How we work
How we work, from first call to after launch
Hiring a team you may never meet in person takes trust, so here is exactly what happens and when: what you’ll see at each stage, what we’ll need from you, how long things usually take and how we keep in touch.
The short answer
What is it like to work with Smart Web Labs?
Structured and written down. After a first conversation you get a fixed scope, price and timeline to approve. The work then runs in stages you review on your own devices, with a short written update each week and a call when one helps. At launch you receive every login and a handover pack, and support continues only if you want it.
Stages
What happens at each stage?
Every project, from a single landing page to a full marketing programme, moves through the same six stages. Durations are typical for a small or mid-sized project, and your proposal gives the real ones. Each stage ends at a point where you approve the work or ask for changes.
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We listen first: what you sell, who buys it, what you’ve tried and what got in the way. You leave with our first thoughts on where the biggest gain is, even if you never hire us.
- You get
- An honest view of whether we’re the right fit.
- We need
- A rough idea of your goals, and links to anything that already exists.
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The conversation becomes a document you can check line by line: deliverables, exclusions, price, payment stages and dates. Ask about anything unclear; it’s cheaper to settle now than halfway through.
- You get
- A fixed scope and price, in writing.
- We need
- Answers to any follow-up questions, then a decision.
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Once you approve, we set up a shared folder and the channel we’ll talk on, and request access to the accounts the work needs. Anything new is registered in your name, never ours.
- You get
- A schedule with every review date on it.
- We need
- Account invitations, brand files and one person who can approve work.
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Design and build, campaign set-up or automation, depending on the project. You see work in progress at agreed checkpoints rather than one big reveal at the end, so changes stay small and cheap.
- You get
- A short written update every week.
- We need
- Feedback within the agreed time, usually two or three working days.
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Launch is a checklist, not a moment. Every item on the list further down this page is ticked off on real phones before the switch, which we time for a quiet hour in your business. The first days afterwards get extra attention, because that’s when small problems surface.
- You get
- The completed launch checklist.
- We need
- A final approval.
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We compare the results with the starting point and explain them plainly. If you’ve chosen ongoing support, the work continues month by month; if not, you keep everything and can come back whenever you like.
- You get
- A results report and the handover pack.
- We need
- Feedback on the enquiries and sales the work brings in.
By service
Do the stages change from one service to another?
The shape stays the same; what fills each stage differs. These are the main differences, so you know what to expect from a website, a campaign or an automation. Each service page goes into more detail.
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01 / Build
Websites
The work stage splits into words and wireframes, design, then build and testing, with your review at each step. Launch includes redirects from any old addresses.
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02 / Grow
Campaigns
Tracking is set up and tested before any ad runs. The first weeks after launch are a learning period, when big changes wait while the platforms gather data.
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03 / Automate
Automations
Rules and approved answers are written before anything is built, and the first month after launch is supervised, with conversations reviewed every week.
Timelines
How long does a typical project take?
From approved proposal to launch, most small and mid-sized projects take between one and twelve weeks. The type of project sets the range, and two things decide where in it you land: how quickly content and feedback arrive, and how many other systems the work has to connect to.
Landing page1–2 weeks
Business website3–8 weeks
Online store6–12 weeks
Ad campaignsLive in 1–3 weeks
AutomationLive in 1–3 weeks
SEOWeeks, then months
| Project | Typical time from approval | What sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | 1–2 weeks | How quickly the offer and the words are settled |
| Business website | 3–8 weeks | The number of page designs, and content arriving on time |
| Online store | 6–12 weeks | Catalogue size, payment set-up and delivery rules |
| Ad campaigns | Live in 1–3 weeks | Tracking set-up and the platforms’ ad reviews |
| Automation | Live in 1–3 weeks | WhatsApp approvals and the number of tools to connect |
| SEO | First fixes in weeks, results over months | Competition and the state of the site |
Next step
Have a deadline in mind?
Tell us what you need and by when. We’ll say honestly whether the date works, and send a written quote with the timeline spelled out.
What we need from you
What will you need to provide?
A few things only you can supply. We plan the project around them, because it can only move as fast as its slowest input, so it helps to know the list before you start. If you don’t have something, we’ll say whether it’s worth producing.
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One decision-maker
Someone who can answer questions and approve work. One named person with the authority to say yes keeps a project moving; a committee slows it down.
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Access to your accounts
Invitations to your domain, hosting, ad and analytics accounts at the access level we ask for. We’ll send a list, with instructions for each.
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What you know about your customers
Who buys, why, what they ask before buying and what puts them off. No research tool replaces twenty minutes with someone who sells to them every day.
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Brand material
Logo files, colours, fonts and photos you own. Photos of your real work and premises are worth more than any stock image.
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Facts and approvals
Prices, service details, policies and anything with legal weight, checked by you before it’s published.
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Feedback on time
Reviews within the window agreed in the proposal. If feedback arrives late, the schedule moves by the same amount, and nobody is surprised by it.
Keeping in touch
How will we keep in touch?
On a rhythm agreed at kick-off, so you never have to chase. A short written update each week says what was done, what comes next and anything we need from you. Calls happen at checkpoints, or whenever something is easier to explain by voice.
