Following are the typical steps of development that we go through with each of our clients. During each step we will be available to assist you by answering questions or providing examples as needed. Please take a minute and look over the content below before contacting us. Thank You.
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Upon first contact by e-mail or phone
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Initially we need to know to know the purpose of your website, with an overview of the content that will be provided. At this point it is important to note if there is any need for advanced interactivity such as slideshows/galleries, Flash animation, video, blogs, newsletters, calendars, eCommerce, etc. For most sites an XHTML website is all that is needed, though some clients will be better suited with a CMS (content management system) website if the need for advanced interactivity is high. Note that if your site is going to use advanced interactivity it is important to ensure that your site's hosting space is suitable for this. In most cases we recommend a Unix/Linux server since they are less expensive than Microsoft servers, are very secure and stable, and are typically able to process Perl and PHP scripts of all types without issue. If you need a domain name we recommend www.godaddy.com, and if you need a hosting server we provide affordable site hosting for our clients, and can register a domain name for you on your behalf.
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Storyboard / Site Map
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To start you will need to provide us a listing of the pages needed for your website, and we would prefer to have this provided in a storyboard or site-map format. This site-map should contain the desired page name and a general overview of the content that will be provided for each. If you have special needs for a page, such as a photo gallery, calendar, etc, please indicate this. If you plan to have sub-categories (utilizing a hierarchical drop-down menu system) please note this in the site-map model. The goal here is for all content inclusions to be defined early to ensure that we are adequately prepared to move forward with your site's development, that we are using our time effectively so as to keep costs down, and that our initial quote will be representative of the final development cost without an unexpected delay in development.
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Representative Model
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Once we have a clear idea about the pages your site will need we will ask you to provide representative visual models of the look you are after. Typically we like to receive 3 or 4 links to sites that you find visually effective, wherein you will indicate on each site what you do and/or don't like as specifically as possible. As with our initial assessment, it is important for you to identify what you liked with each in regard to the header design, style of navigation, site colors, page layout, use of images, etc. From your answers we are able to better assess your own design preference.
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Navigation
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There are a variety of ways to provide navigation for your pages, both static (text links and non-animated graphical buttons) and dynamic options (Flash, DHTML, JavaScript, jQuery). Most contemporary websites use a jQuery drop-down menu with text links styled through CSS since these menus are cross-browser compatible and search engine friendly; but navigation bars and graphical buttons (with or without a roll-over) are commonly used as well. In most cases the navigation is aligned horizontally above or below the header or placed vertically at the left column. Note that typically about 8 top-level links can be represented effectively in a horizontally aligned format when designing for the 1024x768 resolution browser window. If additional links are needed to differentiate content, then a vertical side-bar navigation system can be effective as well. Note that we encourage the use of text links at the footer of the pages in addition to most dynamic menu systems to ensure effective indexing by the search engines.
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Header Design
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In addition to a site's colors, layout style, and navigation, the header design undoubtedly will make the biggest impact on how your site is perceived. Header styles vary considerably, from a simple logo inclusion at the page top aligned left or center, to a representative image, collage image design, jQuery animation or Flash animation.
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Gathering Assets
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When you are ready please provide the resources available for your site's design through e-mail as an attachment or direct mail (cd/dvd). For large files you can use YouSendIt or DropBox, provide a link to a zipped file on your server, or upon request we will send you a link to our large file upload manager. Initially you will want to provide us a high resolution copy of your existing logo if you have one (and plan to use it), your contact information, and your text and image page content. We will then discuss any additional content you may need. We can assist you with acquiring the needed images for your site, and in most cases we can help with the copy writing of your site pages as well. We also scan documents, render documents and images to PDF format, and we can work will all common files types, photoshop and illustrator, eps, tiff, jpg, png, etc. When providing your own images please size them larger than needed whenever possible, typically 1200px in length is sufficient, and of suitably high resolution (72dpi or larger) to help ensure their visual clarity online. If you are in need of images, we recommend istockphoto.com.
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Web-Site Cost Estimation
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Now that we know the look/feel you are after in a design, have all your ready content in-hand, and know the additional content you will need, we can provide you an estimation of the cost and the time needed for your site's development. In most cases this estimation will define the quote we provide and will not be exceeded. The exception would be if during the development process additional development not previously indicated is asked for, accordingly the quote may rise to reflect these changes. If a quote needs to be changed you will be promptly notified. Note that our estimate is based upon the anticipated number of hours per our hourly rate for a site's development from the initial site research through site development, and its final optimization and submission.
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Proof of Concept, Quote, and Deposit
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When a design model has been defined we will create the home page.. This page will include all common design elements, including the logo/header design, navigation system, page colors, layout style, page text, and visual accents (such as drop-shadow borders, rounded table edges, gradients, etc). We will then post this page on-line from our server and provide you a link for assessment. After your feedback has been provided we will then make edits as needed. This process of initial development and assessment typically takes one to two weeks with one or two revisions, though in many cases we satisfy our clients expectations the first time. Once you have approved this initial design a 20% deposit payment of the quoted amount is required to continue with your site's development.
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Site Development
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Once the initial home page has been approved we will begin to create all the additional pages using this initial page as a layout model for the others. As we develop the site we will periodically upload these new pages, allowing you to follow along in our progress; we will contact you by e-mail and provide you a link for viewing, during which you will want to convey to us any text/content edits that you feel are needed. Where possible we request all content to be provided in proofed document format. In most cases the development time for a website'scompletion is approximately two to four weeks for average sized websites once all content has been received.
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All the site pages are optimized to be ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant and cross-browser compatible, and search engine optimized for enhanced ranking. This includes proper use of keyword density, "title" and "alt" tags, unique page titles, and effective use of the meta-tags (specifically the "keyword", "description", and "index" tags).
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Once all the pages have been completed we will ask you to "test" the entire site with regard to functionality, ease of use, and visual layout to ensure that we have achieved the look you are after.
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Finalizing Development
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Once the site is completed we will need access to your hosting server if not previously provided. This information consists of the server-path, the username. and a password. In most cases the server-path is your domain name (website url), though in a case where you have yet to get a domain name then an IP address can be used. It is important to note that some shared hosting companies use a company specific pathway, such as www.mpower.com/~username. We may also need for you to provide us "control panel" access to your hosting space; the control panel (cpanel, plesk, etc) is used to set up e-mail forwards, install databases, provide site backups, and perform other routine functions.
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When you are satisfied with your site's development we will e-mail you an invoice for the balance. Once full payment has been received we will submit your website to the top ranked search engines. Note that in most cases this first submission of a site is ample to get a quality ranking, though based upon the online competition in your market, it can take several weeks to get a prominent ranking. In such cases we do offer a premium marketing option as well that includes social media, and nearly all possible search engines, directories, and online yellow pages.
