Clients Guide To Web Design

What is hosting, and why does my website need it?

In order for your website to be visible on the internet, it needs a certain special place to reside in cyberspace where other computers from around the world can access and view it safely. This space is ‘hosted‘ on powerful computer networks that securely enable people around the world to interact with your website. We provide powerful, reliable and highly-secure servers, dedicated starting at $300CAD per month or shared for as little as $240CAD per year, with 24-7, 365-days-a-year support available by telephone, Skype and email. Ready to start hosting your website with Alchemy Imageworks? Contact us today!

What if my business already has a hosting service?

If you already have Hosting and a registered Domain, fantastic! Now all that remains is for you to gather some important information to be used in the actual development of your website, known as content.

Why is content so important?

Content (text, images and the like) is what Google and other search engines look for when searching for a website. When the content of a website is strategically thought about and utilized, it can launch a website to the top of a web search based on the ‘keywords’ that people use to look for it. This is called SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Allowing your content to be optimized to your target audience is crucial in allowing them the best chance to find you. It is important to have a look at the content that is being displayed in the navigation, the headlines and in the content of a website since it can determine whether the site will rank well on search engine results pages on Google and other search engines.

Business cards, brochures or other marketing materials currently in use the business can provide much-needed copy or context for the development of content for your new website.

Here are some general guidelines to use when submitting images or other content to Alchemy Imageworks:

• Pictures, images, or graphics of any kind previously or currently associated with the business. For best results, please submit highest available resolution files. Preferable formats are TIFF, JPG, PNG, PDF, EPS, or AI
• Text information, preferably in electronic form such as a Text file (.TXT), Microsoft Word Document (.DOCX) or Adobe Reader (.PDF) file.

A Note About Copy Content:

Knowing what your customers want is the key to success and we know that the right words can get incredible results. Hiring an other expert copywriter is an ideal solution. You get effective copy, written by professionals with years of experience and up-to-date skills. We start by learning the search terms people use to find your product or business. Then we write content to answer their questions and deliver information relevant to your target demographic. By putting the right copy in the right place, proven methods and fresh knowledge maximize every message, guiding the visitor’s experience to your desired outcome.

Updated content is also key. If you currently have a website, and it has been up for a while, chances are it might be ready for a content overhaul. Fresh content will keep your audience returning to your website repeatedly and is vital to ensuring measurable results in search engine positioning. A good rule is to have content such as text and images updated as often as you want users to return.

Depending on the nature of your site or business, this can range from every few months, to up-to-the-minute. The time your users spend on your website varies according to the variety and amount of content as well. However, that being said, you don’t have to consider a major overhaul of your image to reap the rewards. A relatively small investment in professionally-written persuasive, informative, and entertaining content can improve your web presence and deliver measurable financial benefits.

Effective communication demands good writing. Alchemy Imageworks delivers. Let us know if we can assist you with expert copy and content development for your new website.

Initial Meeting and Client Survey

To understand your requirements, we start with a brief Client Survey. This helps us articulate those needs and agree on goals. It also addresses your message, audience and content, and the site’s look, feel and functionality. Key decision-makers should complete his or her own survey with brief, but thorough information.

Depending on the project, we may conduct an interview with you in lieu of the Client Survey. Once we have a clear definition of what needs to be accomplished, we will prepare an anticipated budget range and timeline for the project.

The Proposal

The proposal includes standard features of your project; additional custom features can be discussed when we review the proposal with you. It’s our shared responsibility to ensure you have a complete understanding before we begin, as this is the best way to reach your goals and stay on budget. Items of information considered during the proposal process include the following:

• Defining Goals: We work with you to define what we are going to accomplish during the project.
• Define Audience Perception: Together we define the perception the site needs to create for the rest of the world or your specific demographic.
• Content Documents: We’ll outline all of the pages, their goals, types of content and content hierarchy for the site.
• Sitemap: This is the high-level view of your website and how the pages relate to each other.
• Content Development: Using the materials given, the sitemap and your input, our copywriters create or refine the content for your site.
• Layout and Design: This is the visual design of your site.

