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Plan the Design and Development of Your Website
Getting a cosmetically-pleasing, functional and revenue-generating website published on the Internet does not have to be a frustrating or difficult experience, even for those that do not have the time
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MethodSmart Media
Planning the Design and Development of Your Website
By Gerald S. Adler
Getting a cosmetically-pleasing, functional and revenue-generating website published on the Internet does not have to be a frustrating or difficult experience, even for those that do not have the time, inclination or the skill set to do it themselves. All it takes is a little knowledge, planning and research. MethodSmart Media (www.MethodSmart.com) will walk through the entire process with you.
First, take a few minutes to become knowledgeable about what it is you are buying. Taking the time to understand what you need and want in your website. It will improve your experience and ensure that you get the required results.
What needs to be considered prior to starting a website design and development project?
The following is a brief four step process that will help with your website design and development project.
Step 1: Business Requirements
First, determine the desired function of your website. What kind of activities will your customers need to be able to perform on your website? Do you want to set up an ecommerce site where potential customers can learn about and purchase your products? Do you want a reference or billboard site with information about your company or services? Activities that you can provide your customers may include:
Shopping
Registration
Requesting information
Searching a database
Downloading or uploading files
Discussion forums
Step 2: Feature Requirements
Identify the features that you want to add to your website to make it more engaging and interactive. For example, if you want to set up an ecommerce site, you may want to have a shopping cart. Some common features are:
Forms - allow visitors to easily submit or request information.
Message Boards - visitors can leave or respond to messages.
Photo Galleries - display graphical information of your products or services.
Counters - track the number of times a page has been viewed.
Flash Animation - create interesting animated content to increase viewer
entertainment and interactivity with the site. This will increase “stickiness."
Search - allow visitors to search the site's content. A Site Directory will also significantly help
with this as well as with search engine rankings!
Shopping Cart - software that collects and records the purchases of your customers.
Inventory Management - automatic updating of your inventory.
Step 3: Service Provider Requirements
Determine the expertise you need. There are two basic components to the creation of a website: Design and Development. Design deals with the front-end look and feel. Development deals with the back end functionality. All Business websites should also be designed and developed to maximize the effects of the various search engines. Of course, the level of support is vital (can the provider be easily contacted, and do they support their work?). At MethodSmart Media, our philosophy is to “work hard to earn your business…every day". Likewise, we will do all possibly prudent to “earn your business…long into the future". All phone calls and emails are addressed within a maximum of one (1) business day, and we provide two (2) website design and development revisions with each and every quote. That means that we perform up to three (3) design and development versions for each quote, ensuring that our customer's are satisfied!
MethodSmart Media provides professional design, development and search engine optimization services. Contact MethodSmart at either Sales@MethodSmart.com or 865.599.6843 for a free website consultation!
Step 4: Budget Requirements
Basic website projects typically start around a thousand dollars and go up depending on the overall scope, complexity and size of the required site. In addition to the cost of designing and developing the site, you need to consider these additional costs: domain name registration (your .com address), web site hosting and web site maintenance. MethodSmart provides all of these services and more, making us your one source for comprehensive online marketing. To promote your web site, MethodSmart offers various search engine optimization and maintenance packages, as well as link building, placement, competitive reviews, and Internet advertising services. If your website is being designed to generate revenue, make certain to allot funds for these ongoing Internet marketing services. Without at least basic search engine optimization maintenance, your website will most likely never achieve the search engine rankings required to be profitable.
Remember that approximately 85% of prospects find a website via the major search engines! Make sure your website is ranked by them.
PLANNING YOUR PROJECT
Now that you know some of the basics, you need to put together a simple project plan to help communicate your project needs. Follow these guidelines when putting your plan together.
Determine the objective of your website.
Define your audience.
Determine the required content.
Determine color scheme.
Get logos, text and any required graphics or photos in a digital format. Text can be emailed in
a Word document, and all other information can also be emailed as attachments.
Look at other sites for inspiration! Provide a list of websites to MethodSmart to give us an
indication or taste, functional requirements, layout preferences, and for responsible quote
estimates.
You may want to develop a rough website storyboard to ensure that you have all the
components.
As always, feel free to contact MethodSmart Media (www.MethodSmart.com) at either Info@MethodSmart.com or 865.599.6843 for a free consultation.
Mention this article and receive 20% off a website design and development quote!
Gerald S. Adler is President of MethodSmart Media, Inc.
MethodSmart (www.MethodSmart.com) provides comprehensive Internet marketing services.
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