{"id":17849,"date":"2022-07-02T11:33:03","date_gmt":"2022-07-02T16:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/?p=17849"},"modified":"2022-07-02T11:33:03","modified_gmt":"2022-07-02T16:33:03","slug":"website-creation-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process","title":{"rendered":"Create A Website: Development Steps From Concept to Profits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you ready to learn how to make a website that can generate revenue as soon as it gets launched? Learn from our expertise that comes from over 500 websites built, and count on knowledge that most web developers and designers overlook in the <strong>website creation process<\/strong>: the website strategy and a workflow that ensures adherence to the company goals. Let&#8217;s dive right into it:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The success of a website is mirrored by its potential to attract visitors (primarily through organic means such as search engine optimization) and help them understand the product, company, and branding through encompassing visuals, engaging content, and a variety of interactions. This is best achieved by putting together a website creation process that aligns with an overarching strategy making each element of your website work towards a defined goal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In today\u2019s article, our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">web design agency in Chicago<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> presents our own website creation process. Throughout nearly five thousand words, we\u2019ll reveal how following a structured path can help you deliver a more successful website experience faster and more efficiently.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Website Creation Process Summary<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alpha Efficiency website creation process is composed of the following steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#marketresearch\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 1: Market research, persona development, competition benchmarking<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#generalstrategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 2: General strategy and feature documentation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#uxstrategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 3: Wireframing and UX strategy<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#seostrategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 4: SEO strategy documentation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#websitecopywriting\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 5: Website copywriting<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#clientapproval\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 6: Client wireframe and content approval<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#herosection\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 7: Hero section mockup<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#homepage\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 8: Homepage design<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#designingtherest\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 9: Designing the rest of the website<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#clientfeedback\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 10: Applying client feedback<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#designapproval\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 11: Requesting client design approval<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#coding\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 12: Coding the website<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#qaaudit\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 13: Quality assurance audit and execution<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#finalupdates\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 14: Client feedback and final updates<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"\/#push\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 15: Website push to live<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s explore each of them as we keep navigating down the path to the perfect website.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"marketresearch\">Step 1: Market research, persona development, competition benchmarking<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conducting comprehensive <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/market-research-for-website-design\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">market research for website design<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is vital if you want your website as well as your brand to stay competitive online. It will help you understand the needs and concerns of your target audience and gain maximum insight into the motivation behind their online activity. This way, you put your brand in the position to feature the type of design and content that will keep your users engaged. Here are the main benefits of market research for website design:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Market research helps you stay focused.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It highlights the opportunities for a better ROI<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It helps your website and business evolve<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Market research guides the decision-making process<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Market research precedes one of the most important elements in getting familiar with your audience &#8211; user persona development. User personas allow you to make informed decisions when designing a website that appeals to your ideal customers both in terms of visuals and functionality. It also helps you develop an encompassing user flow. User flow is a journey your website visitor takes from the moment they enter your web pages until the moment they leave the site. By creating a user flow, you have a chance to guide your visitors toward the most important sections of your website in order to help them convert.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides getting familiar with your own audience, you also need to look at your competitors and the things they are doing to attract customers. That is called competition benchmarking and includes identifying the similarities and differences between your own and your rivals\u2019 websites. You can use tools like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/analytics.google.com\/analytics\/web\/provision\/#\/provision\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Analytics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to measure your competitors\u2019 website performance and compare the data with the way your website performs. More often than not, this practice reveals overlooked previously overlooked optimization opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data gathered throughout the initial step of our website creation process combines to create a comprehensive repository of information we can put to use along the entire path.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"generalstrategy\">Step 2: General Website strategy and feature documentation<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 1 is followed by charting out a general website creation process strategy. During this step, we outline the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Website\u2019s primary goals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Will the website serve to generate traffic or to collect leads and boost sales? How do we want the audience to use the website? What do they need in order to convert?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Content inventory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Blogs, videos, imagery, web page copy. How do we structure and organize information on web pages?