You've chosen a provider for your first professional website. You've signed. Now what? For most of our clients, it's a leap into the unknown: they've never been through a web project, and no one has explained what the coming weeks look like.
That uncertainty feeds well-documented fears: fear of paying too much, fear of being left in the dark, fear of being dependent on the provider, fear that the project drags on. They're all legitimate. The best answer we've found is transparency: here's how a project unfolds with us, from the first call to going live.
Before signing: a conversation, a quote, no surprises
It all starts with a 30-minute conversation, free, over video or by phone. We talk about your business, your goals and your budget. No jargon: if a technical term is needed, we explain it.
By the end of that conversation, you know three things: the total price of your project, the delivery timeline, and who will do what.
Since we're talking about transparency, we may as well give the figures here: our prices are public, from €770 for a one-page site, €1,370 for a multi-page site, €2,970 for an online store. On recurring costs, the list is short: the domain name (around €12 a year, registered in your name) and, only if you choose it, maintenance. The payment schedule is on the quote, like everything else.
A word about what you won't find with us, because it exists elsewhere and it does real damage. Press investigations and public accounts describe "free websites" that are actually 48-month rentals. In total, the customer pays several times the price of a normal site, for a site that's never theirs. At Pixel Prisme, you pay for the build once and everything is in your name. To know which questions to ask any provider before signing, we've written a dedicated guide on pricing and choosing a provider.
Step 1: Immersion
The first step lives up to its name: we dive into your business. Your goals (generating quote requests? building trust? selling online?), your typical customers, what sets you apart from your competitors, and the sites you like.
What we ask of you at this stage:
- Your goals, even put simply: "I want people to call me" is an excellent brief.
- Two or three examples of sites you like (and why).
- A stock-take of your content: do you have text, photos, a logo?
This is also where we list together what's missing and who handles it. This point looks trivial; it's actually the most important in the project. Public guides for small businesses (France Num, in particular) and the industry's own experience agree: the number-one delay on a website project is the content the client has to provide and that never arrives. By scoping it out from day one, we defuse the problem before it exists.
Step 2: Design
Now we design your site: its structure (which pages, in what order, with which call-to-action buttons) then its visual identity, built from your logo, your colours and your trade.
You receive a design proposal. And this is where your role counts most.
What we expect from you: honest, consolidated feedback. Say what you like, what bothers you, what's missing, all at once rather than in ten messages spread over three weeks. Consolidated feedback within a few days is the difference between a project that moves forward and one that gets bogged down. And don't be afraid to criticise: you won't offend us, that's exactly what this stage is for.
And what if you don't like the design? Every plan includes several revision cycles (three to five depending on the plan): we rework it with your feedback until the site looks like you. The only thing that changes the equation is a complete change of direction mid-project ("actually, I'd like a totally different site"): in that case, we talk it through and re-quote before acting, never after.
Step 3: Development
Once the design is approved, we turn it into a real site: fast, secure, mobile-friendly and structured for Google. It's the stage where you have the least to do, and where we work the most.
Meanwhile, the content is finalised. Depending on what was agreed at Immersion, either you hand us your text and photos, or we build them together from your materials. In every case, you approve everything: it's your business that speaks, not ours.
You get regular updates on progress. It seems obvious; accounts of bad experiences show that radio silence after signing is one of the most frequent complaints against web providers. You'll never find yourself wondering "where is my site up to?".
Step 4: Go Live
Before going live, we test everything: every page on mobile and on desktop, every form, every link. You take your own tour of the site and sign off. Then your site goes live.
And above all: we train you. A session to learn how to edit your text, change a photo, update an opening time, publish a news post. The editing interface is simple, designed for non-technical people, and this independence isn't a paid extra: it's part of the delivery. If three months later you've forgotten a step, drop us a line: we'll walk you through it again. Your site is yours, and you should be able to keep it running without depending on us for every comma. We've actually written about why this independence changes everything in editing your site without depending on an agency.
After going live: what really happens
Two things to know so you don't worry needlessly.
Google takes its time. A new site is generally picked up by Google ("indexed") within two to six weeks, and visibility builds over several months. It's normal, it's the same for everyone, and your site is structured from the start so that this climb goes smoothly.
The first month is guaranteed. After going live, bug fixes are covered for one month: a display detail, a form that jams, a setting that's dropped out. It's written into our plans. After that, for one-off needs, you call on us as required; and if you'd rather delegate the ongoing upkeep (updates, backups, small changes), our optional maintenance starts at €37 a month. Optional in the literal sense: no hidden commitment, no forced renewal.
Our commitments, in black and white
This flow rests on specific commitments, which you can, incidentally, demand of any provider:
- Ownership is yours. Domain name registered in your name, content yours, credentials handed over. And your site is built on open, widely used technologies, not a closed proprietary tool: if you leave one day, you leave with everything, and another professional can take the site over.
- The price is known in advance. Our prices are public, the quote spells out what's included, and any new need arising mid-project leads to a conversation and a costing before we act.
- The timeline is known and met. Once your content is ready, the clock starts: 7 days for a one-page site, 14 for a multi-page one, 24 for a store. Let's compare honestly: the 6 to 10 weeks the industry guides cite for a showcase site include preparing the content, whereas our timelines come before it. That's where the real difference in method lies: with us, the content is gathered before the build begins, not during, and that's what avoids projects that drag on forever.
- You understand what's happening. Regular updates, jargon-free explanations, and decisions made with you. Our work is on show here if you'd like to judge for yourself.
What can knock a project off course (and how we avoid it together)
Let's be honest: a website project takes two, and delays almost always have the same causes. Knowing them is already half the battle.
On the client side, the classic one: content that doesn't arrive, and sign-offs that drag because the week was busy. We know it, we plan for it: that's why we scope the content from Immersion onwards and ask you for consolidated feedback on agreed dates. If you know a period is going to be busy, say so: we plan around it.
On the provider side, the known pitfalls are an over-optimistic schedule and a lack of updates. Our short timelines are only workable because they start with the content in hand; and regular communication isn't a courtesy, it's a method.
A well-scoped project at the start, content ready, consolidated feedback: those are the three ingredients of an on-time delivery. The rest is our job.
In short
A website project at Pixel Prisme follows four steps: Immersion (we understand your business and frame the content), Design (the structure and the design, which you approve), Development (we build, you approve the content), and Go Live (testing, launch, training). Your role is concentrated at the start and at the sign-offs; the timeline is known in advance and met; and at the end, the site, the domain and the content are yours, with the independence to keep it all running.
If you're considering your first site and this flow speaks to you, the starting point is always the same: a 30-minute conversation, free and with no strings attached. At the very least, you'll come away with a clear vision of your project.