Here at GetCreative I have worked with clients that have all manor of ideas and knowledge (or lack thereof) about their websites. Sometimes the easiest clients are those whose own careers are furthest from the realm of web design, so they are a blank slate for me to draw my ideas upon. On the other hand, a client who knows the ropes a little better may have a better appreciation for the creative process and all that it involves. No matter what the background of my clients, I follow a general Web Design Process for getting us from Point A, the clients’ interest in a website, to the ultimate Point B, a successful and effective website designed and executed by yours truly.
Getting to Know You
The first step in my relationship with any client is getting to know them: their personality, their tastes, their business, their product/good/service, and more. At this point said client and I may become Facebook friends and I’ll do a little light stalking to find out their favorite bands and check out any status updates over the past week. (Just kidding, we have a strict no-stalking policy here at GC. Unless of course you want to friend me or become a fan. But I still won’t stalk you. Probably.)
Not only do I want to have an idea for their aesthetic tastes, I want to ensure that our personalities are well matched to work on such a large project together. From here I learn as much as I can about my the subject of my client’s website. In most cases this means getting to know their company in terms of size, goals, target market, and what they expect from their website. A site with the goal of educating customers, for example, is quite different from a site that aims to get customers to take action. It is important to have a clear view of the end goal early in the design process, to avoid extra steps or setbacks down the road.
Putting the Pieces Together
Creating a website is much like putting together a puzzle…and it is much easier to navigate puzzle pieces when you have them all in front of you, rather than scrambling to find a match that doesn’t exist. For this reason I gather as many elements of the website together as possible before beginning my design. In terms of collecting pieces, the first step is to review what the client has so far. If there is a logo or color scheme already being used, then I will incorporate these into the website to maintain a seamless and comprehensive marketing theme. If we’re starting from scratch, then I will often draw color ideas from the physical location of the client’s business and create an industry-appropriate logo to bring it together. Next we will discuss photography: does the client have photographs s/he would liked used in the site? Will I be taking and editing photos for the site? Would stock photos be more appropriate? Whatever we decide, I will collect a handful of images for possible use in the design. Collecting the textual content for the site is usually the responsibility of the client; they know their company much better than I, and are better equipped to put it into words. I do, however, offer copy writing and editing for clients who know what they want to say but have trouble getting it down in print. There is also the question of Web Hosting and domain purchasing to consider; I offer Web Hosting & Maintenance packages to all clients, but those who have pre-paid for their domains and/or hosting are not obligated to switch to my server.
Once we have these pieces roughly decided upon, it is time to organize them. Together the client and I will decide how many pages the site should be and what they will be titled. We then divide the content accordingly, creating a site that is easy to navigate and progresses logically. The layout of the site becomes the frame for our puzzle; it must fit all of the necessary information and graphics in an aesthetic and resourceful manner. Elements of the layout generally include a clear header that introduces the client’s company, a navigation bar that does not distract from the content but is easy to use, a footer with credit and contact information, the main content area for text and photos, and auxiliary content areas for highlighted text and photos.
At this point in the process I am busy creating a layout (in Adobe Photoshop) to showcase each important aspect of my client’s site with a design that reflects their style. I design sites at 1024×768 pixels in order to ensure that the highest amount of viewers will have ideal viewing conditions. During this time the client is often putting together text for the page content. I communicate largely via email and phone with my clients; after an initial meeting to brainstorm ideas (optional) or a photo session, physical meetings are usually unnecessary. This is convenient on many levels, as it allows each of us to go on running our businesses uninterrupted as the design process continues.
Once a mock-homepage has been approved by the client, I move on to the HTML and CSS coding of the website (with Adobe Dreamweaver). As soon as an actual web page is created I will provide a temporary URL (example: getcreativewebdesign.com/yourcompany), where the client can keep track of the progress of the site. I start with the homepage, which gives the client time to finish up content edits for the remaining pages, and decide on any additional elements…
A Little Something Extra
Any well designed website that makes good use of each of the pieces mentioned above will come together in an effective and sufficient website. For clients that really want to go the extra mile and guarantee a memorable web browsing experience, there are additional elements that add another degree of usability and appeal. Custom photo galleries, interactive calendars, forms, e-commerce solutions, Content Management Systems (CSM) and blog designs are just a few examples. (See our Services page for more information on these components and more.) These elements are usually part of the original contract but are sometimes upgrades or add-ons later in the design process.
As I continue with the layout of each page, the client can request changes or edits at any point in time. When both parties are happy with the website, there are a few more technical steps to complete before the site goes live. First I run a browser check to ensure that the site is viewing properly in all major browsers. If there are any conflicts (particularly with Internet Explorer), I will revisit the code and tweak the page until it is ideal across all targeted browsers. I then install a tracking code to monitor the traffic the website is getting. Clients receive emails at the beginning of each month with details about who, when and how often the site is viewed, as well as which content is viewed and how visitors are finding their site. Once these tasks are performed, it is time to publish! I will upload the site to a server and within hours there is a new face on the world wide web.
Follow Up
Once a website design is complete and uploaded live, there are further steps that can (and some that should) be taken to result in higher page rankings and search accuracy. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a broad term for a number of steps that can be taken to improve a website’s performance. By creating each of our sites up to W3C code, an important factor in search results, we set our clients up for success from the beginning. A helpful tool to enhance results is a sitemap, which can be either an HTML or an XML page. An HTML sitemap helps human users navigate a website and quickly find material within the site’s content. An XML page is written for search engine robots, which crawl the sitemap to ensure proper indexing of all of the site’s content. Sitemaps are submitted to individual search engines; in addition to submitting a sitemap it is also beneficial to submit (or re-submit) a site to the major search engines after making major changes. Search engines only crawl sites for changes every so often, so submitting a site lets them know to crawl it immediately to index changes.
Website maintenance is another factor to consider. No matter what the industry, chances are each website will sometimes need to be updated with new text and/or photos. Announcements, price changes, new locations or services…all of these and more are occasion for a quick website update. Twelve of these minor changes are included per year in the monthly Maintenance Fee my clients pay. More intricate changes, such as a new page, swapping photos in a custom gallery, layout changes, etc. require more time and effort. These advanced changes are generally handled at an hourly rate. Or, some clients may want full control to edit text and photos at any time. For this we offer a CMS solution for a low monthly rate, so that small changes can be safely made by the client directly.
Online Marketing is another strategy for boosting a website’s traffic. Creating a presence on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and more can be a good business move if handled properly. There is also online advertising to consider, with services such as Google AdWords, Facebook, and more, as well as keyword placement in the textual content and inside the code of a website. GetCreative offers all of the above follow up services at affordable rates to ensure that each website is an efficient and reliable tool for our clients.
While this may seem a lot to take in, rest assured that it is a smooth and easy ride from conception to execution. As web professionals GetCreative has and will continue to tweak the process to best fit each of our individual clients. If you have questions about any of our methods or practices, or are interested in working together, please get in touch.
I see that you are an skilful in this issue. I am starting a web site soon, and your knowledge will be very helpful for me.. Thanks for all your facilitate and wishing you all the success in your business.