My Method to Producing Great Sites  I'll explain everything you need to know to get the
most out of your website and I'll answer any questions you may have. If you don't know your options and limitations, It's probably difficult for you to know what your site
is even capable of. I'll help
you understand those things.
Step 1 - Meet with Client
You and I have an in-person or telephone meeting to discuss and discover
needs.
Specifics we will discuss at this meeting:
Step 2 - Sitemap Development
All great sites start with a solid site map. I'll help you develop one based
on the information you want to present on your site, as well as any additional
pages that I think you may need. I help you decide which pages are most important
and how they should be categorized. If you already know what pages and information
you need to present, I double check it to make sure that it makes sense. If I
can make it better, I do.
Step 3 - Materials to Begin Building your Web Site
Step 4 - Design Process
I create interactive, user-friendly web sites that are super fast and optimized for search engine spiders. I combine your vision with my
knowledge of web sites, the internet, web surfing habits, the latest software and more to produce the best site possible. Every site is unique and built from scratch.
I start with the inner page design.
Some clients are tempted to jump into the home page design initially. This
is a mistake because the home page is one unique page. The inner pages all have
the same design, and they contain the in-depth information that your visitors
will be looking for. The home page is merely an entry-way into the depths of your
site. If you are building a house, you do not start with the front door. You start with the foundation.
Using all of the materials and information we have put together and through understanding
the parameters that have been clearly defined, I design a user interface for your
site. I may use stock photography for elements in your design if you wish.
Items usually designed during this phase:
- logo placement / treatment
- site navigation
- content / text layout
- table treatments
- photo treatments
- cross-browser compatibility
Step 5 - Inner pages build-out
After you have approved the design of the inner page, I build out the page
shells. This means that I make all of the pages in your site, including page titles
and navigation. At this point, you can click through your entire site. Once I
have received the text for the pages, I add and format it. If you need copyproofing,
I do that too.
Step 6 - Home Page Design
Finally - your home page......by this point in the process, I have built out your entire site and have developed a strong look and feel for your site. Using this, the home page needs become obvious and it nearly designs itself. This also lends to the home page being very consistent
with the inner pages.
Step 7 - Site Functions
I offer many add-on features. These can occur during build-out of a site and post-launch, as maintenance.
Add-on features often enhance users browsing experience by creating an interaction. Interactivity will cause your visitors to remain on your site longer
and will also give them a reason to return to your web site in the future.
Step 8 - Search Engine Optimization
See here: Search Engine Optimization |