The Design Process

To learn how we can best design the website to meet your needs, we will gather the following project information during the consultation:

Building a website is a complex process, but making it easy for you is what we do best.  These are the steps we take to create your website. 

How to Prepare

• List your preferences for the appearance of your site ... type of layout, colors, etc.  We suggest that you provide us with a list of web addresses for sites that you are impressed with.  This lets us understand the style you prefer. 
• Create an outline for your site
• Compose content you want included.  A good rule of thumb is to think descriptive and informative.  Examples:  Describe services and/or products you provide, provide hours of operation for any physical locations, promote what makes you stand out from your competition, etc.  For e-commerce sites, list what type of information will need to be added for each product you plan to sell on line.  This will be used to build the database for uploading product information.
• Description and keywords  Create a brief, one paragraph, description of your company, and make a list of keywords and phrases you would expect people to use when they search for your type of business.  These will be used to help make your site "search engine friendly". 
• Gather digital materials  Cove Web Design will provide you with access to an online folder to upload photos, images, pdf files, and any other digital material you have prepared for use on your site.  Take photos of your products, or hire a photographer to take them.  You can also obtain low cost stock photos online from sites such as www.istockphoto.com, www.fotolia.com and www.stockxpert.com.  

What We Do

• Consultation - We gather information about your business needs and what your goals and objectives for the site are.  This will help us determine the appropriate type of online presence (shopping cart, service oriented, informational, etc.).  We also assess the type of services you will need (web design, logo design, hosting, maintenance, etc.), and discuss the type of features you are interested in (interactive forms, flash animation, site search, etc.), and your design preferences (colors, logos, etc.)
• Site Plan - With the information obtained during the consultation, we will develop a site plan based on the best solution to meet your needs and budget.
• Organize Content - We will review and organize the site materials you provide (text content, digital and printed items).  We may make suggestions for additional content at this point.  The more you provide us with the better and more interesting your site will be.
• Design Creation - Once a preliminary design has been created, it will be presented for your review.  We will revise the design until it meets your expectations.
• Build the site - Once the design has been finalized, we begin to build the site.
• Beta Test - Before your site goes live, it is uploaded to a beta test server for you to review
• Site Launch - Upon your final approval, your site will go live

Initial consultation and design proposal is always FREE of charge.

Web Applications

With our E-Commerce shopping cart applications, you don't need any special skills or software to sell products or services online. 

For those who need a website for showing inventory or product information, but the actual sale of the products are not conducted online, such as with home builders and realtors, we offer database development.  The database allows you to log in through a user friendly userface to manage your online inventory ... add text, pictures, etc.

We also set up IDX for Realtors and specialize in design for Realtors, Real Estate Agents and small businesses. Please view our portfolio to get an idea of what we can do for you.

Content Management System (CMS)

CMS designs allow you to update your own website.  You can have the ability to add document downloads, images, photos, text, and more through a password protected administrative panel.  Some types of CMS websites we design are Wordpress blogs, business Facebook accounts, real estate sites, database structured sites, and shopping carts.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website in search engines in order to obtain a high-ranking placement in the search results page.  SEO involves keyword research, copywriting, knowing how search engines work, what people search for, and which search engines are preferred.  Ways that a site can be optimized involve editing content to include more "keywords" that people search for.
 

Let Cove Web Design Take Your Web Site to the Next Level.