Working with a web design agency for the first time can feel like a black box. You pay money, wait anxiously, and hope something good comes out.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s what a professional website project actually looks like, step by step.
What happens: Before anyone touches design software, there’s homework.
You’ll have a conversation (usually 30-60 minutes) covering:
This isn’t a sales pitch—it’s information gathering. The agency needs to understand your business to build the right website.
Be prepared to share:
After discovery, you should get:
Typical duration: 1-2 weeks Your involvement: High (providing information)
What happens: The agency creates the visual design before writing any code.
Some agencies start with wireframes—rough layouts showing structure without visual design. These look like sketches or blueprints.
Purpose:
Next come visual designs—usually for the homepage first, then key interior pages. These show exactly how the site will look, including:
You’ll review mockups and provide feedback. This is your time to:
Be specific: “I don’t like the blue” isn’t as helpful as “The blue feels too corporate; we’re a friendly local business.”
Most contracts include 2-3 rounds of design revisions. This means:
Going beyond included revisions usually costs extra. Provide thorough feedback to stay on budget.
Typical duration: 2-4 weeks Your involvement: Medium (reviewing and providing feedback)
What happens: Approved designs become a real, functioning website.
During development:
Most agencies provide a “staging site”—a private URL where you can see progress. You might check in weekly to:
This is when your actual content goes in:
Important: Content delays are the #1 cause of project delays. Have your content ready!
Typical duration: 2-4 weeks Your involvement: Low to Medium (content delivery, periodic review)
What happens: You thoroughly test the site and request final changes.
Check everything:
Be organized. A spreadsheet or document works well:
| Page | Issue | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Phone number wrong | High |
| About | Team photo is old | Medium |
| Contact | Form confirmation unclear | Low |
Included in this phase:
Usually extra:
Typical duration: 1-2 weeks Your involvement: High (testing and providing feedback)
What happens: The site goes live for the world to see.
Before going live, professionals verify:
Launch can happen different ways:
You might experience brief downtime during launch—this is normal.
Immediately after launch:
Typical duration: 1-3 days Your involvement: Medium (final verification)
What happens: You learn how to manage your new website.
Training typically covers:
At handoff, you should get:
Most agencies include 30 days of free support post-launch to:
Typical duration: Concurrent with launch Your involvement: Medium (learning)
What happens: After launch, your website needs ongoing care.
Typical maintenance plans cover:
You can:
Most businesses benefit from some level of managed maintenance—websites that aren’t updated become security risks.
Learn about our maintenance services.
For a typical small business website:
| Phase | Duration | Your Time |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | 1-2 weeks | 5-10 hours |
| Design | 2-4 weeks | 3-5 hours |
| Development | 2-4 weeks | 2-4 hours |
| Review | 1-2 weeks | 3-5 hours |
| Launch | 1-3 days | 2-3 hours |
| Training | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Total | 6-12 weeks | 15-30 hours |
Help your project succeed:
Now you know what to expect. A website project is a collaboration—the more you understand the process, the better the outcome.
Learn about our process or contact us to start your project.
We’ve helped businesses across Georgia build websites they’re proud of. Let’s do the same for you.
©Copyright 2020 by Avid Tech Usa. Built with ♥ by Omar Madjitov.
Avid Tech Usa