The Help Files
Client Planning Area
Getting Started - The Web Design Process
Building property online is like building property offline. Think of building a website like building a house; you'll need interior designers (graphic designers), architects (web developers), and structural engineers (programmers) to get the thing built proper. Let us help you build a QUALITY property online.
Discovery
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Needs Analysis
Based on the information you provide when requesting your free, no-‐obligation estimate, we attempt to determine your needs, what you are expecting from your website, and try to get a feel for your industry. This is why it is important for you to be as detailed as possible when requesting your estimate. We may have questions for you to help clarify certain issues and we will express those before quoting on your project. If we believe that your website project could benefit from our services and skills, we will send an estimate and proposal on your project -‐ usually within 2 business days.
Quotes, Proposals and Estimates
Once your information is evaluated we will send you an estimate and proposal- a basic outline of the work we see that needs to be done with all associated costs. If you agree with an estimate and proposal we will then send you a formal contract requiring a signature. We require that our terms and agreement form be signed and faxed back at this time too. Proposals are formulated by considering all the work involved as well as the complexity of that work. The complexity of your project is directly related to the time it will take for us to formulate a quote. Every project is different and different projects may take longer to analyze for a quote.
Once an estimate is delivered, all add on services/work, redesign on any level and "after thoughts" are considered additional work and will be billed accordingly.
We have an agreement so let's get started
You like our estimate and proposal and send your approval. We then send you a contract, terms of agreement and deposit invoice which you will need to review and return to us signed and fully executed. (Contracts are required for all projects)
The signed contract and deposit (33%-‐50% depending on projected cost) is required before we schedule a time slot for your project. Once we have received your deposit and signed contract, we will provide you with a copy of the fully executed contract, a receipt for your deposit and your project start date. All projects are scheduled on a “first come, first served” basis.
PLEASE ASK FOR CLARIFICATION if you do not understand any of the process! Miscommunication and false expectations do NOT move the process forward in a productive manner. At ANY time please contact QWS about any concerns, questions or comments you have about your project.
Collecting Your Materials
Print, text, music, videos, brochures, pictures, copy, any information required on the website, we need it ALL to get your site going. The more you provide us with the better.
Domain name registration & Website Hosting
If you already have a domain name and hosting, we may be able to work with your current host to give you all the features you require. If you require a domain name and hosting services, we are happy to help you.
Sample Sites and Sample Layouts
Next we put together some mock Web sites for your company to critique and discuss. You will be presented with several links to sample sites for you to evaluate. At this point we're trying to narrow down exactly what you're looking for in terms of design and layout. Your feedback is essential in the Web design process and is welcomed at any time.
Establishing the Home Page First
Starting with your home page, the main page, we start building your Web site. After this part is completed and approved we move on to the sub pages. If you have requested your site be optimized for the search engines, it will be started at this time.
We establish a private directory for your new website on our testing server so that you may view the website development progress at any time. In addition, we will inform you via email when extensive updates to the site have been made so you can review the most recent progress.
Sub Pages & Adding Content
The sub-pages (based upon home page) are now worked on until completion. Forms, Flash, and your content are now added to your site at this time.
All website development programming/coding to run any special features/visitor interactivity on your website is completed and tested. Based upon your contract and the final design you selected, we create as many static or dynamic pages as needed to complete your site.
Testing Phase
Search Engine Readiness Check including Meta Tags, Page Titles, Page Heading, Alt Image Tags, Link Text, and Page Body Text evaluation and adjustment where needed throughout the website. At no time can we guarantee when or where the search engines will place your website within their search results or directory.
Browser Compatibility Testing of your website on a variety of operating systems and browsers to insure proper display and functionality.
Grammar & Spell Check is perfomed before the website is launched, a grammar and spell check is performed to insure there are no mistakes.
Dead Link Check is a thorough check for misdirected links and missing files just prior to as well as after the launch of the website.
Any email contact forms and/or programming features included in your project are tested to confirm they are functioning as required.
Launch Phase – Sign Off
A sign off signature is required to authorize acceptance of the website. A signoff sheet will be provided to you. After signoff your new website is published for the world to see! You can now start advertising your site, telling friends, business acquaintances and publish print material.
Final payment is always due before we take the website live on your domain. Upon receipt of final payment, you will be emailed a final/paid in full receipt.
All necessary website files and scripts are copied to your domain and databases are setup.
After the website is live, any interactive programming and scripts are tested to verify proper function. Since the design and testing phase often occurs on a different server, it is very important to once again verify that everything is working correctly after taking the website live.
After launch and testing of the website, you are provided with a zipped archive of all website files.
When necessary, any documentation needed to use the administration functions of your website is included in PDF format.
Minor adjustments to the website are included at no charge for up to 7 days after the website has launched (maximum of up to 1.5 hours labor). Minor changes include adding changing text, adding or changing photos, etc. Any major revision requests will require additional discussion and incur an additional fee.
Marketing Your Site
How will people find your site? We can optimize your Web site for the search engines to help send it targeted traffic - people looking for your services/products. All searches on the Internet begin with a search engine query (around 80% and usually in Google) - this is where you want your site to be!