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The message we attempt to communicate on the website<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: How do we present the products or services? How do they make customers\u2019 lives better? How do we want customers to get a hold of the product?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The way new content will be added and presented<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: What is the most user-friendly way to add and present new content?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>A technical setup and launch plan:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integration between various tools<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eCommerce support<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interactive functionality<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forms and contacts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Subscription and email followup<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video hosting platforms and tools<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Database functionality<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once we have the general website creation process strategy put in place, we proceed with assembling feature documentation. Feature documentation is a detailed outline of every page of the website. Its primary purpose is to bring all the team members on the same page by making the idea of the future website clear to everyone involved in the website creation process. Our feature documentation is the result of a collaborative effort of our developers, designers, and copywriters and can be broken down into three vital segments:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Website architecture<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Navigational structure, front-end functionalities, and back-end functionalities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Website design<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The look, feel, and website layout.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Page copy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The type of content we plan to include on each page.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By taking our time to compose this documentation, we can provide our clients with a much higher-performing and user-friendly website. It also saves our clients\u2019 budget in the long run since sites planned out this way rarely require rebuilds and significant changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"uxstrategy\">Step 3: Wireframing and UX strategy<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 3 includes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/creating-ux-strategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">creating a UX strategy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and wireframing. User experience strategy guides our team through the process of conceptualizing and designing a website. It brings UX design and the business strategy of a website closer together by allowing us to prioritize tasks, so no resources are wasted on non-essentials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While creating a UX strategy as part of our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/web-design-agency-chicago\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">web design services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we first need to define how we want users to experience the brand and interact with the website. We do this by considering both the business and user side of the brand as we brainstorm the following vital points:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way our client defines user experience in relation to their brand<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way UX design aligns with our client\u2019s product strategy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way UX aligns with our client\u2019s business objectives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qualitative and quantitative data on user personas regarding their behaviors, needs, and expectations<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way trend shifts in our client\u2019s industry influence UX<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our client\u2019s competitors\u2019 analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How client\u2019s current website performance correlates with their future business goals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Defining, prioritizing, and executing website goals, objectives, and key performance indicators<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User research process<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Familiarizing the client with our findings<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After researching and acting upon all of the previous points, we finally get the chance to put our hand on the website\u2019s first contours. The website begins to take its shape through mockup design and wireframing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wireframes act as website blueprints. At its core, a wireframe is a static low-fidelity presentation of the various screens and pages that form a website. Being a static blueprint, a wireframe usually doesn\u2019t contain clickable and interactive elements. Instead, it communicates how various elements such as imagery, written content, and links combine to create a web page, as well as how the interface will work from the user\u2019s perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While we do try to bring the wireframe as closely as possible to the way the website is supposed to look like once it is done by including the intended content when available, wireframes often feature placeholders and lorem ipsum text, allowing our design team to focus on the page layout and structure.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"seostrategy\">Step 4: SEO strategy documentation<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To accomplish our client\u2019s business goals, we need a roadmap to successful search engine optimization. That\u2019s why our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/seo-agency-chicago\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO company in Chicago<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> tailors an SEO strategy unique to each of our clients that shows us their current SEO state and informs us about the actions we need to perform in order to improve it. Our SEO strategy documentation includes the following steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benchmark the current SEO performance<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analyze competitors\u2019 SEO strategies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set goals and KPIs (key performance indicators)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define primary keywords and pillar pages<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find long-tail keywords and define cluster content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Audit the website\u2019s existing content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Build topic clusters<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get the on-page SEO right<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discover and fix technical SEO issues<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do off-page SEO<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analyze and refine SEO strategy<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s briefly explain each of these.