What to Expect When we Design a Website for you

Each project is different, and we don’t try to impose a rigid set of steps, but there are some general principles to our design process.

1. Information Gathering and Assessment of design requirements

The first step is always to find out in detail what you need done. From the look of the site, or logo, to the functionality and features needed, we try to get as clear as possible in the beginning about what you like and how much work is going to be required to make it happen. After we understand what it is that really needs to happen we give you a price bid, if you agree with the bid we start moving forward. In most cases we require a down payment in the beginning of the project. The amount of the down payment is usually 50% though in some circumstances we may be willing to make arrangement for other payment plans.

2.Mock up development.

Before we go forward and start coding the html and CSS into place we like to show you a few ideas we are working with and make sure we are moving in a direction that you like.

This is a good time for the client to go ahead and make arrangements for server space. Picking the right server company is very important. Some server companies can make your life very, very difficult. We have a company that we like a lot and we usually recommend to our customers (ANHosting), but we are perfectly happy to work with other companies as well. However there are some important questions that need to be asked before you pay for server space. Some of those questions are very specific technical questions about the restrictions that the server company places on the users and the various software packages that are needed to run a Drupal based site well. We are willing to call your company for you to ask them the necessary questions, or we can call together with three way. The server is to a website what a foundation is to a house. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by choosing carefully in the beginning.

Once you have picked a server company we will need to be given access to the key information and codes to the site. This includes ftp username and password, Cpanel or Vdeck login information, and the server ip address. Trust is important here. In order to do our job properly we need to have the ability to add and remove databases, add and remove files, and to communicate directly with the hosting company on your behalf. It is essentially the same as giving your car keys to a mechanic so that he can work on your car.

3. Creating the Custom Template for your site

Once you find a look that suits you we start putting it together into a CSS based web design. Usually at this point we also set up the skeleton of the site on a testing server (or on your actual server if you already have one) so that you can watch the progress unfold. At this point we encourage the client to start gathering or creating the content for the site. It is always easier to build a site when you know what pages are going to be there. Our sites are made so that the customer can easily edit them, but in the beginning we like to have a few pages to work with so that we can create working menus and start fleshing out the site with real text. Images are also important, and the client should gather as many photos as possible. Photos make sites more pleasant to look at, and increase the chances that a visitor will spend time exploring your site.

4. Adding functionality and configuration of the site

Once we have a site that is looking fairly presentable we start digging into the functionality of the site. There is a practical reason for not polishing the design to perfection just yet at this stage. One reason is that in the process of adding specific features it may become apparent that there are spacing issues that need to be accommodated for or entire sections that need to be added or subtracted for one reason or another. The fact of the matter is that most of the time the design has to be altered to some degree to make everything work well together.

5. Fine tuning and testing

Once the site is doing what it should do we start refining the details of the design and testing the site thoroughly. At this stage we usually like to encourage the client to start trying the site out and asking questions. We provide a set of free tutorials on the use of Drupal and we also walk the client through the process of setting up pages, and menus several times. We have a unique way of setting up Drupal that makes it easy to use, so even the least technically savvy people get it pretty quickly. During this process we take calls just about any time (we are night owls) and we make sure you understand how to make your site work.

6. Going live

Once the site is running smoothly and looking as it should we take the site live. This may mean transferring the files and database to the new server, or just pointing the domain to the correct DNS. If you don’t know what this all means don’t worry, you don’t really have to. We have done this scores of times already, and we know what needs to happen. Switching the DNS servers can take as long as 72 hours (so they say), but I have never seen it take that long. Usually the switch happens within an hour or two.

7. Configuring site maps and Cron task

Once the site has been transferred to a live server we create an xml site map and offer the option of either setting up a google sitemap account for you or of giving you the information to do it yourself if you prefer. This step is easy and can be completed in less than an hour. We also set up the basic cron jobs that are needed to keep Drupal healthy and set the database up to back itself up once ever twenty four hours keeping a total of 7 backup copies at any given time. Again, if you don’t know what any of this means don’t worry. It suffices to say that these are important maintenance precautions to make sure your site will keep running properly and will be easy to reinstall if something happens to it in the future.

8. Maintenance and Updates

Like a design each maintenance and update task is different, and the scale of the job determines the price. If you need a new module installed and configured this might be fairly easy, but there are some modules that are very labor intensive to set up (like CiviCRM for example which requires its own database to run). Some jobs we may bid by the hour, but most of the time we prefer to name a flat rate so that you know what to expect right up front. If you ever decide to upgrade to a new theme to change the look in few years when web fashions have shifted we can take care of this easily. Drupal keeps design and functionality separate to a large degree, so changing the look is something like changing clothes.