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the building process

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The Building Process

When building websites we use a six step process;
1. Information Gathering
2. Planning
3. Design
4. Development
5. Testing and Delivery
6. Maintenance

Information Gathering

1. Information Gathering
Many things need to be taken into consideration as the look and feel of your site is created. We need to establish a solid understanding of what the website is being created for. It involves a good understanding of your business goals and dreams, and how the web can be utilized to help you achieve those goals.

Your web designer will start off by asking a lot of questions to help them understand your business and your needs in a web site. Consider;

* Purpose
What is the purpose of the site? Do you want to provide information, promote a service, sell a product… ?

* Goals
What do you hope to accomplish by building this web site? Two of the more common goals are either to make money or share information.

* Target Audience
Is there a specific group of people that will help you reach your goals? It is helpful to picture the "ideal" person you want to visit your web site. Consider their age, sex or interests - this will later help determine the best design style for your site.

* Content
What kind of information will the target audience be looking for on your site? Are they looking for specific information, a particular product or service, online ordering… ?


planning

2. Planning
Using the information gathered from phase one, it is time to put together a plan for your web site. This is the point where a site map is developed.

The site map is a list of all main topic areas of the site, as well as sub-topics, if applicable. This serves as a guide as to what content will be on the site, and is essential to developing a consistent, easy to understand navigational system. The end-user of the web site – aka your customer – must be kept in mind when designing your site. These are, after all, the people who will be learning about your service or buying your product.

During the planning phase, your web designer will also help you decide what technologies should be implemented. Elements such as interactive forms, ecommerce, etc.


design

3. Design
Your web designer will sketch out a basic layout of the website, drawing from the information gathered up to this point to determine the look and feel of your site. It is important to incorporate elements such as the company logo or colors to help strengthen the identity of your company on the website.

It also helps to have examples of other websites when trying to explain various functions or ideas for your website.


development

4. Development
The development stage is the point where a demo version of the website is created. At this time, your web designer will take all of the individual graphic elements from the prototype and use them to create an actual page for viewing online.

This is typically done by first developing a "template," which used for the content pages and contains the main navigational structure for the web site. Once the template has been approved by you, your designer will take your content and distribute it throughout the site, in the appropriate areas.

Elements such as interactive contact forms or photo galleries are implemented and made functional during this phase, as well. Until you give the final approval, you can suggest any additional changes or corrections you would like to have done.


testing and delivery

5. Testing and Delivery
Once you are happy with the look and functionality, payment for the website will be collected. Then the domain will be purchased and the website will go live.

Communication between both you and your designer is crucial to ensure that the final website matches your needs and taste. Also be sure to express your likes and dislikes on the site design so changes may be made to the final design.


maintenance

6. Maintenance
Keeping your website up to date is crucial. Every site requires deletion of older data and pages, change of some features and elements, and other various edits whenever necessary.

Simply contact your web specialist when you need changes made to your website.

it's important to keep content fresh and interesting. A regular refreshment of graphics and art will also keep your site trendy. That is what the viewers expect from a good site and this keeps them coming back again and again.


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