Most web designers describe their process in vague phases — Discovery, Design, Development, Launch — as if that tells you anything useful about what actually happens or how long it takes.
This is what actually happens when you hire Ghost Runner, step by step, from deposit to launch.
Step 1: You Pay the Deposit and We Get to Work
Every project starts with a 50% deposit. Once that’s in, we’re locked in and moving.
No lengthy onboarding forms. No kickoff calls that could have been an email. The first thing I ask you is simple: send me every competitor website you love. Not websites you think are fine. Websites that genuinely make you think “I want something like that.”
Those links tell me more about your aesthetic instincts in five minutes than a two-hour discovery call would.
Step 2: Content and Requirements Gathering
While I’m reviewing your reference sites, I ask you about everything the new site needs:
- New written content — do you have it, or does it need to be written?
- Photos and video — existing assets, or do we need to plan for new ones?
- New functionality — contact forms, booking systems, client portals, e-commerce, anything beyond a standard informational site
This is also where we nail down the full scope. Every page, every feature, every integration gets identified before design starts — not discovered mid-project.
A note on content: This step used to be the biggest bottleneck in web design projects. Clients would hold up their own projects for weeks waiting to finalize copy. With AI writing tools now widely available, that’s largely resolved. Most clients come to this stage better prepared than ever.
Step 3: Research
Once I have your final content and reference links, I do a deep dive — studying every site you shared, analyzing what works about them visually and structurally, and identifying what patterns show up across your industry.
I’m not looking to copy anything. I’m building context so that every design decision I make is grounded in what actually works for your audience, not just what looks good in a vacuum.
Step 4: Design — Homepage First
The design process starts with one page: the homepage.
This isn’t arbitrary. The homepage establishes the visual language for the entire site — the typography, color application, spacing, imagery style, and overall tone. Every sub-page that follows is built to match it. Getting the homepage right first means the rest of the site has a foundation to build from.
I typically present one strong concept rather than three mediocre options. In my experience, presenting multiple concepts splits your attention and slows decisions. One well-considered direction is easier to evaluate and refine.
You’ll review the homepage design and we’ll go through up to two rounds of revisions before moving forward. Most clients get what they need within that range.
Step 5: Development
Once the homepage design is approved, development begins.
I build in a deliberate order:
- Navigation and footer first — these appear on every page, so they have to be right before anything else is built on top of them
- Homepage — translating the approved design into a fully functional, responsive page
- Sub-pages — built to match the homepage’s established visual language
- Mobile testing — every page reviewed and adjusted for phone and tablet before anything goes to you for review
Step 6: Client Review and Launch
When development is complete, I send you a private staging link to review the full site before it goes live.
You check everything — content accuracy, functionality, how it looks on your phone. When you’re satisfied, you give the go-ahead.
Then we launch.
Post-launch, I handle:
- Google Analytics setup and verification
- SEO plugin configuration (Rank Math or Yoast, depending on your setup)
- Accessibility review
- Caching and performance optimization
The remaining 50% balance is collected at launch.
How Long Does This Take?
For most projects:
- 5–7 page websites: 2–4 weeks from deposit to launch
- 10+ page websites: 4–6 weeks
The biggest variable is how quickly you can get me final content and approve design concepts. Clients who stay responsive move fast. The process doesn’t stall on my end.
After Launch: Ongoing Maintenance
Most clients choose to stay on a monthly maintenance plan starting at $50/month, which covers:
- Server hosting
- Regular WordPress and plugin updates
- Small site updates — image swaps, new team member additions, copy updates, and similar changes
If your site needs more active ongoing work, the monthly fee scales accordingly. You’re never locked into something that doesn’t fit what you actually need.
The Short Version
Deposit → reference sites → content gathering → research → homepage design → revisions → sub-page design → development → mobile testing → your review → launch → maintenance.
No surprises. No scope creep. No disappearing for three weeks and reappearing with something you didn’t ask for.
If you want to know what this looks like for your specific project, let’s talk.