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Benchmark the current SEO performance<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We need to know how the current website is performing if we want to take the SEO to the next level. That\u2019s why we benchmark the performance across:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organic visibility<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keyword rankings<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Branded vs. non-branded split<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Analyze competitors\u2019 SEO strategies<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, we need to analyze competitors\u2019 strategies to see where our client has the upper hand and where there is still work to be done. Again, there are multiple steps to be taken to accomplish a thorough analysis:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Compiling a list of competitors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This is where competition benchmarking done in step 1 comes in handy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Discovering competitors\u2019 web pages that drive the most traffic<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: We use this knowledge to identify the type of content our client should be using to rank.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Identifying keywords that competitors are ranking for and those that they are not<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Here, we also gain insight into how each competitor performs across certain keywords compared to our client as well as how they are building links.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Set goals and KPIs (key performance indicators)<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the most critical part of creating SEO strategy documentation since we need to know where our client wants to end up and measure the success along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Define primary keywords and pillar pages<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, we must define the website\u2019s primary keywords and target them through topic clusters built around pillar pages.<\/span><\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-17859\" src=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h4>Find long-tail keywords and define cluster content<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once we have established main topic clusters and keywords for pillar pages, it is time to start working on cluster content strategy. We do this by brainstorming subtopics and supporting pieces of content that add depth to a topic. While pillar pages focus on keywords with higher search volume, topic clusters are oriented toward more specific long-tail keywords.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Audit the website\u2019s existing content<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content audit helps us identify the content that our client should either:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Update<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Delete<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Build topic clusters<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon identifying pillar pages and topic clusters, it is time to build those clusters by creating cluster topics. When creating content, it is essential to keep the following elements in mind:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Searcher intent<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Topical depth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Topical breadth<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Get the on-page SEO right<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On-page SEO above all involves optimizing:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Title tags<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta descriptions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H1, H2, and H3 tags<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internal links<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Images<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Discover and fix technical SEO issues<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technical SEO issues can hold back website performance and even stop it from ranking altogether. While doing technical SEO, we dedicate special attention to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Website loading time<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crawlability<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/how-to-make-your-website-mobile-friendly\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobile-first web design<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fixing duplicate content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discovering 404 errors<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Website security<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Structured data<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">XML sitemap<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Do off-page SEO<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Backlinks are one of Google\u2019s top three most important ranking factors, so it is mandatory to establish a plan that helps our clients earn quality backlinks. The most usual backlinks tactics include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital PR<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resource link building<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Broken link building<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Skyscraper Technique<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating link bait and promoting it with outreach<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Analyze and refine SEO strategy<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO professionals\u2019 work is never done. There are always opportunities for additional growth, so it is essential to take time to analyze the SEO strategy documentation and refine it regularly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"websitecopywriting\">Step 5: Website copywriting<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing a website copy requires a great deal of experience, effort, practice, and inspiration to address the readers appropriately. Still, many copywriters fail to bond with the audience, conveying the message from the business perspective instead of from the readers\u2019 point of view.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While figuring out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/how-to-write-website-copy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to write a website copy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, our copywriters look for ways to make deep emotional connections with our audience and leave them enthusiastic about taking action. Let\u2019s check some of the main points our agency considers when writing a website copy:<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Getting to know our readers<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learning about our client\u2019s audience\u2019s pain points and being able to position the client as a problem solver is vital for writing an engaging website copy. There are two crucial elements in understanding the audience:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buyer personas<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking in customer language<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Emphasizing benefits over features<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Undoubtedly, product features are very important. However, it is often even more important to stress the benefits that our client\u2019s product brings to people instead of highlighting the raw specifications. One of the most effective ways to engage the audience is to create video content and use compelling narration to communicate a message in a more meaningful way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Being concise<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The attention span of modern readers tends to be very short, so they are reluctant to read long textual paragraphs. That\u2019s why failing to keep your copy concise can increase your website bounce rates. To increase the readability of the content, it is important to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use headers and subheaders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use bullet points<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use shorter words and sentences<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Brainstorming a bold headline<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A headline is a crucial part of copywriting and the best way to allure your audience to read the text. With that in mind, we never use click baits, and neither should you. Your audience won\u2019t appreciate it, and it won\u2019t do your conversion rate any good.