I’ve built 30+ of startup websites over the last 3 years.

Some took two days. Some took 3 weeks.

All of them followed the exact same process.

This is what helped us deliver this beautifully designed landing page for Ledger in 3 weeks.

Or what helped us increase the conversion rate of Timebite Branding by 350%!

Most people think a good website takes forever. That it’s this endless loop of meetings, design drafts, and “alignment.” But when your process is solid, you can move as fast as your client’s feedback allows.

So today, I’m going to leak our full process at Grauberg—step by step, from the moment a client signs up until their website goes live.

1. The Discovery Workshop

Every project starts with a discovery workshop.

It’s the single most important step.

Not because it’s a “nice kickoff,” but because it gives us clarity.

It sets the tone, defines the goals, and uncovers what the business actually does.

If we don’t understand the product, we can’t design a website that sells it.

1. What is the website supposed to do? Generate leads? Increase demo requests? Validate an idea?
2. How does it work? Why does it exist? What makes it different?
3. Who are they? What are they trying to achieve?

And then my favorite question — the one that usually stops clients in their tracks:

That single question reveals urgency, motivation, and relevance better than any persona template ever could.

We finish the workshop by looking at analytics and benchmarks.

What’s working today? What’s not?

If the old website converts at 1.3%, we want to know that before redesigning it — because design without metrics is just decoration.

Oooh and I almost forgot! The pro pro tip:

As preparation for the workshop, let the client find some websites they like. 3-5 of them. At the end of the workshop, I usually collect them in the same whiteboard file and ask what they like about them.

It helps us get a better idea of their idea of "style" and "beauty", which makes us ace the design phase.

2. Site Map & Structure

A few years ago, I used to start with Figma layouts immediately.

Now I don’t.

We first create a site map.

It’s basically a bird’s-eye view of what content needs to exist.

If you’re building a multi-page website with product, pricing, blog, and case studies — the site map will save your life.

It shows what types of pages you’ll need and how they connect.

If it’s just a one-pager with some legal pages, skip it. No need to overcomplicate.

The point of the site map is to define scope early.

It helps the client see what’s being built, and it helps us estimate work.

A good example is that in the sitemap you can identify “template pages”, so pages like “blog posts” or “case studies” that follow the same structure. This saves a lot of time!

After that, we go on to the structure of each page, very briefly. How a good landing page should be structured to convert well has already been figured out, so we usually don’t spend much time with the structure.

Once that’s locked in, we move to the most underrated step of all.

3. Copywriting Comes First

Most people start with visuals.

Wrong order.

Copy comes first. Always.

Why? Because copy defines structure, not the other way around.

If you design before writing, you’ll constantly redesign later — because the text doesn’t fit, or the message changes, or the call to action feels wrong.

We write in FigJam, not Figma.

It’s just boxes with text. No colors, no fonts, no distractions.

That’s intentional.

It forces everyone to focus on the message.

When we first tried this, something interesting happened. Clients who usually said “looks great” suddenly started asking questions like:

That’s when you know they’re engaged.

We also record a Loom walkthrough after every copy draft. I explain why each section exists and how it ties to the business goal.

Clients leave comments directly in FigJam, and we refine together until the story feels right.

3.5. Pro Tip: Gathering Assets

While copy is being finalized, we start collecting all visual assets:

• Logos
• Brand guidelines
• Product screenshots
• Team photos
• Legal documents
• External links

This usually takes the client a few days.

That’s fine — it runs in parallel to design prep.

The goal here is simple: make sure when we start designing, nothing blocks us.

4. The Design Sprint

Now comes the fun part.

We open Figma and finally start turning text into visuals.

Our process:

1. It sets the entire tone.
2. Instead of clients saying no to one option, they can say yes to one they like.
3. It’s a massive time-saver and syncs perfectly with Webflow (if we also build the page)

The first design review happens fast.
Usually within a day or two.

5. Review & Iteration

Design reviews are async.

We send a Loom walkthrough explaining:

• The logic behind the structure
• Why certain visuals were chosen
• How the flow supports conversion

Then clients drop comments in Figma.

Pro tip:

Tell clients what to give feedback on. Be specific.

“Can you let us know if you like option A or B?”

Otherwise they start focusing on details that don’t even matter at this specific step.

6. Prototype & Animation

Once all pages are approved, we build an interactive prototype in Figma.

Nothing fancy — just enough to show how scrolling feels, how sections fade in, how buttons behave.

This helps clients see the website before development.

And it reduces surprises later.

7. Handoff

At this point, everything’s ready for Webflow (or any other CMS).

Because we use the Relume Library, the handoff is smooth.

Designers and developers speak the same language.

Each section in Figma has a one-to-one match in Webflow.

So the handoff is literally copy → paste → style.

No endless back-and-forth.

No “can you send me the export?” emails.

The developer can build the site in hours, not weeks.

8. Final Step: Launch & Measurement

Once the site is live, we track performance.

The analytics from step one come back here — conversion rate, bounce rate, average time on page.

This is how we know if the redesign actually worked.

It’s not about prettier pixels. It’s about better numbers.

Final Thoughts

Most people underestimate how much process drives speed.

When clients follow the flow, the project feels effortless.

When they don’t, every step doubles in time.

The truth is:

A website isn’t slow because design takes long.

It’s slow because decisions do.

So whether you’re a founder or a designer — use this process.

Stick to the order. Respect the copy-first rule. Get feedback early.

And you’ll never again hear the sentence:

(If you’re a founder looking for a process like this, we run it every day at Grauberg. And if you’re a designer, steal it. It’ll make your projects twice as fast and ten times cleaner.)