Website design and development in Texas

Start with who will update the site. WordPress suits a team that publishes often and wants to edit most pages itself. Its plugins offer a wide choice of features, though someone needs to keep the installation updated for security. A custom-coded site in Next.js suits a business that wants fast pages, tight security and a design without template limits. The trade-off is that a developer will usually handle structural changes.

A hosted builder such as Wix, Squarespace or Webflow suits a small site you want to run on your own. You give up some control over code and speed, and moving away later can mean rebuilding the site. Before choosing, consider how often your team will publish, who will make structural changes and how much control you want over the code. We recommend WordPress or a custom Next.js site after learning how your team works.

For a business open to the public, US Department of Justice guidance says that the ADA covers goods and services offered on the web and identifies WCAG as helpful guidance. We set an accessibility target in the brief and use it to guide the page designs. WCAG has different conformance levels, so agree the target before design decisions are made and identify it clearly for everyone working on the site.

Bring these details to make the brief more useful:

• Services or productsList them in business priority order so the home page and navigation lead with the right ones.
• Site goalIdentify the enquiries you want, such as calls or job applications, and who will handle each type.
• PhotosGather real images of your team, premises and finished work; book a photo shoot ahead if needed.
• Proof of workCollect case studies, permitted client logos, testimonials, certifications and memberships.
• Website examplesNote what you like or dislike about each, with a reason such as easy-to-find contact details.
• Account accessFind the logins for your domain, hosting, email, analytics and Search Console, or identify who holds them.

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  Putting accounts in an agency's name

  Hold the domain and hosting accounts in your business's name and grant access to the people doing the work.

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  Choosing a platform too early

  Decide who will make updates and how often before settling on the platform.

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  Reviewing only on a large screen

  Check every page on a phone before approving the design.

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  Leaving search setup until launch

  Check page titles, the sitemap and any development indexing block before the site goes live.