Project Analysis

This is the first time the entire team meets to review the project. As the final step in the Analysis Phase, it’s critical that we’ve identified everything we want to accomplish and discussed any special requirements, such as:

• Being unable to transfer the site to an approved Alchemy Imageworks host.
• The need for Email setup or migration support.
• Branding guidelines to which we need to adhere.
• Special technology requirements, such as the need to use specific programming languages. This normally involves using ASP or .NET. If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, we can talk with your IT department.

Considerations such as these have a great impact on how we develop the site. That’s why it’s so important to identify them before we start development.

We’ll also need you to provide us with a company overview, explain the competitive environment and answer questions from the team. It’s best if you have all of the content materials in a digital format at the meeting. That way we’ll be ready to go with no delays. Once we have approval to proceed we will start the Design and Layout Phase.

We provide the entire team a thorough overview of information captured in the Scoping Phase; ask any final questions and request clarifi cations before starting the Define & Design Phase. We ask that you make sure we understand all special considerations; supply in digital format all materials, including photography, that may be applicable, as well as a company overview. If you provide everything we need for the project at the Initial Meeting, it will save hours in the long run.

Website Design and Layout

The information gathered at the Initial Meeting is used to create Content Documents which define the direction for your site’s development. These include:

• Perception Definition: We’ll work with you to define the perception the site needs to create.
• Content Brief: These are the details of the pages and types of content for the site.
• Sitemap: The sitemap lays out the site’s overall flow and information architecture.

Once we receive approval from you on the Content Documents we develop designs that meet the requirements of the Scoping Phase and Content Documents. We translate the Content Documents into an effective experiential design that reflects your brand and accomplishes your goals.

Throughout the design process, you may ask for certain things that we advise against. Please understand that we don’t do that to be difficult — we just want to make sure nothing gets in the way of your users having the best experience possible.

Content Development and Look & Feel Development are closely linked because content is the largest part of the user experience. Finding answers to questions and tools that help users with tasks are what makes a site successful. Content will also include development of keywords for search engines. (Don’t worry — we have a simple worksheet to help with these.) Designs must be approved and all content, including pictures and videos, must be approved and delivered before moving on to the Production Phase. The timeframe for custom content development is based on the size and scope of your project.

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The Design and Layout Phase offers several opportunities for budget and time overages to occur. To stay on target, we need to look at designs and content from the perspective of how easy and effective it is for users. Our average project has two rounds of design, so that’s what we include in our estimate. Overages occur when there are additional rounds of design or development required.

Production

Timeframe of production is variable, based on the size and scope of your project. Most of the activity in this phase is on our side. Depending upon the size of your project, the production timeframe can be days, weeks or months. As always, we’ll send you frequent updates on our progress to keep you informed.

A note about how we build your site:

Every site we build is handcrafted. We don’t use off-the-shelf products because they can’t achieve the same level of professionalism and effectiveness. By using up-to-date coding and development practices, we provide our clients with more powerful, dynamic, and standards-compliant web solutions.

Benefits of standards-compliant websites include:

• One version works with all types of browsers.
• Content is presented differently based on the output device.
• A new design can be applied in days rather than weeks.
• Compliant sites load much faster than traditional sites.
• Higher visibility, accessibility and portability.

Live Launch of Your New Website

Once final testing and review have been completed by both the client and our team, and any subsequent changes applied, the website is packaged up. We copy all of your website information and files onto DVD and deliver a copy to you. If you have third party hosting this DVD can provide all of the necessary items to put your website on the internet. If you have subscribed to one of our secure hosting packages then by this stage in development we are already in position to make the website live within minutes of your approval.

A few mouse clicks and keyboard clicks later, and the entire world can view your new online identity!

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We recommend pursuing an active online marketing campaign using social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or through highlighted and organic Search Engine Optimization for premium search websites such as Google and Bing!. Alchemy Imageworks has a proven history of success in marketing, both online and off, and we will be happy to discuss the possibilities for your new online venture. Contact us today and we can define a marketing plan that can help your business succeed.