Web Design & Development
Project Planning
The first step is for us to learn about your business. Not only what products and services you offer but who your current market is and which new markets you may want to target. We need to learn a bit about your industry as a whole in order to find out who your competitors are and what makes your offering unique compared to theirs.
It is important for us to review your current marketing materials as well so that we can either seemlessly integrate your current branding into the website or consider breathing some fresh air into your overall brand image.
Once we have a good handle on your company and industry we can begin planning how your site will look and feel.
Function
It starts with an outline of the site content and finding the most intuitive way to navigate through the content. It involves the most important considerations to achieve the best possible user experience so that visitors can find information quickly and easily:
- The types of content that will be presented on the site play an important role in site layout.
- Will there be a lot of photos to present or mainly text?
- Will there be embedded video and if so, how will it be worked into the content most effectively?
- Does the site require a news, weblog or other page with regularly updated content?
- Is an online store system needed? What size and complexity?
- Will there be a knowledge base, forum or other customer service/support system?
Form
Once we have outlined the site structure we can focus on the aesthetic side of the website design. Drawing from your existing or newly created branding, we can integrate the colors, fonts, icons, textures and any other graphic elements that will achieve a cohesive and consistent brand image. The graphic elements chosen should appeal to your visitors as much as possible to evoke an immediate emotional connection the site design and the information presented.
Optimization & Integration
In addition to planning site functionality and design we need to create a plan to optimize your site for search engines.
This means using valid and compliant modern web coding techniques, embedding keywords, proper use of title tags, page names and typographical formatting. We will need to develop compelling, keyword-rich content written in a clear and concise manner that is updated on a regular basis.
This process also includes developing web marketing strategies to not only increase visitor numbers, but conversion rates—getting folks to actually purchase your products or services. Things like link exchanges, social media services, and industry forums are the best way to integrate your business into the online community and develop brand awareness.
Project Scope
The planning stage is crucial to developing an accurate scope of the overall project. It helps to generate specific ideas about how the website should look and feel. We then sift through these ideas and make decisions that will inform the development of the active site template. Careful planning leads to a clear understanding of project timing and pricing structure as well as the roles and expectations of our team and yours.
