Behind the Build: What It's Really Like Creating Websites

People often ask what building websites is actually like. They imagine either magic (you press some buttons and a website appears) or chaos (endless frustration and technical nightmares).

The truth is somewhere in between, and probably more interesting than either extreme.

Here's a look behind the curtain.

It Starts with Listening

Before a single pixel gets designed or a line of code gets written, there's a lot of conversation.

What does the business actually do? Who are their customers? What should visitors do when they land on the site? What's worked before? What hasn't?

This part takes longer than most people expect. But it's the foundation everything else rests on. Rush it, and you build the wrong thing beautifully.

The Design Puzzle

Design isn't just making things pretty. It's solving a communication problem.

How do we guide someone from "I just landed here" to "I want to get in touch" in the clearest, most frictionless way possible?

Every element on the page either helps that journey or hinders it. The hero section, the navigation, the calls to action, the testimonials, the contact form: each has a job to do.

Getting this right involves a lot of drafting, feedback, and refinement. First attempts are rarely final attempts.

The Technical Reality

Then comes the building. And this is where things get interesting.

A website isn't just what you see. It's a collection of interconnected systems:

• Design files that need to become actual pages
• Forms that need to send data somewhere useful
• Content that needs to be easy to update
• Hosting that needs to be reliable
• Security that needs to be solid
• Speed optimisation that affects everything

Each piece has its quirks. Browsers behave differently. Mobile devices add complexity. What works on your laptop might break on someone's phone.

The Debugging Dance

Here's something most clients don't see: the amount of time spent figuring out why something isn't working.

A button that works perfectly on desktop but not on Safari mobile. A form that submits correctly except when there's an emoji in the message. An image that loads fine everywhere except on slow connections.

Web development involves a lot of "that's weird, let me investigate."

It's rarely glamorous. But it's necessary. The difference between a website that works and a website that really works is in these details.

The Content Challenge

Even with perfect design and flawless code, a website needs content. And content is often where projects slow down.

Writing about your own business is surprisingly hard. You're too close to it. Everything seems important. It's difficult to see it from a stranger's perspective.

Some clients come with content ready. Others need help figuring out what to say. Both are valid: the key is being honest about which camp you're in.

The "Done" Moment

There's a specific moment in every project when the site goes live. You've tested everything. You've checked it on multiple devices. You've run through the forms. You've reviewed the content.

And then you flip the switch.

It's satisfying. After all the back-and-forth, the tweaking, the debugging: here's something real, out in the world, doing its job.

That moment never gets old.

What Clients Don't See

• The late night when something wasn't working and we needed to figure out why
• The research into how other sites in the same industry approach similar problems
• The three design directions we explored before finding the right one
• The security updates and optimisations happening in the background
• The testing on devices we don't even own, using browser tools

A lot of website work is invisible. That's by design: if we've done our job well, it looks effortless.

The Ongoing Relationship

Launching isn't really the end. Websites need maintenance, updates, content refreshes, security patches.

The best client relationships are ongoing. We get to know the business better over time. The website evolves with it.

Why We Do It

Building websites is problem-solving. It's taking a business with goals and creating something that helps achieve them.

When a client messages to say their new site is bringing in enquiries, or that customers comment on how professional it looks: that's why we do this.

It's not magic. It's work. But it's work that creates something tangible and useful.

And that's pretty satisfying.