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>A clear call to action<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A shorter copy with a carefully placed comprehensive CTA button will leave a sense of urgency to take action.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Know your keywords<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to include the phrases you wish to rank for in your copy. However, we are always careful not to overuse keywords so our clients\u2019 conversion rates wouldn\u2019t suffer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Internal linking<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internal links to other pages keep visitors engaged and help search engines crawl websites better.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"clientapproval\">Step 6: Client wireframe and content approval<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wireframing is yet another crucial aspect of the website creation process. While we as designers can easily visualize and conceptualize solutions as well as extrapolate what a website may look like once it is finished, it is often hard for an uneducated eye to see beyond wires. That\u2019s why when presenting the blueprint to our clients, we start by showing the examples that inspired us and those with similar functionalities. Once the client understands the potential for what the website will look like, we highlight the reasoning and ideas for navigation as well as show examples of certain functionalities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Presenting the client with the website wireframe is a perfect opportunity to showcase the content we aim to include and the sections of the website where it will be displayed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, we ask the client to decide whether the overall look and the feel of the future website reflect their brand message and fit their prospects\u2019 customer journey. Once our client approves the wireframe and the content, we proceed to the next step.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"herosection\">Step 7: Hero section mockup<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-mockup-design\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mockup website design<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> includes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Main layouts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Various page elements<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Branding<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Colors<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fonts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Text<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Images<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mockup version of the website simulates the way the website looks, but not the way it behaves since it features no transitions and usable functions. However, it helps us define the essential UX factors such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Information architecture<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User flow<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visual hierarchy and layout<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Color<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/typography-in-ux-design\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typography in UX design<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Images<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interaction<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During this phase, we turn the wireframe into a polished website design by adding content, branding, and styling on top of layouts. Creating a mockup allows us to efficiently deliver our product to the client, reduce development costs, and increase the chance of our client\u2019s website\u2019s long-term success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also design a hero image section during this part of the website creation process. The hero image is usually the first visual the visitor notices and presents an overview of the most important content on the client\u2019s website. The hero section usually includes images and text and can be static or dynamic. Here are some of the advantages of the hero section:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visual appeal<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Text readability<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interactivity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storytelling<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-17858 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"hero section\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-2048x2048.png 2048w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/herosection-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"homepage\">Step 8: Homepage design<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides being visually appealing, for a homepage design to be effective, it needs to accomplish our clients\u2019 business goals and communicate the value of their brand. To choose the most relevant images, headlines, body copy, icons, and functionality, it is essential to know where to start.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>We start with the customer in mind<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where we yet again use the research conducted in the first step of the website creation process.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Considering the theme<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an agency that mastered the art of creating websites from scratch, we prefer to have full control over the website\u2019s underlying platform. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/sage-framework-wordpress\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sage WordPress theme<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows us to create entirely SEO-optimized, fast-loading, and mobile-friendly websites that perform great in Google and search engines alike. Of course, if our clients have other themes or builders in mind, we are more than willing and able to indulge their wishes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Determining the layout<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Homepage needs to support findability (how easily a user can find what they need) and learnability (how rapidly the user learns how to navigate the website). <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/1835449.1835513\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Chao Liu, Ryen W. White, and Susan Dumais<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, websites have a 10-second opportunity window during which users decide whether to stay or leave. The way you design the user interface can determine the success of the website. If step 3 is done right and later approved in step 6, you are on the right track.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are the three crucial elements to keep in mind for layout design:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Typography<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Here, we need to take care of the size, placement, weight, and color, as well as make sure that the text is legible. That is why we avoid using decorative fonts but instead choose a simple and more contemporary one with varying weights (bold, ultra tin, black, light, regular). We also ensure to create a high contrast between different content sections, such as using a much larger font for a headline than for a supporting text.