About a year ago, I reflected on the length of a few small website projects that had been sitting on my plate, lingering month after month. They should have been completed and launched long before, but I was strapped down, waiting for my loved clients to respond. I began to wonder, what was I doing wrong?
I came up with a concept that I call “Website Development Day“, aka WDD. The idea is a backwards approach – to prep EVERYTHING upfront. We plan the project size, the needed functionality, and have all the content and images and other related files ready to go, rather than talking about design preferences first. After all, isn’t it better to fit the design to the content, rather than squishing the content into the design?
The name “Website Development Day” came about thinking that there are many excellent platforms to take advantage of. Through use of those platforms, we can minimize time and budget. Small websites, with the proper preparation, could literally come together in a day. Though this concept has worked a few times, I’ll be honest – 1-day build-it projects are few and far between. BUT, the idea still stands strong.
Instead of a 1-day project, I’ve transformed WDD into a collaborative work-session with my clients. We spend a one-on-one up to 4 hours together working on the initial build out of the website (or in cleaning up an existing website). The benefits are huge… development of the website moves forward in tandem with client training and immediate decision making (no more of that long lingering). Have you ever had a web developer offer 4 hours of training for a small website project? Probably not.
WDD projects are not for everyone. But, if you’re a start-up, or a small business… even a medium sized business… the WDD approach may be just right for you. They are more affordable, and they leave you in a post-project position of control, having in-house access to website maintenance. And a plus side, I’m always here to help out down the road.
*WDD one-on-one work sessions are also great for business owners that have begun their website themselves, taking control of the DIY approach, but need a little guidance in design, consistency, and/or technicalities. Consider booking a WDD one-on-one session to knock out your website enhancements together, or schedule a Pick My Brain Session to give you the ideas and resources you need to tackle your website enhancements yourself!!
Interested in how a Website Development Day may fit into your company web presence? Learn more about WDD and contact me for a consultation where you can learn What Would Website GURL Do? “WWWGD” 😉
