Searchlab Strategy & Design
Most website problems are structure problems wearing a visual disguise. We start with research and information architecture, prove the layout in wireframes, then build a design system your developers and your marketing team can both use. The result is a site that guides people instead of impressing them.
Discovery is short but real. We interview sales and support, because they hear the objections nobody writes down. We pull query data from Search Console and keyword research, review session recordings if any exist, and audit competitors for what they cover and what they miss. That gives us the demand map: what people search, what they need to see, and in what order.
Information architecture comes next. We group pages into topic clusters with a clear pillar and supporting pages, set URL patterns that stay readable as the site grows, and plan internal linking so authority and users both flow toward money pages. Card sorting and tree testing catch the labels that make sense internally but confuse buyers, which is where most navigation menus go wrong.
Wireframes settle hierarchy before anyone argues about colour. Every template gets a low fidelity layout showing content order, the primary action, supporting proof and where trust signals sit. Then we build the design system: type scale, spacing scale, colour tokens, button and form states, cards, tables and empty states. Components are documented so page fifty looks like page one without extra design time.
Accessibility is designed in, not audited at the end. We target WCAG 2.1 AA basics: 4.5 to 1 contrast on body text, visible focus states, labels tied to inputs, semantic headings in order, alt text rules and full keyboard navigation. Those same semantics help search engines parse the page, so accessible markup and clean technical SEO usually turn out to be the same work.
Everything in Strategy & Design
Discovery brief
A written summary of audience, buying triggers, objections, competitor gaps and the measurable goals the site has to serve, agreed before design starts.
Keyword informed sitemap
Full page list with URL structure, topic clusters, target queries per page and the internal links that connect them into a crawlable hierarchy.
User flows
Mapped paths for each primary audience, from entry point to enquiry or purchase, showing decision points and the content needed at each one.
Wireframes for every template
Desktop and mobile low fidelity layouts covering content order, calls to action and proof placement, reviewed with you before visual design begins.
Design system in Figma
Colour and type tokens, spacing scale, grid, icon set, component library with interaction states, all named so developers can build from it directly.
Responsive page designs
High fidelity screens at mobile, tablet and desktop breakpoints, including hover, focus, loading, error and empty states rather than only the ideal view.
Accessibility checklist
Contrast results, focus order, heading structure, form labelling and keyboard notes recorded per template so the build team has clear targets.
Content brief per page
Section by section outline with word ranges, required proof points, target queries and metadata guidance, ready for your writers or ours.
The process
Research
Stakeholder interviews, analytics and Search Console review, competitor teardown and keyword and question mining. We finish with a demand map and a written brief you approve.
Structure
Sitemap, URL patterns, topic clusters and internal linking plan, validated with card sorting or tree testing on real labels so navigation matches how buyers think.
Wireframe
Low fidelity layouts per template for mobile and desktop, focused on content order and the primary action. Two review rounds before any visual work starts.
Design and handoff
Design system, then page designs with all interaction states. Handoff includes tokens, spacing rules, asset exports and a walkthrough call with the build team.
Questions about Strategy & Design
Why wireframe first? Can we skip to visuals?
You can, and projects that do usually pay for it later. Wireframes make hierarchy arguments cheap. Moving a section in a grey box takes minutes, while moving it in a finished design means reworking spacing, imagery and often copy. Skipping wireframes also tends to hide the fact that a page has three competing calls to action.
Do you use templates or design from scratch?
We design from scratch, but we build systematically. You get a component library rather than a set of unique one off pages, which is what keeps a fifty page site coherent. If budget is tight we reduce the number of unique templates instead of dropping to a stock theme with your logo on it.
How do you handle accessibility?
We design and build to WCAG 2.1 AA fundamentals: contrast ratios, visible focus, semantic headings, labelled form controls, keyboard operability and sensible alt text. We test with keyboard and a screen reader on key templates. Full formal certification requires a specialist audit, and we will point you to one if you need it.
What if we already have brand guidelines?
Good, that speeds things up. We translate existing brand assets into a working web design system, which usually means adding what print guidelines never cover: responsive type scales, interaction states, form styling, data tables and accessible colour pairings. Where a brand colour fails contrast on text we propose a tested alternative for web use only.
Ready to talk about Strategy & Design?
Tell us where you are stuck. We reply within the hour on WhatsApp, usually sooner.
Or email Searchlabtools@gmail.com