| Custom Web Design |
Site Discovery
A preliminary stage, once the site discovery has been completed, these key points shall be addressed:
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 | Domain name registration (if domain name has not been registered yet). |
| Technologies the website will need: scripting language, database, SSL certificate, credit card processing, streaming audio or video... |
| Identifying the dynamic parts of the website: shopping cart, photo gallery, news section, registration database, calendar... |
| Functionalities the website will need: bulletin board, chat, email, mailing list... |
| Web hosting account setup and configured. |
| Updating the domain registration record to point to the new web hosting account's name servers. |
| Defining the scope of work to be completed. |
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Site Concept and Design
The first step of building a website is creating the site concept and design. Any pictures, graphics, brochures, fliers, newsletters, company logo or catalog for your business would facilitate this stage of development, as well as: |
| Establishing the sections needed on your website. |
| List of competitors websites. |
| List of websites that you feel are exemplary. |
| From this material a color scheme and graphic mockup of the site will be created. |
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Template Page
Upon approval of the site concept and design, the graphic mockup will be broken down into individual graphics and a template page will be scripted. Through the course of development, the template page will most likely be modified along the way. But by the launching of the site there will be an established template page. Any pages to be created after site launching should utilize this template page. Two very important actions to be completed during this stage of development are: |
| Site and graphic optimization for fastest download speeds. |
| Cross-platform (PC, Mac) cross-browser (Internet Explorer, AOL) compatibility. |
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Standards
Unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon, all sites will meet these design standards: |
| The site will fit on a monitor with a screen resolution of 800 x 600. |
| The site will be compatible for both PC and Mac. |
| The site will be compatible with Internet Explorer and AOL browsers. |
| Style sheets will be heavily utilized and every effort will be made to deliver a W3C compliant HTML 4.01 Strict DTD website. |
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Content Gathering
All the copy and graphics for the site need be provided such as: |
| A profile or description for an about us page. |
| Graphics for a photo gallery. |
| Any existing spreadsheets or databases with relevant material, such as client/customers contact info and email addresses. |
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Site Development
As the content is being gathered, the individual sections of the website shall be built out. The site will start to take form and have substance. |
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Launching
As the website is nearing completion, there shall be a final QA to ensure the site is completely operational and functional, spell check performed and cross-platform cross-browser testing. Upon approval, the site shall be officially launched. |
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Search Engine Submission
Before the site is submitted to the search engines, the site first needs to be optimized for the search engines. This includes creating the: |
| Keyword Phrase List |
| Site Title |
| Site Description |