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Images<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: We aim to use images our client\u2019s target audience can relate to and connect with. They need to tell the story that supports our client\u2019s business goals, such as a user purchasing a product. Regarding eCommerce websites, images should be of high quality and reflect what the customer would typically see if they were to enter a physical store.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Composition: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once we decide on the images and typography, we need to find a way to put it all together. We always try to walk the visitor through the homepage and tell them the story about the brand along the way through text and images. Also, by carefully placing CTAs, we make it clear what we want them to do and want them to interact with the homepage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a significant <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/landing-page-vs-homepage\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difference between a landing page and a homepage<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, so our approach also differs. Landing pages are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Campaign-based<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Narrowly targeted<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Action-oriented<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Siloed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is why we take a different angle in terms of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Message<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Target audience<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call to action<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linking<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is extremely important to avoid the paradox of choice on landing pages, which suggests that the more options you have, the harder it is to make a decision. That\u2019s why, for example, we never include more than one CTA per landing page. If there is a secondary CTA button, it is always in the form of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn More<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> button and designed in a way that doesn\u2019t divert too much attention from the primary one.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"designingtherest\">Step 9: Designing the rest of the website<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We dedicate this step to designing secondary website elements. By secondary, we are not saying they are less important but less prominent. These are usually:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sidebar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: An area of the website whose primary purpose is to display information that is not part of the main content. It often includes an opt-in button, links to other website pages, popular or recent blog posts, ads, social media links, or a brief <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">paragraph.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Footer<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The website footer is the last element the user sees on the website, and its potential often remains untapped. However, footers have exceptional importance for a website\u2019s ROI. These are the elements that you can include in website footer design:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copyright<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sitemap<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Privacy policy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Terms of use<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Navigation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social media icons and widgets<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newsletter sign-up<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Login<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Press<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Site search tool<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Awards and certifications<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Association members<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testimonials<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Latest articles<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upcoming events<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Videos<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTA<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Logo, mission, vision, value<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keywords<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Sliders<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The narrow vertical column next to the content usually includes ads, links to other content, CTAs, or a search box.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Forms<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A form is a page where users enter their personal information. Stuff like surveys, email opt-ins, or shipping updates is processed via these pages. Forms need to be short and precise and display a statement of how the user information will be used.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-17857\" src=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/webdesign3-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/webdesign3-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/webdesign3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/webdesign3-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/webdesign3-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/webdesign3.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 id=\"clientfeedback\">Step 10: Applying client feedback<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Client feedback helps us remain on the right track along the way and assures us that we are getting closer to meeting their business goals. While asking our client for feedback on the work done by that point regarding the look, feel, and functionality of the website in development, we aim to ask open-ended questions and carefully listen and take notes on all of the answers and suggestions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, a client wants to add functionality to a website that was previously not part of their plans. That\u2019s often the case with clients that need to adjust all, even completely change their website\u2019s primary purpose. Also, sometimes the features and visuals don\u2019t look the way the client envisioned them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In step 6, we gathered the client\u2019s feedback on content and website wireframe design, so it is time to apply the feedback before proceeding to the next step.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"designapproval\">Step 11: Requesting client design approval<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to step 6, where we ask the client to approve the website wireframe and content, in step 11, we seek approval for our design choices. If the client agrees that the design communicates the brand message in an intended way, we proceed to step 12. Otherwise, we take notes on their suggestions before moving on to website coding.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"coding\">Step 12: Coding the website<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The time required to code a website depends on the overall complexity of the website in question. Website complexity, in turn, depends on the client\u2019s business aspirations. The emergence of various drag-and-drop builders made the website creation process simpler and faster. However, in those times, search engines lacked indexing capabilities, and their machine learning systems left much desired. Nowadays, search engine AI can efficiently crawl websites, putting business sites built on themes and plugins in an unfavorable position.