Nobody can honestly promise you'll love a website before it exists. What we can do is build the project so you approve each stage before we move on: discovery first, then mockups you sign off on, then a defined set of revision rounds.

Website design is a service NerdSquad is adding alongside our managed IT work. Any web designer will say they stand behind their work. What actually decides whether you end up happy is how the project is structured before anything is built, so that's what this article explains.

How the process works

There's no big reveal at the end, where we unveil something built in secret and hope you like it. Instead, the project moves in stages, and you approve each one.

1. Discovery

Before any design work starts, we talk about your business, your customers, the sites you like and dislike, and what this site needs to do. A site built to generate leads looks different from one built to inform existing customers or take appointments. We need to know which one we're building, who will maintain it and what content you already have.

2. Setting expectations

If your budget, timeline and goals don't line up, or if we're not the right fit for the project, we'll say so before we start. That's the simplest way to avoid a disappointing result. For planning, see how long it takes to build a website and what web design costs.

3. Mockups and approval

You see design mockups of the key pages before we build anything. You give feedback, we refine, and the design direction moves forward only when you approve it.

4. Revision rounds

Each project includes a defined number of revision rounds, agreed at the start. Feedback is collected at each stage, so by the time we're building the real site, the design has already been through your review more than once. Changes after sign-off, or new features added midway, are handled as a scope conversation so nothing is a surprise on the invoice.

5. Build, review and launch

Each major milestone (design direction, page layouts, functionality) gets your sign-off before the next one starts. You review the finished site before it goes live, and we fix anything that doesn't match what was approved.

What a good result looks like

A site you're happy with is more than a nice look. It should:

• Reflect your brand, not a template hundreds of other businesses are using
• Work the way your visitors expect: quick to load, easy to navigate and readable on a phone
• Do the job you hired us for, whether that's capturing leads, booking appointments or making a credible first impression
• Be something you can update without calling us for every small change. See whether you'll be able to update your website.

We review the site against these points with you before launch.

What we won't promise

• Unlimited revisions. Revision rounds are defined at the start. If the direction changes significantly after sign-off, we'll talk about scope before doing more work.
• Search rankings. Search engine optimization is its own discipline, and rankings depend on many factors outside any designer's control. We build the site properly (clean structure, good load times, sound on-page basics) so it has a fair chance.
• A result we can't deliver. If we don't think we're the right team for your project, we'll tell you up front instead of finding out halfway through. That's the same approach we take in matching our experience to your business.

Why it's set up this way

Most website disappointments come from a gap between what the client pictured and what the designer built. Discovery, approved mockups and agreed revision rounds close that gap early, when changes are cheap, instead of at launch, when they aren't.

If you're planning a new site or a redesign, contact us and we'll start with the discovery conversation.

Talk to NerdSquad

Already a client? Call (239) 465-0079 or submit a ticket. If something is down, call so we can start right away.

Not a client yet? NerdSquad Managed IT Services is a Managed Service Provider (MSP) based in Naples, Florida. We support businesses onsite across Southwest Florida and remotely nationwide. Book a discovery call or call (239) 465-0079.

Related: Ask about website design