If you are thinking about doing a new website or redesigning your existing one and wondering what it really takes to create a website, keep reading. In this blog, we present to you our process for designing and developing a website, so you can get a general idea of how we work and what you can expect from us, throughout the whole process, from conception to completion.
Let’s start by saying that there are several steps involved in the process of web design and development. From gathering the initial information, the actual creation of your website, to the final launch and the maintenance to keep your site up and running.
So, let’s look in detail at the 5 steps to create a website for your business.
1 – Initial Meeting. This is the first and by far the most important step, as during this meeting, you will explain to us your goals, the purpose of your website, and the features and specifications you would like your website to have. The more details you give us, the more accurate we can be in the work. It’s important that you explain your business, values, and vision to us and clearly define your website’s target audience. It’s also important that you explain to us the look and feel that you want to communicate with it. Then we go into the technical side of your requirements – do you want a static website or a blog or video series to go with it? Do you plan to sell a product or a service on your site? It’s important for us to know all about your project to work out the best fit for you! So don’t be shy and share as much as you can.
If you don’t already have a brand, you might want to consider also to commission us for creating your logo and other matching services as part of the package. It usually works out better to get the complete package, but if you need it to want, just let us know it. For more information, you can have a look at our blog 5 reasons to seek a bespoke design & 5 reason to use social marketing.
2 – Second Meeting. Once we gather all the above information, we will prepare a quote and send it to you. We will explain the quote to you in this second meeting (which can be at our office, another convenient location or by Skype). It’s important that you understand what is included and what is not. Once we agree on the quote, we will send you the contract, and once you sign, an initial payment must be made – 50% of the quote. At this point, once you’ve engaged with us, trust us and give us the creative license to work our magic.
3 – Planning and Design. This is when the fun begins – at least for us. Based on the project definition from the brief (step 1), we’ll do a lot of research, we’ll start to put ideas together to outline the concepts for the websites. Then our graphic team starts to create the web design. It’s important that you understand that we’ll present only one design, the one that best fits your needs. We will then present this to you and explain the idea behind the design. For us, this is like when you go to a restaurant, order a slice of meat, ask the meat to be well done, and trust the chef to cook the meat exactly as you want it. Once the meat arrives, just in the event that it is not well done, you will ask the chef to cook it a little bit more. Our process is exactly like this, you need to trust us on the outcome of the project, and just in case there is something completely wrong, we can discuss amendments.
4 – Web Developing. Once you accept and confirm the design, we’ll pass the job on to our coding team. This is where we go behind the scenes and do all the magic to bring your requirements and the designer’s vision to life. We usually start with initial basic sample content, so you can know how the website will look and work. If your project updates an existing website, we will already implement and migrate the existing content. During this step, the website is on a test server, not a live host – which means that only you and we can access the website, and it’s unavailable for the rest of the world.
5 – Website Launch. Once the technical part is done, we’ll present a beta version to you. At this point, you can start to become familiar with it, test it and add real content. If you wish, INMEDIA can assist you with editing content for an hourly fee. If there are major issues, now is the time to fix them and get them sorted. Once the website functionality and technique have been confirmed, the website is ready to go live. Before putting the website live, the other half of the payment must be paid.
Once the website is live, all changes outside the agreed terms will be counted as extras, and hourly fees will be applied.
Some clients may be tempted to believe that that’s it, once the website is done, there is nothing more to do. But in reality, like any other asset, the website needs regular maintenance. Here at INMEDIA, we can help you with periodic renewals, keep your website active with Blog Posts, and optimise your website with SEO.
