All websites should begin with a clear development strategy so that it is apparent what the goals are. This strategy then enables the developers to fulfill well-defined goals. Although web design templates are readily available; creating a completely unique design sometimes makes a website more interesting and could lead to more visitors, hits, and actual business for the site owner.
Web design is a very complex, but essential ongoing activity (illustrated by the figure below ↓ ). Before starting the design and development process, it is important to take the time to plan exactly what is needed in the website. Thoroughly considering the audience or target market, and providing a solid definition of the purpose and end content that the site will contain.
Phases of Website Design & Support Includes:
1. Initial Design Phase
2. Development Phase
3. Delivery Phase
4. Life-Cycle Support Phase
1Client Input-
The initial client input is critical to the design process. Client Input is vital in providing the Basic Site Concept at the beginning of the development process. Additionally, the client should continually monitor the development progress. Taking into account the characteristics of the individual product or service being marketed, and any budget constraints that may affect the effectiveness of the website.
Audience Concerns-
Defining the audience is one of the key steps in the website planning/development process. The audience is the group of people who are expected to represent the market being targeted. These people may be viewing the website for a specific reason, or by chance encounter, and it is vital to know exactly what they were looking for when they arrived at the site, or what may hold their attraction to the site once they have arrived. A clearly defined understanding of what visitors want to see, do, or feel when they come to your site helps to identify the target audience.
Content Concerns-
Content evaluation and organization also requires that the purpose of the website be clearly defined. Collecting a list of the necessary content then organizing it according to the audience's needs is a key step in website planning. In the process of gathering the content being offered, any items that do not support the defined purpose or accomplish target audience objectives should be removed. The next step is to organize the basic information structure by categorizing the content and organizing it according to user needs. Each category is named with a concise and descriptive title that will becomes a link on the website. Planning for the site's content ensures that the wants or needs of the target audience and the purpose of the site are both fulfilled.
Company ‘Branding’-
Also, the use of any client photos, emblems, logos, text and special effects should be consistent when used within the website. This establishes the company ‘branding’. This is extremely important and should be the same items used within the marketing plan for the entire company (letterheads, video, signs, etc.).
Site Maintenance- In the event that a Website Maintenance Agreement is in place, the website will continue to receive minor updates as required, as well as continual monitoring. The full SEO package should be included as part of the Website Maintenance Agreement. Web Analytics, Web Directory Submittals, Search Engine Submittals, etc. are all inclusive with this service.
2Initial Design-
The client and designer must work together to create an original design that results in an interesting website. Sometimes creating design styles that are completely original and presenting the information in a completely unique manner. This, combined with a good development strategy enables the designers to fulfill well-defined goals. The purpose and direction of the site should never be lost during the design process.
3Templates-
Not all website owners have the need, willingness, or budget to hire web designers to create a completely unique website. Assortments of affordable templates are available for previewing, purchasing and downloading at numerous template sites. We can employ web templates as tools to create your page content for presentation on just your corporate or business site, or, for mass-production of multiple, large websites.
4Development Notes-
We utilize our own FTP site, ftp.jameshandus.com to store and view each site during the development process. We allow the client full viewable access to the site while it is in the work-in-progress stages. This site is also used to provide secure access to source files at the end of the development process.
5Salvaged Content-
If the client has an existing site and desires to build a new site, certain items from the old site may be salvaged and recycled. These items include images, HTML code, CSS style sheets, scripts, and a limited amount of data. Usually these items can be obtained from the site that is currently being hosted on the internet. These files can then be incorporated as part of the new design process.
6“Going Live”-
During this phase of the design process, all files that were temporarily stored in other locations are transferred to the actual website host. The site is then viewable on the internet provided that the domain name is in place (on the host computer) and DNS (Domain Name System) has been resolved.
News......
Turn-Key Solutions......
We can provide a complete turnkey solution for all your web needs. This package includes domain name registration, hosting registration and setup. Creating the site includes all graphics, movies, animations, data, blogs, templates, interfaces, and other content.
Search Engine Optimization is also included. SEO (and Image Search Optimization) includes generating proper searchable code for the site, site registration with all the major search engines, and site submittal to several regional, national, and international web directories. Site Maintenance is included in this package.
New Service (5/16/11)-
We are now offering custom facebook pages using the IWIPA Iframe Application.
Start a new Facebook business site or expand your present page using this new feature!
We can customize and design your page as you see fit.
Click here for a small sample of the capabilities.
New Service (5/16/11)-