Web design · Planning your project
Commissioning a website: the complete process from first conversation to launch
A website is not created through development alone. Goals, content, responsibilities and approvals also determine whether the result works in everyday use. Understanding the process helps you prepare materials on time and answer questions effectively.
The following 20 steps describe a sensible project journey for a business website. Some tasks run in parallel; others depend on a decision. What matters is not rigid phase labels but clear outcomes and a defined responsibility for each transition.
Step 1: establish the framework in your first discussion
In the first discussion, explain your business, services and reasons for a new website. Is this your first site, an outdated existing one or a response to changes in your offering? Describe specific difficulties. Saying that prospective customers cannot find the contact form is more helpful than a general wish for a more modern look.
Also discuss the timeframe, available resources and planned launch. A fixed event may influence the order of work but does not replace preparation. Nominate someone to gather internal feedback and secure binding decisions.
The outcome of the discussion
By the end, the starting position, open questions and next tasks should be recorded in writing. This includes assumptions about scope and work you will do yourself. You can find the service area under website creation; the definition of your particular project belongs in the shared brief.
Steps 2 and 3: define goals and audiences
2. Set a website goal you can assess
Decide which task the site should primarily fulfil. Possible goals include qualified enquiries, clear service information or job applications. Translate the goal into an action: an interested visitor should be able to understand the relevant service and then choose a suitable way to contact you.
Prioritise goals when several seem equally important. A homepage cannot give every task equal emphasis. Priorities influence navigation, content and the placement of contact options. Also record how you intend to assess after launch whether the user journey is helpful.
3. Understand the people behind your audiences
For each important audience, describe typical questions, existing knowledge and barriers to making a decision. Private individuals may need different explanations from professional buyers. Avoid unsupported assumptions and start with questions from your actual advisory work.
Steps 4 and 5: review the existing site and materials
4. Document the existing website
If you already have a website, collect existing pages, domain information and known technical problems. Mark content to retain, revise or remove. Also check existing links and addresses so that a later replacement does not unnecessarily lead to dead ends.
Document connected systems, such as business email, bookings or an external form. Identify the relevant account holders without sharing passwords in unprotected messages. An overview of access credentials and responsibilities is particularly valuable before a technical changeover.
5. Gather content and materials
Create a delivery list for copy, images, logos, team details and legal content. Assign a responsible person and deadline to each item. Check usage rights and currency before materials enter the design. An unsuitable image can later change the layout of an entire page.
The article on content for a good business website provides a more detailed structure. Avoid routinely postponing copy until after design. Your message and text length help determine which presentation makes sense in the first place.
Steps 6 and 7: agree the page structure and features
6. Develop the page structure
Organise information so that the most important questions are answered directly. A page overview should specify not only titles but also purpose and required content. Consider which services need their own pages and which information belongs together.
Navigation emerges from this overview. Use clear terms from your audience's perspective rather than internal department names. For multiple languages, decide early which pages will be available in each language and who approves translations.
7. Define the feature scope
List forms, appointment bookings, search, online shops and integrations separately. Describe a specific workflow for each: what does a person enter, what happens next and who receives which information? A short feature name is rarely enough for reliable implementation.
Separate essential launch features from later extensions. Whether the intended platform or external service plan supports them remains explicitly unresolved and must be checked before implementation. Record required contracts, access credentials and responsibilities in writing.
| Work area | Tangible outcome | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Prioritised tasks | Project leads |
| Content | Delivery list and deadlines | Subject leads |
| Structure | Page overview | Project leads |
| Features | Documented workflows | Responsible teams |
| Operation | Access credentials and contracts | Account holders |
The website planning overview helps you gather unresolved decisions before design begins. The more precise these foundations, the more effectively design and development can be commissioned.
Steps 8 and 9: develop the design direction and first draft
8. Define the visual direction
Discuss existing brand guidelines, colours, typefaces and the desired impression. Examples of other websites help establish understanding, not provide something to copy. Explain what you find useful: clear navigation, restrained imagery or easily readable service information.
The design direction must suit your content and audiences. Check readability, contrast and the effect on small screens at this stage. A purely decorative decision may later hinder usability, for example if labels have too little space.
9. Assess a representative design
The first design should show typical elements: the opening section, navigation, service presentation and contact options. This lets you assess the principle before every subpage is developed. Clarify which views are already specific and where sample content is still being used.
Evaluate the design against the agreed goals. Can interested visitors find the right starting point? Is the offering understandable? Are important actions clear? Personal taste alone does not provide a sufficient basis for deciding.
- Initial consultation
- Goals
- Target audiences
- Existing website
The process moves from clarification and planning through design and development to testing and launch. Feedback belongs at defined transition points. Subsequent training and maintenance ensure that organisational responsibility for the new site does not end at launch.
Steps 10 and 11: consolidate feedback and develop
10. Give specific feedback
Gather feedback internally and send an agreed list. For each point, identify the location, the problem and the desired outcome. Rather than “The opening section does not work”, “Our maintenance service is not apparent in the opening section” gives actionable feedback.
Distinguish corrections from new requests. A change outside the agreed scope may affect effort and deadlines. Have these effects confirmed before additional work starts. After approval, fundamental changes of direction should be deliberate decisions.
11. Implement the approved design
Development builds the pages, reusable elements and agreed features. Content is added and connected to the intended data. The working environment should be separate from the public website and appropriately protected against unauthorised access.
Agree meaningful review stages rather than constant isolated decisions without context. An initial technical preview might show the navigation and a typical page type. Your feedback then checks the agreed implementation, while new ideas are collected separately for a later phase.
