1 PREPARATION FOR PROJECT – the legal part
- Contract agreed upon and signed.
- First payment made.
2 PLANNING PHASE – ground work & structure
- Creative brief completed by client, which also includes files, images, text, etc. gathered by client and delivered to Dreamleaf Design. This will most likely be followed with consultation to review the brief with the client and to discuss the vision for the site.
- Text and outline of site layout constructed by Dreamleaf Design and checked by client.
3 DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT PHASE – appealing to the audience
- Based on the information gathered from the planning phase, Dreamleaf Design will design and construct an overall appearance for the site and specific graphics, include/code functionality, and execute marketing strategies throughout. This part of the process is where all the designing and development “magic” takes place. (Client will be contacted and questioned throughout this phase.)
4 TESTING & WRAP UP – almost done!
- Search engine standards will be met.
- Forms and other functionality will be tested.
- Domain/connectivity will be changed/checked if necessary.
- Client approval!
- Final payment made.
5 WEBSITE COMPLETE
- Ta-da! The website will be live!
- Now is the time to link, link, link to your new website. Link through social media posts and also social media account information. Remember to check into any other websites that would list your website as a referral link, and take advantage of those, too. The more your website is visited, the more credibility search engines will give the site.
THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS
- Consultation, updating, questions, etc.
- Timeline: Generally a completed website takes from 4 to 6 months, but it can take longer when there are more revisions or changes than typical. That is why the creative brief and complete submission of images, text, etc. is very important. When new information or changes in direction occur, the process is lengthened, resulting in later completion times and potential expense outside of the contract amount.