Your Needs
The first step in setting your web design in motion is to decide what it is you hope to achieve with the job. Some questions you may want to ask yourself …
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Is this site for business purposes or is it informational?
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Do I want my site to be found quickly when people do a search for my type of goods or services on Google or Yahoo?
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If not, how will people find me? You may only have your site in place as further information to people or clients that you’ve given the address to, or you may rely on referrals from another source.
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Do I want my site to be artistic. Graphical designs are time consuming, so the more intense they are the more they cost.
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What are my needs functionally … do I need an accessible database, do I need a mailing list, chat room, bulletin board, blog, e-commerce, members-only area? What about widgets, like slide shows, updating content etc.?
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What is my budget? Like most people, you will be looking for a balance between cost, graphic design and functionality. Check the packages we offer to help you choose anything from a one page business card site to a multi-page, search engine optimized business design.
Before I begin, I will want to know your ideas. Together, we can come up with the right design package for you.
What I Need Before We Begin
Once you have an idea what you want for your web site, I will ask you to gather some information and content for me.
The first thing I need is your domain name, if you already have one or we need to set you up with one if you don’t. If you have one, I need the account information of the company you registered it with so I can change the DNS settings to point it to your site.
Secondly, I need to set you up with a host if you don’t already have one. It may be on your free SHAW or TELUS web space (very limited) or with a hosting service … generally starting around $100/year and adequate for the majority of web sites.
Then we can begin with the fun part, designing the site. I will already have a pretty good idea of your needs and the creative process can begin. At the beginning, I will need your logo and any pictures and graphics that you want to incorporate into the design. I find that the main reason a site is delayed in its implementation is because the material I need to work with it is slow in coming. So that is why I ask for the material in advance. I also want to stress, that it is a lot harder to install 'afterthoughts' to the design structure during and after the project is underway or finished than it is to get it right during the first stage.
Logos and pictures can be emailed to me or given to me in JPG, BMP, GIF format. Those are the easiest cross-platform image file extensions to work with.
Content should be in text format (.txt) or sent to me in a word document … or even directly in an email. Please be specific and take care of the grammar beforehand. I may need to change some things around, but will make sure it’s necessary and discuss it with you first. As much as possible, I want to make the content your responsibility. The only exception might be on the first page where certain wording is required in the right combination to achieve proper search engine results.
Once this is in motion I will begin the design of your front page. When it is completed, you can review the work on the net. Think about it and sit with it, then let me know any changes or alterations that you need to have done. This is the crucial stage in setting up the feel of your site.
Once I have reworked it to your liking, I will bill you for half the agreed amount, and upon payment I’ll add the rest of the pages, content and features. Please remember that once you have approved the look of the site, any further alterations and changes to the design will be billed as extra labour.
Of course content can be revised and changed at anytime in the process.