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Most, if not all, companies today have a website. What some people may not understand are the steps taken to create a website, and what you should expect from your design firm.

One of the first steps in the design process is content – building a sitemap. This is an important step, because it will influence many of the design decisions at the beginning. For example, how many pages is the site going to need? Will this amount of pages require special navigation? Drop-down menus? By outlining the content and pages in a website, the designer is then able to judge what layouts will work better with the site, and begin the next step in the process.

Wireframes are a popular method most design companies use at the beginning stages of Web design. Essentially, these are grey-toned boxes that designers use to make decisions regarding margins, content area, navigation and general layout of the website.

The next step begins the actual design process. This will involve choices such as a color palette (which may be influenced by things like current company branding and logo) as well as font and typeface. At this stage, the designer has a clear idea of the general layout, and will focus on making the design shine. This may be the first part of the process where the client is shown the initial comps, which will then lead to revisions.

Revisions may or may not be an arduous process, depending on how the client feels about the success of the initial designs. Once the client and the designer agree upon a design choice, the interior and specialty pages of the website will be built based upon the original design. Normally, websites will have a specific layout for a homepage, and the interior pages will follow that design, but with an emphasis on content. There are a few pages which may be an exception and have a slightly different layout. Examples of this would be a contact page or an error page.

Once a general version of these pages has been built and approved, the process of generating the HTML and CSS begins. Depending on the complexity of the design and the coding skills of the designer, this can take as long as the design process, if not longer. Other factors will affect this as well – for example, how much content does the site have? And, is the site being built in a content management system so the client is able to edit the content?

One of the last steps for the design firm will be tasks like testing forms, checking for HTML and CSS validation and testing for cross-browser compatibility. With technology evolving at a rapid pace, and the rising popularity of a wide range of mobile devices and tablets, design companies spend a significant amount of time ensuring that the site they have just built looks and works correctly across all of these devices – from wide-screen desktop monitors, to the newest tablet or smartphone. Of course, some of these devices may require a separate mobile version of the website, which more and more companies are finding they need to take into consideration.

While some design companies use templates to build websites, most firms prefer to build a site from the ground up, to do the actual design and coding work themselves. This provides several benefits – the client receives a totally unique website and the design firm has an attractive addition to their portfolio.

Throughout the entire design and building process, there should be open communication between the design firm and the client, so that any issues can be resolved quickly and in a satisfactory manner for both parties.

The entire design process – from sitemap to launch – contains measured and calculated steps devised to create a smooth process. By knowing how the process of designing and creating a website unfolds, both the designer and the client are able to effectively communicate during development. From wireframes and mock-ups to content implementation, understanding the formation of a website will help clients to know what to expect from their design firm, and from the Web design process.