If you would like to prepare your project launch, describe your starting position and open questions through [request a website](/anfrage/website - erstellen).
Send a non - binding enquirySteps 12 and 13: optimise mobile usability and forms
12. Test on different devices
Mobile optimisation means more than shrinking a desktop view. Navigation, text widths, images and controls must be arranged sensibly on smartphones and tablets. Also check long headings, tables and detailed content, where problems are particularly likely to appear.
Test typical tasks on real devices and using a keyboard. Visitors should be able to contact you without precise tapping or sideways scrolling. The article on responsive web design explains which elements need particular attention.
13. Test forms from start to finish
Check empty required fields, invalid entries, clear error messages and successful submissions. Confirmations must explain what happens next. Check not just the visible message but actual receipt by the responsible team.
Delivery may require coordination with the existing email service. Business email is a separate operational component. A successfully submitted test form does not prove that every future message will be processed reliably; responsibility for checks remains important.
Steps 14 and 15: SEO basics and technical checks
14. Give pages clear structure and metadata
Every important page needs a suitable title, a sensible heading structure and clear content. Internal links should make relevant information accessible. When replacing existing pages, define which old addresses will redirect to appropriate new destinations.
The Google Search Engine Optimisation Starter Guide describes these basics. They help content to be understood but guarantee neither inclusion in the search index nor particular rankings. Also discuss whether ongoing editorial support is planned.
15. Check technology and content systematically
Check links, images, layout, forms and agreed features on the intended devices. This includes keyboard operation, visible focus indicators and clear feedback. Also check the planned metadata and what happens at addresses that no longer exist.
Record faults in a shared list with a priority and responsible person. Distinguish blocking problems from later improvements. Decisions about unresolved points should be documented clearly so that a deadline does not quietly take precedence over a working contact method.
Steps 16 to 18: approval, domain connection and launch
16. Give informed approval
Checks before approval
- Have services, contact details, names and opening hours been checked for accuracy?
- Have image rights and legal content been clarified for the specific use?
- Do navigation, forms and agreed workflows work?
- Have mobile layout and keyboard operation been checked?
- Are unresolved points documented with responsibilities and decisions?
- Are access credentials, the launch date and responsibility for the changeover confirmed?
Approval applies to a particular version. Record who checked it and what still needs updating. The agency cannot confirm the accuracy of information that only your company can reliably assess.
17. Prepare before connecting the domain
Before domain changes, record existing settings and connected services. Business email records in particular must not be replaced without consideration. Establish who has access, who makes the change and how the previous state can be restored if problems occur.
Where responsibilities are unclear, domain support helps you prepare the technical connection. Changes may take effect at different times. Plan checks and ensure those involved are available, rather than treating the connection as an instantly completed button press.
18. Publish and check immediately
After the changeover, check the actual public address over an encrypted connection. Retest key pages, redirects and forms. Also ensure that protections in the working environment are not accidentally blocking the intended public website.
Agree who receives initial feedback and handles technical issues. A prepared rollback route is useful for critical problems. Publication completes implementation but replaces neither subject-matter oversight nor subsequent checks.
Steps 19 and 20: organise training and maintenance
19. Train the future editors
Training should focus on your actual tasks: changing copy, replacing images or adding articles. Let the responsible people perform these tasks themselves. Clear guidance with responsibilities is more useful than a demonstration without opportunities to try things out.
For website training, agree which features will be explained and which changes require specialist knowledge. Handover also includes permissions and information about ongoing contracts. Individual accounts with appropriate rights provide clearer accountability than one shared login for everyone.
20. Assign maintenance responsibilities clearly
Appoint people responsible for content, technical support and external services. Record how outdated offers, staff changes and new services will be updated. Also agree where error reports go and how additional work is commissioned.
Set appropriate review dates and regularly check contact methods and important content. Collect requests for extensions separately from day-to-day tasks. This allows focused development without questioning the entire structure with every small change.
Summary
- Start with clear goals, audiences and a responsible person.
- Prepare content and access credentials before design.
- Agree pages, features and approvals in writing.
- Check mobile layout, forms and technical foundations before launch.
- Protect existing email services during the domain changeover.
- Organise training, maintenance and feedback after publication.
Frequently asked questions
How long does creating a website take?
This depends on scope, features and the availability of your content. Internal feedback and approvals also affect the process. A reliable schedule can therefore only be based on agreed tasks and responsibilities.
Does all copy need to be finished before the first design?
Not every phrase needs to be final. However, key messages, page types and approximate length should be established. Otherwise, you may approve a design that later accommodates your real content poorly.
Who should send feedback to the agency?
Ideally, one responsible person consolidates internal feedback. Specialists check their content while a clearly designated decision-maker gives binding decisions. This prevents contradictory change requests reaching implementation simultaneously.
Can existing business email stay when we change websites?
With appropriate planning this is generally possible, but the existing configuration must be checked. Document the email service and its required domain records before the changeover. Do not change every setting indiscriminately just because the website is changing.
What matters most at approval?
Check factual content, contact methods and agreed features. Record unresolved points and decisions about them in writing. Approval should refer to an unambiguously identifiable version.
What happens after publication?
First, the public website and key workflows are checked again. The agreed people then take over editorial work and technical support. Training and clear access arrangements enable you to handle intended everyday tasks yourself.
Sources
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Starter Guide: The Basics | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for DevelopersGoogle · checked on 2026 - 11 - 05
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