A website project has the same stages wherever it is built: decide what the site is for, plan the pages and structure, design, build, set up hosting and tracking, launch, and look after the site afterwards. Projects rarely fail on the design. They fail because the planning stage was skipped or the technical setup was left out.
The stages of a website project
| Stage | What happens | Where it goes wrong |
|---|
| Purpose and content | Decide what the site must achieve and what it needs to say | Content is not ready, so the build waits |
| Structure | Pages, navigation and URLs are mapped before any design | Pages are added later and the URLs change |
| Design and build | Layout, text, images and code come together | Revisions are open-ended and the schedule slips |
| Technical setup | Hosting, SSL, analytics, Search Console, speed testing | Left out, so nobody can tell whether the site works |
| Launch and care | The site goes live and is maintained | Nobody owns updates, and the site ages |
The decisions that shape the result
Four decisions matter more than the visual design. The first is who builds the site, covered in how to choose a web designer in Kenya. The second is the price and what sits behind it, covered in how much a website costs in Kenya. The third is the platform, covered in WordPress or a custom website. The fourth is whether search visibility is built in or bolted on later, covered in what SEO-ready web design includes.
An existing site that is not working raises a different question: whether to fix it, redesign it or rebuild it. The guide on redesigning a website without losing rankings covers that choice.
Is this for a business my size?
A website is sized to what the business needs to say, not to a template page count. A one-person service business may need a few well-built pages. A clinic with several branches, a school, or a shop needs more, and the structure has to carry the extra pages without becoming a maze.
A business with no website at all, and customers who already find it by word of mouth, can start small and grow the site as the business grows.
Does this actually work?
A website works when it brings enquiries, and measuring that needs two things set up before launch: analytics and Search Console. Without them, nobody can say whether the site is doing anything.
A site does not bring visitors by existing. People arrive through search, through links shared on WhatsApp and social media, and through a Google Business Profile. A site built without search in mind can look excellent and still be invisible, which is the most common outcome of a project that skips the technical setup.
For design and development done with the search work built in, see web design and development in Kenya.