Organizing material for a web site can be daunting, especially at the beginning of a project. It's understandable that clients are unsure about where or how to start. We suggest beginning with your words, images, and ideas.

Words

• An overview of your company or project
• A description of your product or service
• Technical specifications
• Customer support FAQs
• Short biographies of your staff
• Updates on company events

Images

• Your logo
• Photos of your products
• Company pictures, including staff and offices

Ideas

• How can my web site help me find new customers as well as meet the needs of my current customers?
• How can my web site help me better operate my business?
• How can I use the Web's unique qualities to give me an advantage over my competition?

What we often say to a new client: "Gather everything you have that describes your company—Word documents, pamphlets, photographs, slides, anything electronic as well as hardcopy—and put it in a big box. We will go through everything in that box, flowchart the site experience, then propose a design direction."

What are the steps in a website project?

Below is an example outline of a web site project.

Discovery

1. Initial meeting
2. Collect client content material
3. Discuss search engine needs (optimization and submission)

Research

1. Notes and ideas from intial meeting
2. Flowchart of intended site structure
3. Identify target audience, including demographics and psychographics

Hosting and Server Issues

1. Establish dialogue with web host
2. Review server-specific issues
3. Limitations/restrictions of client's hosting server

Pre-Design

1. Rough layout(s)
   1. Submit to client
   2. Client changes/adjustments
2. Discuss and establish web site elements
   1. Areas
   2. Links
3. Optional features
   1. Adjust flowchart of site structure according to discoveries

Design and Implementation

1. Mockup(s)
   1. Designer presents 2 or more design directions to client
   2. Client chooses direction, suggests changes
   3. Designer presents final design direction
   4. Client approves final design direction
2. Designer creates home page and subpages
3. Designer tests, then presents beta web site
4. Client adds minor updates and changes
5. Designer implements changes, submits final web site to client
6. Client approves final web site, and the web site goes live.

C2 Design
2201 N. Lakewood Blvd.
Ste. D#304
Long Beach, CA 90815

Phone: (562) 923-9174
E-mail: [email protected]