Often the website design company, start with the planning phase of the raw data available from the client's basic requirements. It is always a right practice to read their mind first, before making a problem definition for the ongoing project. Conducting research for your web project is really important and it doesn't have to take up much of your time. By breaking down it into smaller modules can save time and get the most out of it.

Quick Research- You need to make a quick planning with regards to competitor's influence on the market. This will give you a general idea about the industry, spot similarities and differences between sites, get an idea of mandatory pages. A rough outline of the sitemap to connect to all the pages of rest of the website.

Longer Research- Once the quick research is approved by the client, its time to have detailed talk to the client. Asking questions about long term goals of the organization, like how many visitors to reach, widening of scope in the future, user registration ways etc. understanding the scope of the project in terms of technical details such as third-party integration.

Deep-Dive Research- If the Scope of the project is wide enough, it becomes reasonably easy to focus upon the requirements. Deep research part includes various phases.
1. Design phase has to focus on planning including brand formation, offline and online marketing material, stationary and design audit.
2. Development phase shall look into on-page SEO, Content management system, mobile support and native application needs.
3. Technical phase requirements have to delve into hosting, domain name and traffic pulling strategies.

Finally, the web design company has to put in the position of a business owner as well as customers of that business.