The website development process, from plan to launch

What are the steps in the website development process?

The steps in the website development process are plan, design, content, build, test, client review and launch, then care once the site is live. Each one ends with a check before the next one starts.

1. Plan. Agree on the pages, the features and the content list.
2. Design. Make mockups of the key pages and get them approved.
3. Content. Gather or write the words and images for every page.
4. Build. Turn the approved design into working pages on a test copy of the site.
5. Test. Check the forms, links, speed and how each page looks on a phone.
6. Client review. Walk the client through the built site and log their changes.
7. Launch. Move the site to the live domain and check it again there.
8. Care. Keep up the updates, backups and fixes once it's live.

A client sees a shorter version of this list. For the stages as the client sees them, see the web design process, stage by stage.

When a build partner does the work, the same steps split between you and them. Here's how one partner, DeskTeam360, publishes its steps for a white label website:

1. The agency explains on a call what its client wants and needs.
2. The agency sends the content and files, unless the team is making them.
3. The team sends mockups, and the agency goes over them with its client and returns notes.
4. Changes get made, and the design is approved before any building starts.
5. Next, the team builds the approved site and tests it.
6. The agency reviews the built site with its client, and the team makes those changes.
7. Once it's approved, the team takes the site live.

Each step needs a date. For setting the dates, see the website timeline template.

The test step has its own list of checks. For the checks before launch, see the website QA checklist.

How does the WordPress website development process differ?

A WordPress build follows the same steps, with extra jobs at setup and at launch. They're choices you make once and write down for the client.

• Setup. Pick the theme or block layout, and set up a test copy of the site.
• Plugins. Choose each plugin for a reason, keep the list short and note who updates them.
• Editing. Decide which pages the client will edit, and what access they'll need.
• Launch. Plan how the test copy moves to the live domain.
• After launch. Set the updates, backups and security checks.

Questions to settle before the build starts:

• Which plugins does the site need, and who keeps them up to date?
• Will the client add pages or posts on their own after launch?
• Where does the test copy live, and who can see it?

How is the ecommerce website development process different?

An online store adds product, payment and order steps to the same process. Plan them early, because they touch the design, the build and the tests.

• Product data. Names, prices, photos, sizes and stock, in one sheet the client fills in.
• Payments. Which payment provider the store uses, and who owns that account.
• Shipping and store settings. The options the client confirms before the build.
• Order emails. What a buyer gets after checkout, and who on the client's side gets a copy.
• Test orders. Place test orders from start to finish before launch, then cancel or refund them.

One more question for the kickoff call: who adds new products after launch, the client or your team?

Who does what in the website build process?

In a website build, the project lead owns the scope and the dates, the designer owns the mockups, the developer owns the build, the tester owns the checks, and the client owns the feedback and sign-off. Each step has one owner, even when one person holds two roles. Write the owners down at kickoff so nothing waits for a name.

A partner fills some of these roles for you. DeskTeam360's team, for example, builds client sites on WordPress, WooCommerce, Webflow and React, as well as other CMSs, and it builds GoHighLevel funnels too. That makes it a team that builds in those tools, which is different from a website builder you rebrand.