<p>If you've never shipped a site before, the hardest part is knowing the order of operations. Here's the path we'd hand to a friend starting from zero.</p><h2>1. Decide the one job</h2><p>Before any design, finish this sentence: "This page exists so a visitor will ___." Book a call, buy a plan, join a list. Everything else serves that one verb.</p><h2>2. Pick a template that's close</h2><p>Don't start from a blank canvas. Choose a template whose <strong>structure</strong> matches your goal — you'll change the words and colors, not the bones.</p><h2>3. Write before you style</h2><p>Fill in real copy first. Layout decisions are easy once you know what the page actually says, and impossible before.</p><h2>4. Make one pass on each breakpoint</h2><ol><li>Get it right on desktop.</li><li>Check tablet, fix only what breaks.</li><li>Check mobile, simplify ruthlessly.</li></ol><h2>5. Publish, then improve</h2><p>Ship it the same day. A live link you can <a href="/blogs/ship-a-site-in-a-day">iterate on in public</a> is worth more than a perfect draft no one has seen.</p><blockquote><p>The first version's only job is to exist. The good version comes from feedback.</p></blockquote>