If you've never worked with a web development agency before, the whole thing can feel like a bit of a black box. You send an enquiry, and then... what? How long does it take? What do you actually need to do? And when does the invoice show up?
We get it. So here's exactly what happens when you work with TLP Digital, from your first message to us right through to the site being live (and beyond).
1. We Have a Chat About What You Actually Need
Every project starts with a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll ask about your business, what you're trying to achieve online, and what problems your current site (or lack of one) is causing you.
From there, we figure out the practical stuff: do you need a CMS so you can update content yourself? What features actually matter for your business? Do you need booking forms, galleries, integrations with other tools? This isn't about upselling you on things you don't need - it's about understanding the job so we can recommend the right solution.
2. We Find the Right Plan for You
Once we know what you need, we'll talk you through our plans: Starter, Pro, and Agency. If you've read our other posts, you'll have seen us talk about one-off project pricing - we've since moved to a monthly retainer model instead, because it works better for the way most of our clients actually need support. Rather than a one-off invoice and then radio silence, every TLP Digital project now runs on a fixed monthly contract that covers your design and build, plus the ongoing maintenance and support your site will need once it's live.
Starter is a great fit if you need a solid, well-built site without a long list of extras. Pro adds more features and closer attention as your site grows. Agency is for businesses that want the full package - faster turnaround, deeper ongoing monitoring, and the most hands-on support. You can see full details on each plan on our pricing page.
Whatever the tier, every plan is built around the same idea: your site shouldn't be something you pay for once and then forget about. The web moves fast, and your site needs someone keeping an eye on it.
We'll help you land on the plan that actually fits your business, not the one that's easiest for us to sell.
3. Design
With the plan agreed, we start designing. This is where your site starts to take shape - layout, look and feel, how visitors will move through it, and how it reflects your brand.
We start by putting together wireframes — something like this:
Wireframing lets us lock in the structure first, then move on to the polished design — like this:
You'll get to review the design before anything gets built. This is the stage to say "I love this" or "actually, can we try that differently" - much easier (and cheaper) to change now than once it's coded.
4. Build
Once you've approved the design, we get to work building the actual site. This is where our full-stack approach makes the biggest difference: because we're not stitching together off-the-shelf plugins and templates, we can build exactly what you need, and it performs properly - fast load times, clean code, no unnecessary bloat slowing things down.
Behind the scenes, this stage covers both the front end (what your visitors see and interact with) and the back end (the CMS, if you've got one, plus any features or integrations we agreed on earlier).
5. Testing, Staging & Training
Before anything goes near your live domain, we test everything thoroughly and send you a staging link - a private preview of your finished site that only you can see. This is your chance to click through everything, check it on your phone, try out the CMS, and make sure it all works exactly how you expected.
If you'll be managing content yourself, this is also when we walk you through how to use it - so you're not left guessing after launch.
6. Launch
Once you're happy and everything's signed off, we deploy the site live. This is a genuinely exciting moment (for us too, honestly) - but it's not the end of the relationship. It's really just the start.
7. Ongoing Care
This is where the monthly plan really earns its keep. After launch, we keep monitoring your site's SEO and performance to make sure it stays fast and stays visible - because a site that ranked well on launch day can quietly slip if nothing's watching it.
We also handle any maintenance and updates your site needs going forward, so you're not left trying to fix things yourself or chasing down a developer months later.
For clients on our Pro and Agency plans, we use an internal AI-powered tool that keeps a close eye on Lighthouse scores - the metrics Google uses to judge things like speed, accessibility, and overall site health - flagging issues early so we can act on them before they become a problem you notice.
The Short Version
Enquiry, discovery chat, the right plan, design, build, staging and training, launch, then ongoing care that doesn't stop once the site's live. No jargon, no disappearing after invoice, no template shortcuts.
If you're thinking about a new site or a redesign and want to know what that would actually look like for your business, get in touch - we're happy to walk you through it.