Building your website, step by step: My procress for Small Business Success
We are a web design company in Los Angeles. When you partner with Bluewater Road Tech & Design, you get a thought partner who will listen, plan, and build with intention. I specialize in working with small businesses, not large corporations, so every step of the process is personal, collaborative, and transparent. More often than not, I continue to support my clients long after our project ends, because I help ensure ongoing success of the business. For new clients looking to create a website for their business, or enhance their existing one, here’s what my process entails - 5 simple steps.
Step 1
〰️
Consultation
〰️
Step 1 〰️ Consultation 〰️
We start with a consultation to discuss your goals, challenges, and what success looks like for your brand. This first meeting also ensures that I’m the right designer for your needs — a fit that’s essential for both of us.
If you’re, say, a local fashion company based in Malibu, you might want a site that sells your products, introduces your brand story, and creates trust through Contact and Cunstomer Services pages. That clarity helps share our roadmap.
Step 2
〰️
Define Requirements
〰️
Step 2 〰️ Define Requirements 〰️
Next, we hold a requirements meeting to clarify eactly what we need to accomplish together — from e-commerce functionality to brand storytelling to account logins for tracking orders.
From this, I create a requirements document, outlining the full scope and flow of the project. It keeps us both organzied and aligned in perspective of objectives, schedule, and cost.
Step 3
〰️
Wireframe
〰️
Step 3 〰️ Wireframe 〰️
Once the requirements are approved, I build a wireframe — think of this as the blueprint to your site. It’s a simple, visual layout showing page structure and navigation before we dive into design. My clients know this, but I remind them often, “design comes last”. This is important to note, because often times, clients want to see the look and feel of the site, before the website foundation is established. And to save time, and prevent rework, I always establish the website framework first, then we work on design.
During our review of the wireframe, I’ll walk you through how users will move through your website, and gather your feedback before any code or styling begins.
Step 4
〰️
Platform & Development
〰️
Step 4 〰️ Platform & Development 〰️
Depending on your business needs and expected site traffic, I’ll recommend either Squarespace or Shopify for your website hosting platform. As a Squarespace Ambassador, I can guide you through the advantages of both platforms so your website performs beautifully from day one.
During step 4 for platform and development, the focus is entirely on building and refining the platform. This is where I will work extensively on the backend, ensuring that application logic functions well. Simultaneously, the frontend UI and UX are developed to create an intuitive and engaging user experience. The goal is to integrate design with functionality, making sure the website is both visually appealing and highly usable. This step is critical for turning the project’s vision into a working, polished product.
Step 5
〰️
Transparent Collaboration
〰️
Step 5 〰️ Transparent Collaboration 〰️
Throughout the project, all of my hours are logged in real time in a shared Google Sheet, so you always know where your investment stands. My clients love this transparency — and I love that it keeps our collaboration grounded in trust.
If you’re ready to create a modern, strategic, website that reflects your business and converts visitors into customers, let’s get a free consultation scheduled.