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are the main problems with themes and website builders:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Slow page speed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Themes and builders are filled with unnecessary code that slows down your website, thus directly impacting:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your organic search rank<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cost per click<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User experience<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The amount of time spent on your site<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Vulnerability to hacks and malware<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Third-party themes and plugins require constant updates to remain secure. However, many were created as developers\u2019 side projects and lacked regular maintenance. Hackers are aware of this and attack those weak points.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Not ready for Core Web Vitals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Core Web Vitals is Google\u2019s algorithm update that evaluates user experience and consists of three elements. The lower your website scores for each of the following elements, the lower it ranks on SERP:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Largest contentful paint (LCP)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cumulative layout shift (CLS)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First input delay (FID)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/web-development-agency-chicago\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">web development agency in Chicago<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suggests building a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/custom-coded-websites\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">custom-coded website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for your business. We aim to back up our eye-catching front-end with meticulously executed code. All the things that builders provide require tens of thousands of lines of code to execute, while our developers achieve better results with just a few hundred techniques. This way, we manage not to overcrowd websites with redundant elements that slow down web pages. As a result, websites created from scratch score higher in search engines, check every Core Web Vitals\u2019 box and provide a better user experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/277125\/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over a half of website traffic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> coming from handheld devices, another critical thing to ensure is mobile-friendliness, so our clients\u2019 users would enjoy a consistent experience across all platforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our custom code also allows us to provide a higher level of SEO optimization since the website created this way can attract increased quantities and better quality organic traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a final touch, we add an extra layer of security, virtually eliminating the chances of cyber attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"qaaudit\">Step 13: Quality assurance audit and execution<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this step, we review our visual design, micro-interactions, and copywriting by cross-referencing the developed design with our client\u2019s handed-off design and aim to spot if there are any inconsistencies. That helps us deliver the product within the set timeframe as we can detect issues that may prevent the website from functioning correctly and harm the user experience. The number and the order of activities included in our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/qa-design-process\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">design QA checklist<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> vary depending on the extent of the work and our client\u2019s business goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our quality assurance process includes several stages:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Analyze requirements<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It is more cost-effective for our clients when we fix bugs detected during testing than when we attempt to prevent them later. That\u2019s why our staff that works on the QA process is also involved in analyzing and defining software requirements. When our tests are designed specifically for the software we are testing, the entire process becomes much more manageable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Plan the test<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: We use the information gathered during the previous stage to plan necessary tests. The plan includes testing strategy, scope, budget, and deadlines. Our professionals also highlight the required types and levels of testing, methods, and bug detection tools, as well as dedicate resources and responsibilities to each team member.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Design the test<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: We create test cases and checklists according to software requirements during this stage. Test cases include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conditions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Methods for validating functionalities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expected results<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We start with exploratory testing that mimics user behavior to discover bugs our client\u2019s visitors may encounter. In case the test scope requires an automation strategy, we also craft related scenarios during this stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also prepare the execution for the staging environment, which is the exact copy of the production environment and includes everything from hardware specifics and software configurations to network configuration and databases.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Run tests and report defects<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The development team starts by performing unit tests, followed by tests at API and UI levels performed by the QA team. The QA team runs tests either by manually executing previously designed test cases or by automating test scenarios with the help of automated test frameworks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Run re-tests and regression tests<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Once we fix each bug, we test all the functions once again to ensure no anomalies slip through. Regression tests follow that to verify these corrections introduced no unintended breaks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Run release tests<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Developers first issue a release notification which is a list of implemented features, fixed bugs, recurring issues, and limitations. Then the QA team identifies reworked functionalities and creates modified tests to cover the scope of the new build. The new build is subjected to smoke tests that check its stability before modified tests are executed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once all the stages are completed, our quality assurance team generates a report, and we proceed to the next step.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"finalupdates\">Step 14: Client feedback and final updates<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once again, we ask our client to give us feedback on the work done so far. In case there are any additional requests or suggestions, our team will make the final updates and pushes the website to live.