Up until recently, I considered myself a “traditional web designer”. That meant that my website projects took about 6-9 months on average. They were quite an endeavor. And the results were totally worth it.

But. I started thinking, did they really have to take that long? That amount of time often tired out both myself and my clients. It felt like a marathon of website work, and by the end we were both a little tired of talking about it.

Now I haven’t been living under a rock, and I’ve seen other designers offer speedy-ass websites. But, they weren’t as well thought out or as well executed as my websites. I still wanted to build premium websites, chock-full of personality and little details that truly standout. So how could I condense the process? And not only that, but make the whole thing actually fun??

I needed a system. A smart system.

I spent my summer creating just that. I’ve worked behind-the-scenes re-branding, re-building and re-thinking my own business and my approach to websites. And after 10 years of experience in the biz, I’ve come up with my own way of doing things. The Launch Party way.

Let me tell you a little about Launch Party websites. The first rule is that Launch Party should be fun. Because while yes, building and launching a new site is a lot of work, it’s also so exciting. For my clients, it’s stepping out in the world in a big way.

The second rule of Launch Party is that websites have a purpose. You probably know that already, but does your website? I often see websites looking cute but leaving people hanging. Leaving sales on the table. Prompting me to close the tab before I’ve signed up for the list.

Now that doesn’t mean I’m introducing a new utilitarian design approach (clearly). In fact, design is the third rule. To have a standout website, you need standout design. The role of design is to elevate, excite and engage — to differentiate.

And the fourth rule is that you gotta tell people about your website. Simple, right? In other words, market your website, liberally. Getting people to your website is an essential part of your marketing pie, and a single social media post isn’t going to do it.

Now you know the rules, want to get into the nuts-and-bolts of how the Launch Party system actually works?

Week One: Strategy

Define the purpose of your website. Set specific goals for what you actually want your website to do. As tempting as it can be, don’t skip this part and go straight to the design. The clearer you get on the purpose of your website, the better. All of your other decisions around your website build from this week.

Week Two: Design

Begin noticing what you like about websites you visit, and what you don’t. Take notes. Create a secret Pinterest board to collect all of your website design inspiration. Comb through and notice any prominent styles.

Choose your color palette and fonts, then find supporting photos and graphics.

Week Three: Building

No matter what platform you’re using (the main 3 are WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace), there are some things you’ll need:

• A domain name
• Hosting (if you’re using WordPress)
• or a Shopify or Squarespace account
• Email address
• Your planned pages
• Accounts with the services you want to use (like Mailerlite, Acuity scheduling, etc)
• Your website copy
• Your design plan (colors, fonts and photography/graphics)

Week Four: Launch

This is the part where you get to talk about your website. Even the best website isn’t going to serve your business if people don’t know about it. So as you’re planning, designing, and building, keep in mind that you will need to tell people about this new site. That’s all marketing is!

Want more? I’ve created a guide and workbook with more details on each week of the Launch Party system.

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