Step 1 – Getting a Domain Name
The first step is to get your business a domain – this simply means you need to register a “.com”, “.net”, “.org”, “.biz” or other extension for your business if you have not already done so. This will give you a web site and email address. eg. “www.yourbusiness.com” and “yourname@yourbusiness.com”.
Finding a Domain Name can be difficult since there are only so many words, phrases, and business names available that have not been registered. If someone already has your domain, be creative and try and think of variations that are easy to remember, but still reflect your business name.
Step 2 – Define Features for Your Site
Do you want a simple “Who, What, Where” web site? Or are you looking for more integrative features for your site like the following:
- E-commerce
- Content Management (update your content yourself)
- Newsletters
- Product Databases
- Animation
- Custom Applications
Step 3 – Design and Brand Identity
The third step requires that we come up with the design of your web site. This is simply how your web site looks and feels.
Ask yourself the following questions to better isolate your design needs:
- Do you have a logo?
- Do you have peer or competitor sites that you like the look of their web site(s)?
- Do you already have a relationship with a graphic designer?
- Do you want a completely custom designed web site, or are you okay with a pre-designed template?
- What’s your budget?
Custom Designs
Custom designs require our designers (or your designer) to sit down with you, define your needs and goals, likes/dislikes, then send you design ideas for your approval. Design rates are always done hourly, so the better idea you have of what you are looking for, the more cost effective your site will be.
Template Designs for cost conscious customers
Template designs are available for clients who are on a budget. We have thousands of templates to choose from, and we can edit any colors, artwork, photography, or any graphic element to customize the template. We can help you integrate the content and your newly purchased template for a low fee. Please contact us for more information.
Step 4 – Write Your Content
Every web site needs content! The content (or text) for your pages needs to be clear and concise, and must use keywords accurately. No one knows your business better than you – so the writing of you content is a very critical step.
We can help you with this process to make sure your site is better visible in search engines, but the copy should be written by you or your marketing staff/consultant. If you don’t have a marketing copywriter and feel you could use one, contact us and we can help you.
Step 5 – Develop, Test, Deploy!
Once we have your domain, your design, your desired features, and your content finalized, we begin building your site. Using HTML, PHP, ASP, SQL, MySQL, Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and other of the latest proven technologies – we begin building your site. We generally deploy to a test server so you can see your site being built in progress! After testing and a final okay from you – we deploy your site to your web site and you are ready to go!
How Long Does It Take To Get My Site Up – Start To Finish?
Obviously we can’t give you an exact time since all sites have different needs, complexity, and varying levels of people involved. As a general timeframe, over 90% of our sites are turned around within 3-4 weeks or less – much faster than most web firms!
Updating Your Web Site
Web sites are updated one of 2 ways – by us, or by you!
When we update your site, we can guarantee it will be formatted correctly, indexed by search engines, and checked for grammar errors. We charge in 15 minute increments of our current billable rate.
For you to update your web site yourself, we need to develop a Content Management System. This costs more up front, and requires a little learning on your part. If you are comfortable with Microsoft Word or online Email (Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc.), you should have no problem.