6 PHASES OF WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT

Phase 1: Defining the Scope

Before any work can be done on your web site, it is necessary to define the scope of the project. In most cases, this involves:

• Consulting sessions to determine your goals and objectives for you web site including such considerations as the definitive purpose of the site, the target audience you wish to impact, the market areas (local, regional, national, world-wide), your competition, etc.
• Gathering information about your company. We want to get to know you so that we can develop elements that will best illustrate the complexities of your business.
• Research of your competition on the web.
• Development of a budget.
• Constructing a time line for completion of the site.

Phase 2: Planning the Project

• We will assist you in choosing a domain name for you site. We will then determine if your choice is available and register your name with Network Solutions, the repository of all domain names. Recently there are competitive firms so that Network Solutions is not the only choice. We will research these also. There is a direct charge to you for registering the domain name. We do not charge for the actual registration.
• All the information gathered during Phase 1 will be reviewed and verified with you. The architecture of the site will then be developed and a site map or flow chart will be developed for your approval.
• Text content, images, and any specific features of the site will be firmly defined and approved by you. These features might include forms, dynamic content, cold fusion elements, etc.

Phase 3: Design & Testing

Using the architecture developed in Phase 2, we will add visual representation to these ideas to establish the web site's look and feel.

• Design the theme, navigation system (buttons, text links, etc.) footer information (company name, address, phone, fax, email, copyright, etc.).
• Place approved text, photo originals, and any custom graphics.
• Include any forms with "Thank You" pages.
• Develop programming for search engines, such as meta tag description and keywords.
• Submit this work as a template for your approval before the site is built. This template will be placed on the web in a directory called "Newsite". You will be able to follow the development of the site as it is being created in the /newsite directory.

Phase 4: Production, Testing, and Implementation

During this phase we will combine the approved architecture and content with the approved template to produce the individual pages that will constitute the web site. Pages are then coded, graphic rendered, photos made web-ready, and search engine programming added to each page. All the pre-approved pieces are placed and the site is tested for the highest level of performance.

We will specifically test for:

• HTML or CFM tag errors and redundancies.
• Typos (final spell checking and proofreading).
• Navigation functionality.
• Load time.
• Browser compatibility at all resolutions.

Phase 5: Search Engine Placement

Once you approve the web site, it will be submitted manually to the major search engines so that your web site can be easily found. It will then be submitted to an additional 200+ minor search engines and directories electronically. We also will submit your site to industry-specific portals that conform to your industry. If we host your site, we will re-submit your site on a monthly basis as part of the hosting fee.

Phase 6: Maintenance & Updates

Once the site has been launched, we will make minor changes and updates for the next two months. If you wish us to maintain your site, we will submit a proposal for this program.