( go back to Internet solutions... )

The website development process can be broken down into four distinct phases:

• Contracting
• Preliminary Design
• Detailed Design
• Search Engine Submission

Smaller jobs may combine some of the phases, and larger job may add more, but one way or the other, all of these steps have to happen.

During the first phase of the development of your new website, you will talk with your designer so that you both have a common understanding of the goals of the site and the work required to complete the job. This is also your opportunity to have all of your questions answered.
Your designer will then present a proposal. Depending on the designer and the size of the job, this may be a formal proposal or it may just be a verbal quote.
If you agree to the proposal, you will probably be asked to sign a contract. The contract should define who is going to do the work and what they are going to do. Costs and payments should be clearly spelled out. When you return the signed contract, you will also be asked to send the first payment (or the entire payment if it is a small job.)

After you have signed a contract, the preliminary design of your website will begin. Your designer will typically perform the following steps during this time:

• Register your domain name
• Set up hosting
• Develop a site map (table of contents) for your site
• Design the page layout that will form the basis of all the pages in your website
• Create the navigation structure (menus)
• Design preliminary artwork and graphics

When this work is finished, you will be asked to review and approve it. Some designers actually do all of their development work online so that you can watch the site develop.
If you are not satisfied with the initial design or if you want changes made, now is the time to say so - before too much work is done. If you wait until later, your designer may have to change every page in the site and you will be charged for the extra work.
Once you are satisfied with the initial design, you will usually be expected to send approval in writing and send a partial payment so that the work can continue.

Now your individual pages will be created and built into a website. Before this effort can be completed, you will be required to send in all of your submissions to the site. Your designer will do the following:

• Create the individual pages
• Link all pages
• Finalize all graphics
• Incorporate special features

Upon completion of this phase, you will once again be asked to approve the work. You will also be expected to send the final payment.

The last step in the development of your site is search engine submission. After both you and your designer are satisfied with the site, it will be submitted to the search engines. If your contract includes any follow up support, it will also occur during this phase.