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How a Remote Website Project Works, Step by Step

You do not need to live near your web designer to get a site that fits your business. Here is what happens at each stage when ChampEntra builds a website by phone, video and secure links, and when meeting in person is worth the drive.

By Jonathan Champion, founder of ChampEntra · Published October 12, 2026

Start a ProjectRemote services
Before the first call

Distance changes the meeting place, not the work

ChampEntra is based in Estill Springs, Tennessee. It meets clients across Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama, and it works online with businesses anywhere in the United States.

Most of a website project already happens on a screen: writing, design, review, testing and launch. What a remote project needs is a clear process, so you always know what is being built, what is needed from you and what happens next. You still work directly with the person planning and building your site, not a chain of account managers. The remote services page explains how this works for websites, apps and business systems, and the website design page shows what a ChampEntra site includes.

The process

Seven steps from first call to launch and beyond

Every project is scoped to the business, but the order of work stays the same.

  1. Discovery call. On a phone or video call, whichever you prefer, you talk through what the business does, who your customers are, what the website needs to make easier (calls, quote requests, bookings, directions), what is not working on the current site, your timeline and who approves the work. You finish the call with a clear next step.
  2. Secure intake link. Instead of a long email chain, you get a secure intake link. Use it to answer questions about the business and upload your logo files, photos and documents such as price sheets or brochures. Account access is handled separately through each platform’s own invite feature, so passwords never travel by email or text.
  3. Sitemap and content plan. Before design starts, you review a page list (for example home, each main service, service area, about, contact and common questions) with notes on what each page must answer and which photos belong where. Approving the plan first keeps surprises out of later rounds.
  4. Private preview link. The site is built at a private preview address that you can open on your own phone and computer and share with a partner or office manager. Nothing changes for your customers until launch.
  5. Review rounds. You send feedback as one list per round, as specific as you can make it: “the second photo on the services page is outdated” or “Saturday hours are wrong on mobile.” When it is easier to point than to type, you share a screen and walk through it together. The number of rounds is set in the project scope.
  6. Launch checklist. Domain, email records, analytics, Search Console and your Business Profile link are worked through as a written checklist, not from memory. The details are below.
  7. After-launch support. Once the site is live, ChampEntra rechecks forms, search setup and listings and fixes problems that fall within the launch scope. Ongoing updates and support are available if you would rather not edit the site yourself.
Launch checklist

What gets checked before and after the switch

Launch day is mostly careful housekeeping. Each item here can cause real headaches when it is rushed, so each one is confirmed with you instead of assumed.

If you cannot find a login for one of these accounts, say so early. Sorting out ownership during planning is far easier than on launch day.

Domain and DNSConfirm who holds the registrar account, write down every existing DNS record before anything changes, point the domain to the new site and check that the secure https version loads.
Email recordsIf your email uses the same domain, keep its MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records in place or change them on purpose. Other mail servers rely on them to deliver mail to you and to trust the mail you send, so send test messages both ways after launch.
AnalyticsSet up analytics in an account your business owns, with ChampEntra added as a user, so the history stays with you.
Search ConsoleVerify the domain in Google Search Console with a DNS record, which covers every version of your address, and submit the XML sitemap.
Business Profile linkPoint your Google Business Profile, and Bing Places if you use it, to the right page, and match the name, address, phone and hours shown on the site.
Redirects and formsForward old page addresses to their new versions so saved links do not hit dead ends, and test every form and tap-to-call link from a phone.

What works remotely, and when meeting in person helps

Fully remote

Planning, intake, design reviews, content edits, launch and training all work by phone, video or screen share. You can open a preview link at night or between jobs instead of blocking out a meeting, and calls can be set for a time that works in your time zone.

In person, when it helps

A visit is worth it when photos of your shop, crew, vehicles or storefront would tell the story better than stock images, when several staff need to weigh in at once, or when the site will feed business systems such as online forms or client intake and it helps to see the paper version firsthand. ChampEntra meets in person around Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama.

Farther away

Outside that area the same project runs online. A local photographer, or a phone and good daylight, can cover the photos, and a shared screen covers the walkthroughs. Nothing in the process requires special software, and the project request form is the place to start.

Questions

Common questions

Do I need to be in Tennessee to work with ChampEntra?

No. ChampEntra works online with businesses anywhere in the United States and meets in person around Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama when a visit helps the project.

Do I have to use video calls?

No. A phone call works for discovery and most reviews. Screen sharing helps when it is easier to point at something, but it is optional.

How do I send my logo, photos and documents?

Use the secure intake link ChampEntra sends at the start of the project. Please do not send passwords there or by email or text. Account access is granted through each platform’s own invite feature.

Will my email keep working when the new site launches?

That is what the launch checklist is for. Existing email records are written down before any DNS change, and test messages are sent in both directions after launch.

What happens after the site goes live?

ChampEntra rechecks forms, links and search setup and fixes problems that fall within the launch scope. Ongoing updates and support are available if you would rather not edit the site yourself.

Next step

Ready to plan your website from wherever you are?

Tell ChampEntra what your business does and what the site needs to handle. The first step is a phone or video call. Veteran-owned and veteran-operated small businesses may qualify for a project discount.

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