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The Process:
We'll deliver your website following the tried
and true method of Plan, Build, Test, Run.
Plan:
We get together, either via phone or in person, to look at
your company's needs and expectations for a website, including
the look and feel of what you like and what you don't. A design
schedule is discussed, with dates for you to expect to see
the design stages of your site for approval.
Once we have a good idea of what kind of look
you want, what kind of information you have to share with
your customers and what your expectations are for performance
of your site, we...
Build:
We'll design mockups for your approval, via the web, and give
you a chance to share the designs with others in your company
and with people whose opinions you respect.
Our service includes two design revisions
as part of the agreed-upon price. Color changes, element placement,
etc. We want to make sure you get what you want, so don't
be afraid to make it feel just right for your business. Once
the design is approved, we'll write the code, process the
graphical elements and prepare the site for...
Test:
This is the phase where we make the site available, as
a working model to poke at, check load time, and make sure
all the links work, the graphics load properly and all other
aspects perform as they should. You will have the opportunity
to test on your end as well, before we...
Run:
The website code, graphics and any other elements associated
with the site will be posted to your server space, and associated
with your URL. When the site "Goes Live", our process
is complete, and you have yourself a brand new website to
share with your customers. You can then maintain it yourself,
making changes as new information needs to be added, or retain
us, for a fee.
Search engine placement is a business unto
itself, with many companies available to help guide your site
to the top of the search engine rankings. But, the best advertisement
for your business is you. Wherever your business phone number
is placed, (yellow pages ads, business cards, business checks,
letterhead, etc.) your new website address should be there
as well.
Does your town or municipality have a local business directory? Most do, and will gladly include your site in order to build relevance for their audience. These are usually free, or you'll be charged a nominal fee. Consider having your URL contact info listed.
Getting connected with other complimentary businesses is also a great way build traffic to your site. Place a link to their website on your page, and ask them to do the same.
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The basic site:
A basic business website consists of four pages: A home page,
(an introduction to you and your business), a services / products
page, (where customers can find in-depth info about what you
do), an "about us" page, (company bio, mission statement,
etc.), and a contact page, where the customer can find all
the necessary information on how to do business with you.
Sometimes the information on these pages can
be put together on fewer pages, depending on the amount of
info necessary. That can be best determined in our initial
design requirements phase.
Designing Your web site
Write your Site! Every word, every page. It's a lot less expensive
to go through a pile of notebook paper getting your site just
the way you want it than it is to pay us to watch you change
your mind over and over. Iterations and changes are part of
the way a project like yours get done, but the more you can
do before code is written, the better, and cheaper, it will
be in the long run.
Getting started:
Send us an email to let us know that you're ready to have
a website built. Tell us about your business, including your
product or service, how big your customer base is, (local,
national, international), and what you expect in terms of
results from your website.
If you've seen a few existing sites that you
really love or really hate, let us know about them, too, and
don't forget to include why you love or hate them!
Finally, include the best way to contact you,
(phone, cell phone, etc.), and the best time to call, so we
can chat about what it is you can expect when you hire us.
Costs outside the scope of what we do:
There are fees and costs associated with a website that are
beyond our control, and you'll need to answer the questions
that go with them as best suits your business.
Domain name: This is the URL, (Uniform Resource
Locator), or web address, of your site. You must purchase
this from InterNIC, the international consortium that controls
the naming conventions on the web. Many hosting companies
will broker this for you, when you purchase server space.
It may be a yearly, or once-every-two-years fees schedule.
You need to establish your URL in order to have a website.
Server space: The computer in which your website's
code and image files will be housed. Again, many companies
exist out there willing to sell you server space. Check around
for the best deal. We can even recommend one, but you will
ultimately have to make the decision on what's best for you
and your business. |
