Upon first contact by email or phone
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 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 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 hosting we provide affordable site hosting for our clients, and can register a domain name for you on your behalf.
Client Meetings
We are pleased to meet with our local clients once the initial website content has been received and an assessment has been done, but do to time contraints we are typically only available currently from (11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) through the week. Please note that where possible we prefer correspondance through email since this format provides a written record for reference. Site content can be provided in e-mails, or mailed to our physical address.
Web-Site Architecture
If you have an existing website we will perform an initial assessment of it in which we will evaluate both the strengths and areas that need improvement. This evaluation will cover the header design and the logo inclusion, visual layout, text styling and effectiveness of the content, choice of site colors, graphical inclusions, style and effectiveness of the navigation, and the site's strength with regard to SEO (search engine optimization). Clients without an existing site will be asked to provide a detailed overview of what they are seeking in a website if this has not already been provided.
Site Map
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 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 indicate this in the site-map as in the following hierarchal menu example:
Home Page
- about us
-- overview (company practices, philisophy "mission statement", and history with 1 photo of facility)
-- press (press releases, 5 to be included)
-- employment (job listings (5), a contact form with autoresponse and file upload option, and an employment app in pdf format)
-- customers (list of current and past clients with their name, physical and website address, approx. 20 clients)
-- affiliates (links and overview of businesses that are affiliated, approx 10 affiliated to be added)
- company services
-- services name 1 (company service provided w/ description of benefit, one page with representative photos "four on page")
-- services name 2 (etc.)
-- services name 3 (etc.)
- contact us
-- contact information (phone number and physical address w/ embedded map, a contact form with autoresponse message)
-- privacy policy (standard privacy policy about how company will use data received from emails, and data collected on site visitors)
-- legal disclaimer (standard legal disclaimer on limited liability)
Representative Model
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.
Navigation
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). Most contemporary websites use text links with styling done through CSS since these are 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 below the header or vertically at the left column. Note that typically between 6 to 8 links can be represented effectively in a horizontally aligned format when designing for the 800x600 browser window. If additional links are needed then either a hierarchical menu with "drop-down" sub-categories would be used, or a separate vertical navigation system would be employed as well (often effective if you want to differentiate content type). Note that we encourage the use of text links in addition to most dynamic menu systems to ensure effective indexing by the search engines. You can view samples of navigation systems on our navigation design page.
Header Design
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, or flash animation. You can view samples of header design styles on our header design page.
Gathering Assets
When you are ready please provide the resources available for your site's design through email as an attachment or direct mail (cd/dvd). 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. Note that we will gladly assist you with acquiring the needed images for your site, and in most cases we can assist with the copy writing of your site pages. We can 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 1000px in length is sufficient, and of suitably high resolution to help ensure their visual clarity online. If you are in need of representative images, we recommend "istockphoto.com".
Web-Site Cost Estimation
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 never 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 hourly ($35/hr) rate cost of a site's development from the initial site research through site development, and its final optimization and submission.
Proof of Concept, Quote, and Deposit
The first thing we do when designing a site is evaluate the top-ranked websites of your industry to see what they are doing effectively. After looking at several sites of your competition we will begin a unique site layout utilizing the visual and functional elements that we have found to be effective while always keeping in mind your own design preferences and the functional purpose of your website. We will utilize the latest of good design practices to convey your message beautifully and effectively through professional content layout and quality graphical inclusions.
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 ascetics (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 a week 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.
Site Development
Once the initial home page has been approved we will begin to create all the additional pages using this initial page as a visual model for the others. As we develop the site we will periodically upload these new pages, allowing you to follow along in our progress wherein we will contact you by email 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 is approximately two-weeks on average sized websites once all content has been received.
All the site pages are optimized to be ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant, 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).
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.
Finalizing Development
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 as well; the control panel (cpanel, plesk, etc) is used to set up email redirects, install databases, provide site backups, and perform other routine functions.
When you are satisfied with your site's development we will email you an invoice for the cost of the site. Once full payment has been received we will uploaded your site and test the functionality online. We will then submit your website to the top ranked search engines and directories. 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 nearly all possible search engines, directories, and online yellow pages.
Lastly we will always be available to make additional changes or updates as needed. We look forward to working with you!