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Everyday
One channel for questions
Usually a WhatsApp group or an email thread, whichever your team actually reads. Decisions made there are repeated in the weekly update, so nothing gets lost in the scroll.
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Calls
Calls with a purpose
Video or phone calls are booked for reviews and decisions, with a short agenda beforehand and written notes afterwards. If a call isn’t needed, we don’t hold one.
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Time zones
Your hours, not ours
For clients abroad, the weekly update lands before your working day starts and calls sit in the hours we share. You won’t be asked to stay up late for a meeting.
Tools we use together
- WhatsApp and email
- Everyday messages and quick questions.
- Google Meet or Zoom
- Calls and screen-shared reviews. A plain phone call works too.
- Google Docs and Drive
- Proposals, content and reports, with comments on any line.
- Figma
- Design reviews you can open in a browser and mark up.
- A password manager
- The safe way to share a login when an invitation isn’t possible.
Access and security
How do you handle access to my accounts?
Carefully, and always in your name. You own every account; we work through access you grant, at the lowest level that does the job, and you can remove it in a few clicks. Passwords never travel through WhatsApp or email.
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Invitations, not passwords
Google Ads, Google Analytics, Search Console and Meta all let you add a person or a partner business to an account with a chosen role. That’s how we join, so your own login is never shared.
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The least access that works
A reporting role for reports, an editing role for building. When a task needs more, we ask, explain why and step back down afterwards.
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Two-step sign-in
Every account we use is protected by two-step verification, and we’ll help you switch it on for yours if it isn’t already.
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Access ends when the work does
At the end of a project or contract we remove our own access, hand back anything we created and confirm both in writing.
Changes and problems
What happens if plans change or something goes wrong?
Changes are normal, and they’re handled in writing. If you want something added, we price it before doing it and you decide. If we slip, we say so early, with a new date and the reason. If you’re unhappy, the written record of what was agreed keeps the conversation fair.
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New ideas mid-project
We note the request, estimate the time and cost, and wait for your yes. Small changes that fit inside the agreed scope are simply done.
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Delays on either side
If content or feedback arrives late, the schedule moves by the same amount. If we’re the cause, you hear it as soon as we know, not on the deadline.
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Something breaks after launch
Anything we built that doesn’t work as agreed is fixed at no charge, within the period set out in the proposal. Problems caused by later changes or other suppliers are quoted first.
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You’re not happy with the work
Tell us what’s wrong, measured against what was agreed. If we missed the brief, we put it right; if the brief has moved, we price the change. The written scope makes the difference easy to see, for both of us.
Launch checks
What do you check before anything goes live?
Everything a visitor or a search engine will touch. The list is the same for every project, adjusted to what was built, and you get it back completed with your launch notice. Nothing goes live with an item unticked.
- Every form, call and WhatsApp button reaches the right inbox
- Test enquiries appear in analytics and the ad platforms
- Pages load within their size budget on a mid-range phone
- Keyboard and screen-reader checks pass
- Old addresses redirect to their new pages in one step
- HTTPS and security headers are in place
- A backup exists and has been restored once as a test
- Prices, spelling and contact details match what you approved
No surprises
Want this process for your project?
Tell us what you’re planning. You’ll get a written quote that sets out the stages, dates and price before anything starts.
Handover and support
What do I get at handover, and what support is there afterwards?
A handover pack that lets you, or anyone you choose, run what we built: every login, a plain-language guide and a short recorded walkthrough. After that, support is optional. You can take a monthly plan, or ask for help as and when you need it.
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The handover pack
A list of accounts and access levels, where every file lives, how to make common changes and who to contact for what, written for someone who isn’t technical.
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Monthly plans
Care plans for websites, ongoing management for campaigns and SEO, and monitoring and tuning for automations, each quoted separately with the terms in writing.
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Help when you need it
Without a plan, you can still ask for help whenever you need it. We quote first, as we would for any other work, and start once you agree.
Questions
Questions about how we work
Practical answers about contracts, feedback, replies and what happens if we part ways. Cost, payment and support are covered on the FAQ page, and the Contact page lists every way to reach us.
Do I have to sign a long contract?
No. Projects are agreed one at a time, and monthly work runs month to month once any minimum period stated in the proposal has passed. You’ll know the terms before you agree to them.
What if I don’t like the design?
Say so early and in plain words: feedback at the wireframe and first-design stages is cheap to act on. The proposal sets how many rounds of changes are included, and any further rounds are quoted before we start them.
How quickly will you reply to messages during a project?
We agree it at kick-off, along with who covers when someone is away, and stick to it. Anything urgent, such as a site that’s down, should come by phone rather than email.
Can we pause a project?
Yes. If something on your side needs attention, we can pause at the end of a stage and pick up again later. The dates in the proposal move with the pause, and anything already delivered is yours.
Can we meet in person during the project?
If you’re in or near Guwahati, yes: kick-off and review meetings can happen at our office at Beltola Tiniali or at yours. Elsewhere, a video call with a shared screen does the same job.
What happens if we stop working together?
You keep everything: accounts, code, content and data were yours from the start. We remove our access, hand over anything in progress and answer questions from whoever takes over.
Get started
The first conversation is free
Send a few lines through the contact page or on WhatsApp, and we’ll take it from there, one written step at a time.
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