The Web Design Process

Getting Started: The Site Map

First, Chad and I talked about what the goals were for their website. Here are some of the questions we asked—

• • What do they wish it did that it doesn’t do now?
  • Who would be visiting the site?
  • What kind of information did their visitors want and need?
  • How could we make it easier for visitors to the site to get the information they’re looking for?
  • How could we cut down on the number of emails Chad and Valerie get?
  • What makes LiveLoveDance different than other dance studios?

These questions lead us to develop the site map above.

Starting with a good site map is key. It gives your site structure and a road map of where you want to go. You also don’t want your website to go more than 3–4 levels deep. This helps your user navigate your website more easily but also is good for SEO and your search rankings.

Partnering Up with Web Developers

After our site map was solid, I worked with my partners at Crown Point Solutions to set up a test site so we could work on the new site while still keeping the WIX site up and running. We also needed to confirm we’d be able to migrate their Microsoft email account once we set it up in WordPress since the domain registration and the email package were intertwined.

Up Next, Content Creation

Luckily, Valerie and Chad already had a wealth of content on their current website and in PDFs. I helped them take their existing content and organize it on their website. Making it more digestible to the reader and addressing different customer pain points throughout the site.

We placed calls-to-action at the bottom of the page for a “Free Trial Class” for customers considering the dance studio. And a “Register Now” menu item for those deciding to join a class. These small improvements should help increase their dance class enrollment numbers, yield mighty results, and have the bonus win of less time spent answering emails for Chad and Valerie so they can focus on what they love—kids, dance, and community.

Creating a Consistent Brand Identity

Keeping LLD’s existing logo and brand colors of hot pink and electric blue was essential to Chad and Valerie. They have tons of dancewear that sport their logo, vehicle decals, and ads in local magazines and papers.

Switching or not being true to their brand would’ve hurt their business. Plus, dance is fun. Hot pink and electric blue communicate the fun and excitement of dance. We bucked standard conventions a little and picked a more readable script font for the site from Google that would translate well on the web. The script is a big part of their brand identity and subconsciously communicates the movement of dance. 

Their logo was recreated from JPG artwork in Illustrator to scale it up and down without losing quality. Now, if they want, they can create a car wrap with it, and it will still look fabulous!

Launch Day!

After lots of collaboration on content, layout, and design, launch day came, and our partners at Crown Point Solutions switched on the site without a hitch. We are excited to partner with vendors and clients like Crown Point and LiveLoveDance Studio. If you have a moment, check them out. And keep dancin’.