• Maintenance:

  After your site has gone live, I’ll offer to do the maintenance of your site for you. Should you wish to use my maintenance services, just let me know and we’ll make a separate agreement for that.