Phase 1: Discovery
Discovery begins with a structured intake conversation covering the business, its market position in Jacksonville, the competitive landscape, target buyers, and the specific goals the website needs to achieve. We research competitors, particularly what is working and not working for businesses that rank well in Jacksonville’s local search environment. For redesign projects, we audit the current site’s performance before anything changes. Discovery ends with a written brief that every subsequent phase builds from.
Phase 2: Strategy and Architecture
Based on the discovery brief, we produce a sitemap and information architecture document: which pages exist, how they relate to each other, how the navigation is organized, and how each page serves both the buyer and the search engine. For Jacksonville businesses with multiple service areas or practice locations across Duval, St. Johns, and Clay counties, this phase determines the geographic SEO structure. The sitemap is reviewed and approved before any design begins.
Phase 3: Design
Design starts with the homepage and one to two interior page templates. We present design concepts, gather feedback, and refine through defined revision rounds with clear parameters. Once core templates are approved, remaining pages are designed to match the approved direction. We do not surprise clients with a design they did not expect, and we do not endlessly revise because the brief was unclear at the start.
Phase 4: Development
Approved designs are developed in WordPress. Development includes mobile implementation, performance optimization, CMS configuration, plugin setup, and full SEO configuration: URL structure, title tags, meta descriptions, schema markup, and Google Search Console connection. Development ends with a staging site review where the client can click through every page before anything goes live.
Phase 5: Content
For projects where Rawcut Creative is writing the copy, content is produced alongside design and ready to populate the site during development. For projects where the client provides content, we provide a content brief for each page and a review at population stage. No page launches with placeholder content or incomplete sections.
Phase 6: Launch and Handoff
Launch includes final quality assurance across all browsers and devices, performance verification, redirect implementation for redesigns, Google Analytics and Search Console setup, and domain transfer if needed. After launch, we deliver a documentation package covering CMS usage, update procedures, and support contact information. The client is not left with a launched site and no idea how to use it.
The web design process for Jacksonville businesses is ultimately a communication process as much as a design process. The projects that run smoothly and produce the best results are those where both sides communicate clearly at every phase. We facilitate this by providing a structured review framework at each milestone rather than asking open-ended questions that produce inconsistent feedback. At each review stage, we tell Jacksonville clients specifically what we want feedback on, what is fixed, and what can still change. This structure prevents the most common causes of project delays: late-stage feedback on decisions already made, and revision requests that contradict earlier approvals.
