Design phase

Phase 1: Planning

Questions to ponder at this phase are more conceptual than technical.

 

• What do you hope to achieve by having a website? What are your goals?
  
  
• How would you describe your organization and its mission?
  
  
• Who is your target audience?
  
  
• What sort of content do you wish to share with this target audience? Is it in the form of information you wish to share or products you wish to sell? What sort of interaction does the audience have with this information?
  
  
• How would you organize this information?
  
  
• Will your website require any specialized technical tools, such as a database, a shopping cart, customized scripting for an online form or calculator?
  
  
• Do you have a domain name?
  
  
• Do you have a web host?
  
  
• How are you planning on maintaining the site? Do you need a maintenance plan? Or do you have someone in-house to maintain the website?
  
  
• What is your budget?
  
  
• What is your timeline?

Client participation

The worksheet

Fill out our web development worksheet (Free Quote Form). You can fill it out online, or download the PDF version.

 

The worksheet is long and has a lot of questions, but these questions covers details that are very important in properly planning a successful website.

 

It's OK if you don't understand some of the questions or have all of the answers. There will be time to clarify all of the information later in the process.

The meeting

Upon receiving your web development worksheet, we will review it and schedule a meeting to discuss and plan your vision for your website.

The estimate

We will put together an estimate based upon the your information in the web development worksheet and meeting.

 

Estimates include work scope, costs to be incurred and timeline. Estimates are based upon time studies collected over the years for similar projects.

 

The accuracy of the estimate is based upon the amount of detail and accuracy that you provide.

The review

You will receive and review the estimate. We will discuss any adjustments that need to be made, and rework the estimate, if needed.

The contract

A contract will be drawn up and signed by both parties, outlining work to be completed, budget and timeline.

Phase 2: Information Gathering

The type of information you are going to share with your audience and how it will be organized have been determined. Now it is time to collect your materials.

 

The list below is a sample of materials that need to be gathered and tasks that need to be completed before beginning development on a website. Exact materials will be determined by the website's features.

 

• Copy: The heirarchy of the website and its pages have already been determined. Now the copy for each page needs to be written. It should be proofread and spell checked.
  
  
• Graphics: This includes photographs, illustrations and logos. Having graphics prepared in a digital format reduces costs.
  
  
• Keywords: If you are choosing to promote your website, 10 keyword phrases need to be provided. Please review our Ascend Web Promotion site more information on keyword phrases.
  
  
• Domain Name: If you don't already have a domain name, it will be set up at this time.
  
  
• Web Host: Your website will receive its home with a web hosting service.
  
  
• E-commerce: If your site includes a shopping cart, you will need the following:
• Software: E-commerce software will have been determined in Phase 1. This is the time to set it up and prepare it for customization.
• Merchant Account: If you require and merchant account and / or gateway, this is the time to set it up.
• Inventory Categories: What are the categories and sub-categories for your items?
• Inventory Items: Which items go into each category? What is the item name and item number?
• Inventory Graphics: Each item needs an accompanying photo.
• Prices: What does each item cost?
• Attributes: Color? Size?
• Shipping Policy: How will you charge for shipping?
• Database: If your site includes a database, you will need a list of the following:
• Software:Database software will have been determined in Phase 1. This is the time to set it up and prepare for customization.
• Fields: What information categories will be displayed? Much of this will have been determined in Phase 1.
• Records: Is there existing information that needs to be imported into the database?

The materials

You will receive a list of materials to be gathered and when they need to be received by CGC Website Designs. Examples are in the left column.

 

It may seem like a daunting amount of information, but we are available to assist you with any questions to make the materials gathering process easier.

 

We will assist you in setting up your domain name, web hosting account and any other specialized software and services required in the development of your website.

Phase 3: Design

It is not until this phase that we actually start putting together a picture of your website.

 

In the Phase 1, we determined your vision for your website, along with preferences and dislikes both aesthetically and functionally.

 

We will put all of that information together in an initial design of the home page. This page is designed in Adobe Photoshop and is a non functioning representation of your home page. (It's just a picture.)

 

We used to create multiple designs for our clients, but over time, clients have responded that viewing multiple designs is too confusing. So, we changed our strategy, and start with a single design and make adjustments accordingly.

 

Having a single design seems to make the process more efficient, and, therefore, more cost effective.

 

You will receive a link to this graphic via email. By clicking on this link, you will be able to view this picture of your home page in a web browser.

The design review

Take a look at the initial design. Note what you like and what you don't like about it.

 

When you are ready, contact CGC Website Designs and give us your feedback.

 

We will make the adjustments according to your feedback and resend the page to you.

 

Getting the page right takes an average of three to four cycles of adjustments.

 

Once the look of the home page is decided upon, this cycle will be repeated with the secondary pages.

 

When the secondary pages are approved, we will be ready to move on to development - making the pages functional.

Phase 4: Development & Testing

Now that the look of the site has been determined, we will add the functionality.

 

The graphics in the Photoshop files are transformed into CSS Style Sheets, HTML, Javascript, PHP, Flash and any of the other languages and components needed to create your website.

 

As these features are implemented, they are continually tested to ensure that all is functioning as planned - i.e. the pages appear correctly in the major browsers, the links go to the right places.

Testing

During this process, we may check in with you occasionally for verification, but most of the work has been done on your part.

 

When we have completed the implementation and testing of the website, we will have you try it out to see if there are any adjustments.

Phase 5: Marketing

Once your site is launched, promotion can begin. In the realm of search engine optimization, the site will be submitted to various search engines and directories.

 

It can take 3 to 8 months for your site to show up in the major search engines. During this time, it is recommended that you take additional steps towards promoting your site.

Promotion

Other forms of web promotion include putting the website on all print materials, press releases and advertisements – this includes announcing the web address on radio ads.

Putting your website on the internet is just the beginning! In order to get a return on your investment, it needs to be periodically maintained.

 

The site’s content should be updated periodically to keep visitors returning to the site. Search engines also look favorably upon sites that update their content regularly.

 

Depending upon whether you have chosen a promotion plan, your site will be continually monitored and adjusted to improve its ranking in the major search engines, according to your chosen keyword phrases.

Maintenance

Either you have chosen to go with a maintenance plan, or your website is being maintained and updated in-house.