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Custom Website Development
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Internet Marketing
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Video Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Content Management Systems
Google Analytics
Lean Business Applications
Read about the NINE simple steps we take when creating
the website you've always wanted...
Not every firm uses the same process, but this is the process that works well for us AND our clients. We've built every one of our websites for almost 10 years in the same way. It works for us because it combines our expertise in our industry with the expertise of our client's within their own industries.
1. Conversation
By asking a lot of questions, we learn about you, your product or service, and your industry.
We ask things like:
- Who are your demographics (gender, age, location of your visitors);
- What goals do you want to accomplish (education, information, shopping cart, etc);
- Who are your competitors (Drop names);
- What marketing efforts you are performing now? (direct mail, newspapers, radio, etc.)
We'll even ask you specific questions like:
- What colors do you like
- Which do you hate.
Sometimes we have to intervene based on professional experience. You do know that a violet background with crimson red text won't work, right?
2. Research & Plan
We take what we learned about you in our conversation and transform it into a plan. Learning as much about your customers allows us to see problems and opportunities within your industry. Through this process we are able to determine the best way to reach your customer goals. By researching your competitors we review what they are doing. (YES, even the guy with the violet and crimson site, if he ranks well for your service or product.)
3. Proposal & Design Concept
Something that none of our competitors do is provide a free design concept with most proposals. Unless you require a proposal in a few hours, we believe that asking you for money without seeing what we can do for you is just wrong. Our proposal process begins with:
- The creation of a design based on our conversation and the findings from our research;
- After the design is completed, our team reviews the goals, design, research, trends, and end user to compile a comprehensive list of recommendations.
We ALWAYS provide the cost for a base site which is ALWAYS a one-time fee. Our passion isn't bookkeeping, so unless there is a third-party service that requires monthly billing, we keep things simple and affordable. After the base price is presented, a listing of "Options" are provided that can be included in the initial site, or added anytime during the programming phase and even after the site launches. Unless you request the option to be added a year after the launch, the price most likely will not change.
4. Selection of Options
Great! So now we're onto that moment when you say “I can't live without this site". You determine what options, along with the base site you'd like to enter into contract for. A contract is officially a project after we receive a signed proposal and 50% deposit. At that moment, you are officially in the graphXevolution family. A timeline of milestones and sitemap are created for your website.
5. Programming
This part is the most time consuming, as is this section of the document. After receiving all of your content, including text, documents and images, our team has a project meeting to review the content and how to proceed based on the sitemap and chosen options. A simple, informational website can be completed within a couple weeks, while websites with extensive functionality can take weeks or months to complete.
It's not unheard of to have a website project that involves tens of thousands of products to take close to a year to complete.You are involved in the programming process, as much or as little as you'd like. It's your project after all. Once the base site is created, we will provide a link to the developmental site for you to watch the process. At times you may visit the link and wonder what on earth is occurring. This is a good indication that your site is being worked on and in a short period of time will resume it's presence. Generally, we ask that comments be withheld until requested. When they are requested this is the time to say “Yah" or “Na" … hopefully lots of “YAH!!!" Edits, additions, comments, concerns, issues, etc. should all be addressed during this time. Back and forth we'll go until you are happy, we have delivered everything within the site agreed upon, and all content is nicely in place. When no more can be edited, you will provide your approval (and payment).
6. Testing
Shortly after approval, while payment is traveling through snail mail, or if you've chosen to pay via a major credit card, we will test things like forms, speed, standards validation and the always enjoyable, testing within almost a dozen browsers to make sure everything appears cohesive.
7. Optimization
99% of our sites initially receive only our base search engine optimization. Unless a product or service is highly competitive or national, our base search engine optimization provides a good start for local and regional searches.
Base optimization, (and if another developer doesn't suggest this or provide it, run for the hills), consists of the addition of competitive title tags, descriptions, image alt tags, image titles, and other meta data that all sites should include. Yes, the jury is still out on if Google uses one type of meta data, or if Yahoo! uses another. Until a genius is able to figure out the algorithms search engines use, no one combination remains effective for long. We continually research trends and news from the major search engines and incorporate these into our efforts.
Another way we incorporate optimization into our projects is by making recommendations on content. If the text is too long or too vague we'll tell you so. After all, we want you to succeed in your goals too.
Finally, all sites receive Google Analytics which allows you to watch who, when, how long and from where visitors are coming to your site. We wouldn't recommend you driving bling folded. If you don't know how your site is doing, what pages are popular, or which need help in retaining viewership, then you will never receive the full benefits of owning and operating a website.
... JUST 2 MORE STEPS TO GO
8. Launch
Finally, WooHoo….It's Alive, It's Alive! Your masterpiece will have no trace of “Abby Normal" in it. It is presented to the world, submitted to the major search engines, tweeted, and Facebook-ed in our communities. It's now up to you to promote the site through every avenue of traditional marketing you participate in. This can include business cards, signs, ads, vehicles, pens, brochures, banners, billboards….heck, even in neon :)
9. Maintain & Grow
You thought that would be it didn't you? Just because your site is launched and live doesn't mean we go away. You receive a yearly allowance of maintenance from us, and no chore list required. A few months into launch we will contact you to see how things are going, if there have been any issues or what feedback you are receiving. At this time we can have the conversation of additional features such as more functionality or Advance SEO if the site isn't ranking as well as you'd like. All in all, our process is very simple. Simple organization on everyone's part will allow the process to move smoothly.