Website Design Process

High Forest Web Works offers support for those who are embarking on their first website, and are not quite sure where to start!

• So you want a website!
• How do you get started?
• What do you have to do?

All websites are unique, but they all go through a series of steps which we have outlined below. We want you to feel confident that you know exactly what is happening at each step. If you are unsure, just contact us.

The short version:

If you have never planned a website before and are wondering how this whole process works - don't worry - we will do all the technical work for you - you simply provide us with what you want to say about your business and some photos and we will turn it into reality.

Like a newspaper, a website is simply a way to convey information, so like a newspaper, you provide us with the words and we worry about where to get the paper from and how to run the presses!

Your job is to provide the words and the images - we turn it into the reality of a website.

The longer version:

1. Initial discussion
   1. We will have an initial discussion with you by phone, email etc.
   2. We will ask you to complete our Website project enquiry form which can be downloaded as a Word document. Please complete this as fully as possible because we want to understand as much as possible about what you want.
   3. We will give you a preliminary estimate of the cost of your proposal
2. Full proposal
   1. We will work with you to understand exactly what you want to do - what your aims are for the website and your intended audience. We will take as much time as is necessary to obtain as full a picture as possible of your business and your objectives so that we can provide you with a website that meets your needs
   2. This will include:
      1. Number and type of pages
      2. Colour scheme (existing business colour scheme and marketing materials)
      3. Style (websites that you like and dislike)
      4. Content
      5. Images, graphics and logos
      6. Navigation options
      7. Time schedules
   3. We will then write a detailed proposal - a specification - which will be the basis of the contract.
   4. We will give you a fixed quotation which will be valid for 30 days.
3. Agreement
   1. We will ask you to read and sign the contract and our terms and conditions.
   2. We will ask you to pay the deposit - payment can be by credit or debit card via PayPal or if you prefer by cheque or BACS - please ask us for details.
4. Domain name registered
   1. We will register your domain name/s and arrange suitable web hosting.
5. Initial mock-up
   1. We will prepare the style, layout and structure of the site and create an initial mock-up of one sample page.
   2. We will ask you to review this mock-up and we will make any alterations to the style as agreed. If you don't like certain aspects of the design - now is the time to say so.
   3. We will ask you to agree the final mock-up.
6. Website content
   1. You will need to prepare the materials for the website - words, photos and any artwork for each page. This can be sent to us electronically or posted on CD or floppy disk(s).
   2. Once your website content has been received, we will review it and get back to you with any queries or suggestions.
7. Building the website
   1. We will start working on coding your web site, enhancing the photos and laying out the content you have provided to create a "Beta-website".
   2. We will arrange your text and images and relevant links in the best manner suitable for the web.
   3. All of our web sites are validated against 3 important standards so that all of your web pages will work well now, and in the future and be accessible!
      • The W3C XHTML Markup Validation Service
      • The W3C CSS Markup Validation Service
      • The WCAG Level 1A Website Accessibility Conformance
8. Website checked
   1. Once the site has been completed it will be placed online at www.high-forest.co.uk/yoursite/ so that you can see how the site will actually work. Please check it thoroughly to make sure you are happy with what we have done.
   2. This will not be available for the public to see, unless you tell them where it is. We will give you details of how to access it so that you can look through it.
9. Preparation for the site to go "live"
   1. We will load the new site up to your own web hosting space
   2. We will submit the site to the main Search Engines
   3. We will set up your new email accounts, such as info@yoursite.com or you@yoursite.com. These can be forwarded to your existing email account.
   4. You will need to set up your email account to reply from your new business email address.
   5. You will pay the balance of the cost
   6. We will provide 30 days free maintenance
10. Annual costs
    1. Every year we will invoice you for the ongoing cost of hosting your websites, and every two years for the renewal of your domain name.

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If you have more questions or you need more help or advice, please contact us and we will endeavour to help you ~ without any obligation.