Web Design Process

We take our web design process very seriously. Our main goal is to make sure that your website is functional for your target audience, and that you are happy with the design. We found that people are more creative, and do things more efficiently, when they have an outline to look over while coming up with ideas. For this we created the web development process. This overview of our web design process will help you get a better understanding of how we work with each client to ensure that their needs are met. Our web site design goes a step further by implementing search engine optimization into the design, whether or not you choose an SEO package from us.

This web design process can also be used if you want to venture off into creating your own design. If you don’t want a full blown SEO Services package, then I suggest you look into a web site optimization analysis.

Overview:

Planning – Website Design Process

Information Gathering and Initial Interview-

Obviously the first step to creating a successful site for your company, service or product is to gather information. There are several things to take into consideration when choosing a look and feel of your website

Getting a solid understanding of the company also involves getting a solid understanding of you, the client – what does your business do, what are your goals, what dreams do you have for the company and how can the internet be used to achieve these goals?

Certain aspects to consider are:

Info Gathering – Website Design Process

Design, Content and Goal Planning-

After we have gathered information and worked together on the initial interview, we need to put a plan together for your company website. This is where the site map is developed.

The site map is basically a “map” of your web site, it will show all the main topic areas, sub topics and other ideas related to the development of your website. It will be helpful to put keywords and key-phrases you are targeting for each page on your website, as this will help with the SEO aspect later. The site map does not have to be technical, it is the main navigational structure for your design.

The use of web elements like interactive contact forms, web animations, menu layout, or the presence of an E-commerce shopping cart is decided during this step as well.

On the technical side of things, our company is already analyzing competitors web sites, researching keywords, and deciding on a design that we feel will fit the content, target audience, and ultimate goal of your web site design.

Designing – Website Design Process

Website Design

At this point we should have a good idea of the basic search engine optimization and design elements needed to start working on a general layout of your website design. We will generally have one or two mock-up’s at this point and will be able to show you a selection of web designs to fit your needs, and your budget.

CQuinnDesign.com will be in constant contact with you through the design and development stages of your web site. This is the best time to express your likes and dislikes about the design, colors and layout of the website.

Development – Website Design Process

Actual Development of Site

The development stage is completed after the client has previewed and approved of a functional web design for their company, service or product.This is where the actual implementation of search engine optimization goes into effect. Not only will we be designing key points of the site like the menu and graphical features, but we will then be using our SEO services knowledge of your industry gained in steps one and two. At this point we have a complete understanding of what is your company does, the product you are selling (if any), the services you provide (if any) and the locations you are serving. We take this information and perform on-page optimization of ever web page we create.

CQuinnDesign.com will be in constant contact with you through the design and development stages of your web site. This is the best time to express your likes and dislikes about the design, colors and layout of the website.

Publishing – Website Design Process

Testing, Proof-reading, Publishing

At this point we should have a good idea of the basic search engine optimization and design elements needed to start working on a general layout of your website design. We will generally have one or two mock-up’s at this point and will be able to show you a selection of web designs to fit your needs, and your budget.

All of our websites are built with XHTML, HTML, PHP and CSS and of course the new HTML5 and CSS3 using tools like Adobe Dreamweaver and NotePad ++ – If you don’t have site hosting, now would be a good time to find a web hosting provider. When trying to figure out where our client is hosting their website, we use a tool called WhosHostingThis.com

Maintenance – Website Design Process

Maintenance Agreement

So now that your website design is complete, your site is now search engine optimized and you have a general idea of how your website works and what it takes to keep your website going. You might have an e-commerce site where your products change frequently, or you have a specials, or coupons page that needs to be updated so often. This is where a web maintenance agreement comes into effect. See a copy of our web maintenance agreement.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization is not a one time thing. It takes frequent changes to your content, constant link building and link popularity work. A good social media marketing strategy should be in place and/or a pay per click marketing campaign. Your company should have a blog, using open source CMS such as WordPress, Joomla or Drupal, and will need a couple articles containing unique content written every month. CQuinnDesign.com provides these types of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services. For more information, check out our SEO Plans, Packages and Pricing page.