Planning and Communication
If your interested in a redesign or a new site, review the information below, then feel free to give us a shout with any additional questions you might have about the process. We will do our best to quickly answer your questions and help you better understand the time-line, cost and process.
- First we will send you a “Getting Started” document, which will help us get an idea of the scope of your project.
- Once this is filled out and returned we will set up a time to meet either in person or over the phone. At this meeting we will provide you with a free half hour consultation.
- After that meeting we will have a better understanding of the scope and cost of the project. If, at that time you would like to move forward with the project we will send you an estimate and contract. To begin work we require a deposit (usually one half the total cost) and the signed contract.
The Content
While we are developing a design using the information you have given us, you can begin putting together the content for your site. Visual Adventures offers SEO web site copy writing for an additional charge. If you would like to use our SEO copy writing services, know that you’re working with the best in the online space. We’ll be happy to have a pro do the writing for you.
If you choose to do the writing we will use this content and key words for the meta data. We use CSS-based coding techniques plus a few other tricks to make sites that are easy to update and perform well in search engines. This is currently considered the most preferred way to create a web site.
The Design
Once we have an understanding of the “look and feel” for your site, we will design a mock-up. A mock-up is a static design with no interactivity and placeholder content. Communication is the key to streamlining this process. Tell us if you love it/hate it/want to use a different color scheme, different pictures? Now is the time to communicate these things. The more we communicate, the less time it takes me to build your site and the less it costs you. We can’t stress the importance of this enough, especially if you are on a tight budget.
Building and Testing
Once the design is complete we will code it and begin testing it on the various web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.) We will test on the latest version of the most frequently used browsers to ensure your site will display similarly on all the browsers. Keep in mind that web design is not a static process. So it’s quite possible that another person viewing the site may have a little different experience based on thier screen settings, monitor and browser.
Launch
Finally, it’s time to make your site live and begin the marketing process.
Marketing and Optimization
We build our sites in WordPress a blogging platform, which is easy to update and found easily in Search Engines. But remember: having the website is only part of the process. It’s important to set aside part of your budget for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and marketing, especially if your site is e-commerce or is going to directly generate sales. Below are some of the ways we can help you market and optimize your site:
- Submit the site to the main directories like Google and Yahoo
- Discuss options for local directories
- Submit site to Hubspot’s website grader and analyze
- Add Google Analytics code to site and educate client on tracking
- Discuss Goggle Adwords and ad campaigns
- Discuss Social Media and if it would benefit your business
- Discuss link building and other ways to improve your SERP
- Provide you with a list of links/resources and tools for additional SEO and marketing
- Set up a custom Facebook page and/or Twitter page
Check out our portfolio page for site ideas.