How the process of developing a new website works

So you are thinking about wanting to create a website for your business but not too sure how to start. Below, I'm going to present some important things to consider.

Choosing the right person to create your site.

Once of the first things you will need to is to determine who you want to work with in order to get this all done. I've addressed that question in another article.

Deciding on a domain name.

Your domain name, or URL in internet terminology, is the internet address that people will use to find your site. It is the part of the internet address between the "www" and the ".com".

It is important that this name connects to the name of your business and your products as well as being short. You may have to experiment to find a name that meets these criteria that is not already being used by someone else.

Once you have a name you like and it is not being used, you need to purchase the rights to use this name. This is done through a domain registrar and is a separate step than creating the website.

Gnu Enterprises can help you with this step.

Determing the purpose and basic layout requirements of your site.

Is your site going to be "static" and contain basic information that does not change very often or do you need it to be dynamic so that updates can be made regularly?

Do you want it to be only a one way communication or do you want to provide a way for both existing and potential customers to reach you?

Are you a blogger or a tweeter? Are you interested in incorporating either of these elements into your site, providing a way to keep customers informed of new changes, promotions or other relevant information?

Have you done some exploration of the internet to see what sort of sites you like and what you don't like? Do you have some ideas in mind that you feel would be best for your site?

All of these questions and likely more are things you should plan to discuss with whomever is going to develop your site.

At Gnu Enterprises, we are dedicated to helping you realize your vision and will listen to your needs and work with you to accomplish it.

Responsibility for Artwork

Unless you are willing to spend extra with your web developer for creating artwork, you will want to already have your own artwork ready. This should include any logos, pictures or other graphics that you want to use in creating that special look for your business.

This artwork needs to be a "machine readable" or computer file format. If you have already worked with an advertising agency or graphic artist, they should be able to provide anything you need in the correct format. Sometimes a printed image can be scanned and made usuable, but this is generally going to result in a lower quality.

Gnu Enterprises has the resources and connections with graphic artists and professional photographers to help you create original artwork, if needed.

Development and Testing process

Your web developer should be responsible for making sure that all the necessary coding is put into place so that your site will function in the way you expect. They should also be responsible for providing the initial testing to make sure that everything works.

There should also be a period of time during the development cycle where you as the customer can access and operate the site so that you can ensure it looks and performs in the way you expected. During this time, you will want to think like a customer and evaluate your site in how well it is going to meet their needs in finding out what they want to know about your business.

The staff at Gnu Enterprises has years of experience in properly performing testing prior to involving the customer.

Design and Site Reviews

Throughout the development process, there should be regular reviews with the website developer. These should be the times where you can view the progress that has been made and you can exert some control over the direction that things are going. This review and feedback process will both help you get the finished product you are expecting as well as help the developer stay on the most productive path.

At Gnu Enterprises, we appreciate our customers that are interested in and become actively involved during the development process.

Establishing a "go-live" date

Once the requirements of your site are fully understood, the artwork has all been made available and you have determined how you want to make it known to your customer base that you have a website, you and the developer should agree on a "go-live" or launch date for your site, when it will be published to the internet and customers will be able to start accessing it. You may want to schedule this around an event or business cycle in your business, or perhaps consider some sort of promotion to facilitate getting the word out.

Gnu Enterprises is very committed to working with you to establish and meet schedules.

Warranty and Beyond

So, now your site is up and running and a problem develops. What now?

Your developer should provide you with a reasonable warranty period, within which any problems will be corrected as part of the original agreement. Beyond that time period, it is industry standard practice that corrections, updates or enhancements to the site become the basis of a new agreement. Many times this can be structured as a monthly retainer or services can be purchased as needed.

Gnu Enterprises provides a standard warranty period of 90 days from the site launch to make any corrections to functionality that does not meet the original specifications. They are available for both services as needed or on a retainer for additional changes or enhancements.