Ian JacksonWeb Developer

Process

How a site actually gets built.

Most people who have had a website built before have a bad story about it: silence for a month, a surprise invoice, a login they never received. Here is the whole thing in advance so none of that is a surprise.

  1. A conversation

    30 minutes

    A 30-minute call or a long email — whichever you prefer. I want to understand what the business does, who you are trying to reach, and what the site has to achieve. No pitch deck.

    Your partTell me what is not working today.

  2. A written proposal

    2–3 days

    You get a fixed scope, a fixed price and a delivery date in writing before anything starts. If the honest answer is that you need something smaller than you asked for, that is what the proposal will say.

    Your partRead it, ask questions, approve or walk away.

  3. Content and structure

    1 week

    We agree the sitemap and gather copy, photos and logos. This is the step that most often stalls a project, so I give you a simple checklist rather than a blank page, and I will write first drafts if you would rather not.

    Your partPhotos, logo, and anything you already have written.

  4. Design and build

    1–3 weeks

    I design in the browser rather than in a mockup tool, so what you review is the real thing on a real phone. You get a staging URL and see progress as it happens — no month of silence.

    Your partOne round of considered feedback.

  5. Review and refine

    3–5 days

    You get a structured review pass: everything on one link, with a place to leave comments. I fix, you re-check. Then the pre-launch gate — performance, accessibility, broken links, forms, mobile, and both light and dark modes.

    Your partFinal sign-off.

  6. Launch and handover

    1 day

    The site goes live on your own domain and hosting, in accounts registered in your name. You get a plain-English guide to editing your own content and a walkthrough recording. Then support for 14–30 days depending on your package.

    Your partNothing — this one is on me.

The short version

Three promises

  • You always know where it is up to

    A staging link from the first week, updated as I go. If you want to see progress at 11pm on a Tuesday, you can.

  • The price does not move

    The number in the proposal is the number on the invoice. Anything outside the agreed scope gets quoted separately, before I do it.

  • You leave owning everything

    Domain, hosting, code and content, in accounts in your name. If you sack me next year, you take the whole site with you.

Questions about working together

How involved do I need to be?

Realistically, a few hours in total: one conversation, one content-gathering session, and two rounds of feedback. The content step is where you carry the most weight, and I will help if writing is not your thing.

What if I do not have photos or copy?

That is normal. I write first drafts from our conversation, and I will advise on whether a photographer is worth the spend for your business or whether licensed images will do.

What happens if the project stalls at my end?

Life happens. I hold your slot for 30 days without penalty. Past that we agree a new date — I would rather reschedule honestly than have a half-finished site sitting there.

Do you work with businesses outside your area?

Yes. The whole process works remotely and most of my work is done that way. Video calls, a shared staging link and email cover it.

Ready to start at step one?

A 30-minute conversation, no obligation and no pitch deck. Worst case you leave with a clearer idea of what you need.

Start a conversationSee what it costs