We take our web design process very seriously. Our main goal is to make sure that your website is functional for your target audience, and that you are happy with the design. We found that people are more creative, and do things more efficiently, when they have an outline to look over while coming up with ideas. For this we created the web development process. This overview of our web design process will help you get a better understanding of how we work with each client to ensure that their needs are met. Our web site design goes a step further by implementing search engine optimization into the design.
Overview:
- Information Gathering, Initial Interview
- Design, Content and Goal Planning
- Website Design
- Actual Development of Site
- Testing, Proof-reading, Publishing
- Maintenance Agreement
- Search Engine Optimization
XTELWEB will be in constant contact with you through the design and development stages of your web site. This is the best time to express your likes and dislikes about the design, colors and layout of the website.
Information Gathering and Initial Interview-
Obviously the first step to creating a successful site for your company, service or product is to gather information. There are several things to take into consideration when choosing a look and feel of your website
Getting a solid understanding of the company also involves getting a solid understanding of you, the client – what does your business do, what are your goals, what dreams do you have for the company and how can the internet be used to achieve these goals?
Certain aspects to consider are:
- Purpose: What is the main purpose of the site, is it to provide information on services, are you selling a product, or is a general informational company profile…?
- Goals: What do you want to accomplish with your website? (Gain new customers, e-commerce, connect two locations)
- Target Audience: Is there a specific group of people that you are trying to reach? Try picturing the “ideal” person that would visit your website, together we will envision a design that works for them. Does age, sex or interests play a role in your company?
At this point we should have a good idea of the basic search engine optimization and design elements needed to start working on a general layout of your website design. We will generally have one or two mock-up’s at this point and will be able to show you a selection of web designs to fit your needs, and your budget.
Testing, Proof-reading, Publishing
At this point we should have a good idea of the basic search engine optimization and design elements needed to start working on a general layout of your website design. We will generally have one or two mock-up’s at this point and will be able to show you a selection of web designs to fit your needs, and your budget.
All of our websites are built with XHTML, HTML, PHP and CSS and of course the new HTML5 and CSS3 using tools like Adobe Dreamweaver and NotePad ++ – If you don’t have site hosting, now would be a good time to find a web hosting provider. When trying to figure out where our client is hosting their website, we use a tool called WhosHostingThis.com
Maintenance Agreement
So now that your website design is complete, your site is now search engine optimized and you have a general idea of how your website works and what it takes to keep your website going. You might have an e-commerce site where your products change frequently, or you have a specials, or coupons page that needs to be updated so often. This is where a web maintenance agreement comes into effect. See a copy of our web maintenance agreement.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is not a one time thing. It takes frequent changes to your content, constant link building and link popularity work. A good social media marketing strategy should be in place and/or a pay per click marketing campaign. Your company should have a blog, using open source CMS such as WordPress, and will need a couple articles containing unique content written every month.
Development of Site
The development stage is completed after the client has previewed and approved of a functional web design for their company, service or product. This is where the actual implementation of search engine optimization goes into effect. Not only will we be designing key points of the site like the menu and graphical features, but we will then be using our SEO services knowledge of your industry gained in steps one and two. At this point we have a complete understanding of what is your company does, the product you are selling (if any), the services you provide (if any) and the locations you are serving. We take this information and perform on-page optimization of ever web page we create.