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"push\">Step 15: Website push to live<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each of our websites has a staging environment that allows us plugins or code modifications before we push them to live. Since the staging website doesn\u2019t affect the live version, our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wordpress-maintenance-chicago\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WordPress maintenance company<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can also make subsequent changes. Once we make sure that everything is in order, we proceed to push the website to live.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We aim to push the website during low traffic times and have our developers ready just in case. It is essential to create a website backup that we can revert to if needed, double-check the staging version, and resolve any errors. Once the push is executed, we purge any built-in cache in the plugins, clear the browser cache, and test the website.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our website creation process is the product of experience gathered throughout the years of delivering top-quality websites within the agreed time frame. We can proudly say that it brought us much success and helped create meaningful relationships with our clients. Our secret is out, so you are now free to use our blueprint to your liking or tailor it to suit your specific needs. We genuinely hope this scheme will serve you as well as it serves us.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you ready to learn how to make a website that can generate revenue as soon as it gets launched? Learn from our expertise that comes from over 500 websites built, and count on knowledge that most web developers and designers overlook in the website creation process: the website strategy and a workflow that ensures &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[354],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-web-development"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Development Steps From Concept to Profits - Alpha Efficiency.\u2122<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In today\u2019s article, our web design agency in Chicago presents our own website creation process in nearly five thousand words.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Development Steps From Concept to Profits - Alpha Efficiency.\u2122\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In today\u2019s article, our web design agency in Chicago presents our own website creation process in nearly five thousand words.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alpha Efficiency.\u2122\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/alphaefficiency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-07-02T16:33:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brian Dordevic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@alphaefficiency\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@alphaefficiency\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brian Dordevic\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"22 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Brian Dordevic\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c0b54b692c44cd01148ff8feabe433b0\"},\"headline\":\"Create A Website: Development Steps From Concept to Profits\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-07-02T16:33:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process\"},\"wordCount\":4827,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/pillarpages-1024x768.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Web Development\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process\",\"name\":\"Development Steps From Concept to Profits - Alpha Efficiency.\u2122\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/pillarpages-1024x768.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-07-02T16:33:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c0b54b692c44cd01148ff8feabe433b0\"},\"description\":\"In today\u2019s article, our web design agency in Chicago presents our own website creation process in nearly five thousand words.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/website-creation-process#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/pillarpages.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/pillarpages.png\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Alpha Efficiency.\u2122\",\"description\":\"Make it. Development and Digital Agency in Chicago.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c0b54b692c44cd01148ff8feabe433b0\",\"name\":\"Brian Dordevic\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ea1ae08900ee894b4d15c1ab314cadcd894a8841f9ec9df42ea48a5b9d64bb7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ea1ae08900ee894b4d15c1ab314cadcd894a8841f9ec9df42ea48a5b9d64bb7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ea1ae08900ee894b4d15c1ab314cadcd894a8841f9ec9df42ea48a5b9d64bb7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brian Dordevic\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alphaefficiency.com\\\/author\\\/briandordevic\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Development Steps From Concept to Profits - Alpha Efficiency.\u2122","description":"In today\u2019s article, our web design agency in Chicago presents our own website creation process in nearly five thousand words.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Development Steps From Concept to Profits - Alpha Efficiency.\u2122","og_description":"In today\u2019s article, our web design agency in Chicago presents our own website creation process in nearly five thousand words.","og_url":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process","og_site_name":"Alpha Efficiency.\u2122","article_publisher":"http:\/\/facebook.com\/alphaefficiency","article_published_time":"2022-07-02T16:33:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Brian Dordevic","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@alphaefficiency","twitter_site":"@alphaefficiency","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brian Dordevic","Est. reading time":"22 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process"},"author":{"name":"Brian Dordevic","@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c0b54b692c44cd01148ff8feabe433b0"},"headline":"Create A Website: Development Steps From Concept to Profits","datePublished":"2022-07-02T16:33:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process"},"wordCount":4827,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages-1024x768.png","articleSection":["Web Development"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process","url":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process","name":"Development Steps From Concept to Profits - Alpha Efficiency.\u2122","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages-1024x768.png","datePublished":"2022-07-02T16:33:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c0b54b692c44cd01148ff8feabe433b0"},"description":"In today\u2019s article, our web design agency in Chicago presents our own website creation process in nearly five thousand words.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/website-creation-process#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pillarpages.png","width":1600,"height":1200},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/","name":"Alpha Efficiency.\u2122","description":"Make it. Development and Digital Agency in Chicago.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c0b54b692c44cd01148ff8feabe433b0","name":"Brian Dordevic","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ea1ae08900ee894b4d15c1ab314cadcd894a8841f9ec9df42ea48a5b9d64bb7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ea1ae08900ee894b4d15c1ab314cadcd894a8841f9ec9df42ea48a5b9d64bb7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ea1ae08900ee894b4d15c1ab314cadcd894a8841f9ec9df42ea48a5b9d64bb7e?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Brian Dordevic"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com"],"url":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/author\/briandordevic"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17849\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphaefficiency.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}