Website Examples
Designing your Website
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Phase 1
Consultation
and researchWe’ll begin by discussing your business, your overall objectives and the main purpose of your website. We’ll discover what type of websites you like and dislike, what level of technical support you may need and whether you have a launch date in mind. I’ll then put together a proposal including a schedule and a fixed price for you to consider.
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Phase 2
Wireframe
and prototypeNext we work out what you want to communicate. If you don’t have the marketing expertise you may like to collaborate with one of my trusted copywriters to pen the perfect message. During this time I design the look and feel of your website. You’ll be able to review the page layouts online and request changes as and when needed.
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Phase 3
Code build
and previewWith the page layouts approved I begin building your website. Everything is custom coded – no generic templates are used. By the time I’m finished you’ll be able to preview a fully working version of your website, hosted on one of my test servers, so you can double check everything works as expected. Any final tweaks can be made at this point.
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Phase 4
Launch website
and supportOnce the website’s approved I migrate all the files over to your chosen web hosting provider. I set up Google Analytics so you can monitor your website’s traffic and connect any webforms to your email account or CRM. Once launched I monitor your website for a couple of weeks, making slight adjustments to improve loading times and search engine visibility.
More Information
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Setting up your website
The technical process of setting up a website can be quite daunting to the uninitiated. However it needn’t be difficult. I will guide you through each step, providing you with the best advice on domain name registration, web hosting and email services. You may already have a website, but you’re unsure if it’s good value for money or even setup correctly. With a quick check I can usually put your mind at ease or provide a better, more cost-effective solution.
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Mobile and tablet friendly
Today 54% of all websites are viewed on mobile devices, and ‘mobile friendly’ websites now rank higher in Google searches. A modern website needs to cater for all sorts of different screen sizes, from large desktop computers to tiny handheld devices and everything in between. To achieve this I design websites with flexible layouts and graphics that change size and position depending on how the site’s viewed. It’s a term referred to as ‘responsive web design’.
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Updating your website
Your website should be treated as a living breathing entity. One that grows with your business and helps promote new products, services and achievements. I design websites that are incredibly easy to update – text, image, video, even page layout can be edited without any prior design experience required. The control really is in your hands! Alternatively, you may prefer I look after updates for you – monthly, bimonthly and quarterly support packages are available.
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Online help and support
To make updating your website even easier I provide step by step guides, complete with screenshots, for many of the tasks you’re likely to perform, such as uploading images to the media library, creating a news post with images, editing a slide and adjusting animation timings. These quick reference guides are built right into your website so you never have to worry about losing them and they can be updated to include more tasks as and when you need them.
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Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is the process of improving your website’s visibility with search engines like Google and Bing. The more visible it is, the higher it will appear in search results. It’s certainly a complicated subject but not a ‘dark art’ like some will have you believe. Writing good quality content that’s relevant to your audience is the best way to improve your website’s visibility. With every new website I include an online tool that automatically check your content and suggests ways to improve it.
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Maintenance and security
From time to time your website will have important updates to install – just like your smartphone or laptop. These updates help to keep your website safe, secure and one step ahead of malicious hackers. If running these updates is out of your comfort zone I can take care of this process for you. I check and resolve any incompatibility issues before updating your live website. I also make backups of your website and database every day, for extra peace of mind.
