Introduction to making websites
Or, more accurately, an introduction to how we make websites!
By the end of this page, you should have a clearer understanding of our values, our goals for your website, how we will design the site and the technical background to our websites. We will end with some notes covering financial matters.
Notes on the design phase and technical matters have been placed on linked pages, in order to keep this page within sensible limits.
How we will deal with you
We will deal with you honestly, promptly and courteously. We will not blind you with science, or claim expertise we do not have. If we think something is bad [technically or morally], we will not do it.
Our aim is to develop a happy, long term relationships with you - supporting your work in the best ways we can - so we will offer advice and ideas even when the site is 'finished'.
Our goals in website design
We have straightfoward goals for any website we create:
- We make sites that are fast, simple to use and visually appealing.
- We make it easy for your customers to do what they want.
- We make our sites robust and easy to maintain and develop.
- We make our sites accessible to people with all sorts of disabilities and viewing devices.
Developing your site
A website is far more than just pretty graphics. A good website should indeed have a elegant face. However it also needs to have a clear function, it needs to have solid foundations, and it must be able to grow and change in the future.
Financial
Once the initial consultation is complete, we will prepare a proposal, including terms and conditions. This will detail what is included in the site. You may want a phased development - some key features to be included in the first release and others to appear later - that is perfectably acceptable.
If you want extra features added part way through, we would be very happy to do the work, but obviously will have to charge appropriately.
We can either work on an hourly basis or for a flat fee - it has to be said that most of our clients prefer the latter. In such a case we would need a certain percentage to be paid up front - this does help concentrate minds! For larger contracts, we would need to agree on stage payments.
Your website - the design process
Good website design follows from and enables the purpose of the site. The design will define the different sections of the site, their functions, how to move between sections and, of course, the site appearance - layout, typography and colour schemes.
All of these will need your thoughts and input. So our first priority is to spend time with you, listening and talking, finding your requirements and tastes, making suggestions. Only then can design really start.
read more about our design process ...
Your website – technical background
There are many ways to actually code a site, even when the site architecture and graphic design is complete. We use a standards based approach, carefully considering accessibility from the beginning.
Standards based programming offers immense advantages, so do read the more detailed notes [kept to minimum of geekiness!].
read more about the technologies enabling our websites ...
Your website - maintenance
Any good website will change over time as new content is created, company details alter, a new graphic design is desired etc. If the site does not change, then it is dead, and will either mummify or start to smell.
If thought about from the beginning, updating or adding content can be made easy. Altering the site structure is usually harder, but if well designed, that is not usually a show stopper.
Some people will want to update their own content, others will want the web-designer to maintain it all. The choice is yours.
read more about maintaining your site ...
Your website - handling bugs
Bugs - mistakes in the code in your website, spelling mistakes in text or graphics - sadly do happen. We will deal with them. Of course, design changes and changes in taste are not bugs!
read more about bugs in websites ...
Financial
Once the initial consultation is complete, we will prepare a proposal, including terms and conditions. This will detail what is included in the site. You may want a phased development - some key features to be included in the first release and others to appear later - that is perfectably acceptable.
If you want extra features added part way through, we would be very happy to do the work, but obviously will have to charge appropriately.
We can either work on an hourly basis or for a flat fee - it has to be said that most of our clients prefer the latter. In such a case we would need a certain percentage to be paid up front - this does help concentrate minds! For larger contracts, we would need to agree on stage payments.