Sobiaonline Website Design Process: What to Expect

What to expect from Sobiaonline’s website design process

At Sobiaonline, we begin by understanding your business and what your website needs to achieve. Before work begins, we confirm the final scope, deliverables and timeline in writing. We also agree the page structure with you before the build starts, and you work directly with the person responsible for understanding and delivering your website.

The Sobiaonline website design process involves preparation on both sides. We provide design, development and guidance; you help us understand your business, make content available and provide clear feedback. Website design requires a 60% initial payment, with the remaining 40% due as soon as the project is completed and before full client handover. Every new website also includes six months of technical maintenance after launch.

The sections below explain what you can expect and which project-specific details to settle before committing to a schedule.

Start with your enquiry and project information

Your enquiry gives us the starting information for discussing a suitable website. Our contact form asks for your contact details, business or organisation name, required service, estimated budget, preferred start time and project goals. You can also tell us whether you already have a website and choose email, phone or WhatsApp as your preferred contact method.

Describe what the website needs to help people do. For example, a consultancy might need visitors to understand its services and request a meeting. An NGO might need to explain its programmes and make reports accessible. These are useful starting points for discussing pages and functionality.

If you have a target date, mention it in your enquiry. Your preferred start time helps explain your plans; it is not a confirmed commencement or delivery date.

Prepare your business details, branding and content

We need information about your business, services, target audience and website goals. Existing branding, photographs and draft content are helpful. Before discussing the project, gather what you already have:

• A clear description of your business or organisation and the people you serve.
• Your main services or products and the information customers need before enquiring.
• Your logo, available brand materials and suitable photographs.
• Draft page content and accurate contact details.
• Your existing website address, if this is a redesign.

We provide guidance on planning and organising content where necessary. This is different from automatically including every content task. Before work begins, clarify who will write and edit the text, source images, upload content and approve the final copy. Knowing who owns each task helps you assess how ready the project is to proceed.

Confirm the scope and page structure before work begins

Your initial project information explains what you want to achieve. The written scope sets out what we will deliver. We confirm the final scope, deliverables and timeline in writing before work begins, so you can assess the agreed work against your business needs.

We also agree the page structure with you before the build starts. Think about the information visitors need and how the proposed pages will help them find it. A service business, for instance, may need to distinguish between several services rather than place everything on one general page.

When comparing website packages and additional functionality, identify any requirements beyond the selected package. We discuss these according to your business needs and website goals, and quote separately where they fall outside the package.

A useful scope check is simple: are the required pages, features, content responsibilities and intended delivery date clear? Raise anything essential before work begins rather than assuming it is included.

Clarify domain, hosting and recurring costs

We can guide you through domain registration, hosting selection and the technical setup needed for your website. If you already have a domain and hosting, we can review the existing setup.

Domain and hosting are registered in your name so you retain ownership and control. We explain ownership, renewal responsibilities and recurring costs before work begins. Do not assume that registration or hosting fees are included in the website design price; clarify the costs for your project.

It is also worth agreeing who will receive renewal notices, how billing will be handled and which account access you will need. For an existing website, raise any account or transfer questions early so they can be considered alongside the planned work.

Understand website design payments and timing

Your budget and schedule need to account for both the agreed work and the information required to deliver it. Payment arrangements are separate from decisions about launch approval and handover contents.

The 60% initial payment and 40% completion balance

Our website design payment arrangements are:

• 60% before work begins: this down payment is required to start the website design project.
• 40% on completion: the remaining balance is due as soon as the project is completed and must be paid before full client handover.
• Full payment upfront: you may choose to pay the entire website design cost before work begins.

For budgeting purposes, plan to have the completion balance available when the project is finished. It is not a payment that can simply wait until a later launch date.

Website maintenance is paid monthly or annually. The website-design 60%/40% structure does not apply to maintenance. Every new website includes six months of technical maintenance, with continuing maintenance available separately afterwards.

Indicative timing depends on scope and content readiness

A Starter website generally takes about one to two weeks once content is available. Business, Ecommerce and custom projects take longer. The actual schedule depends on scope, content readiness and required functionality, and we confirm the agreed timeline before work begins.

If your website supports a promotion, event or reopening, tell us about that date at the start. Identify any unfinished text, missing photographs or undecided requirements alongside it. This gives the scheduling discussion a more realistic starting point.

Our guide to website build timing and content readiness explains these planning considerations. Treat the Starter estimate as guidance, not a guaranteed launch deadline.

Design, communication and client feedback

You work directly with the person responsible for understanding and delivering your website, and we provide updates throughout the project. This gives you a direct route for discussing requirements and raising questions.

Every new website includes:

• Essential on-page SEO.
• A logical heading structure.
• A design that works across desktop, tablet and mobile devices.
• Performance-conscious development.

These are part of our website design services and inclusions. Ongoing optimisation or more advanced SEO can be discussed separately when required. Search setup is a deliverable, not a guarantee of rankings, traffic, enquiries or commercial success.

We expect timely, clear feedback throughout the project. To make your feedback useful, identify the page or section, explain the problem and state the correction you need. For example, “Replace this service description because we no longer offer delivery” is more actionable than “This section feels wrong”.

Before work begins, clarify how designs will be presented, how many review rounds are included, what counts as a revision and who will approve changes. If several colleagues need to contribute, we recommend choosing one person to consolidate their comments. This helps avoid conflicting instructions without assuming a particular review format or allowance.

What to clarify about launch and full handover

Launch makes the website available to visitors; handover concerns what you receive and need to manage it. Agree the practical arrangements for both as part of your project discussion.

Useful questions include:

• Who will approve the website going live?
• Which checks will be carried out before launch, including checks on important forms or functions?
• How will deployment be handled, particularly if an existing website is being replaced?
• Which accounts, credentials, files or documentation will you receive?
• Is any training included, and what will it cover?

We structure websites for practical day-to-day content management. That does not mean you should assume a particular training session or handover package is included. Explain what your team expects to update, and clarify the access and guidance needed for those tasks.

Remember that the completion balance must be paid before full client handover. Confirming handover details early helps you plan for both payment and the website’s day-to-day use.

After launch: included technical maintenance

Every new website includes six months of technical maintenance after launch. This covers essential updates, backups, security monitoring and correction of technical faults within the agreed project scope.

Technical maintenance is not the same as unlimited website changes. The included support does not cover unlimited redesign or ongoing content entry. If you expect regular additions, such as new service pages, project reports or product information, discuss those requirements separately rather than treating them as technical fault correction.

Before launch, clarify the exact start date of the included maintenance period, how to report an issue and the support arrangements for your project. Continued maintenance can be arranged separately after the included period, with monthly or annual payment.

Ready to discuss your website? Send your project details to Sobiaonline, including what your business does, what the website needs to achieve and any target date. Include the materials you already have so we can discuss scope, content needs and a suitable schedule.