Web Design, IA & SEO

So you want to build a website. Now what?

You’ve got a great product or service, and now want a website to let even more people know about it. That’s great! It’s a first step towards increasing your client base and creating an easy method for people to find you.  A strong online presence is an important building block  in the foundation of your marketing.

So where do you go from here?

Allow us to explain… we love to explain.

There are 3 main items needed to have a website:

  1. A domain name
  2. Web space (also known as your hosting company)
  3. A website

A domain name is what your URL is. i.e. www.domainname.com

Web space is your “virtual real estate”.  You will need to purchase it from a hosting company so there is a “place” in which to house or upload your website files. (Don’t worry, we can help you with this.)

Third, you need to actually build a website. This is made up of various files and should reflect the look and feel of your company. It is the part the world sees and should have “You” written all over it!

We would like to add a few more points here.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

It is also a very good idea to have SEO, also known as search engine optimization. This is a special addition to the programming of your site which most quickly and easily allows search engines to find you. When optimizing your website for search engines, we also directly submit your site to not only the ‘big guys’ (I.e. Google, Yahoo, Mozilla etc.) but also to hundreds of others to truly get your name out there in as many places as possible.

It can take a few months for your site to start showing up when you type your name into a search engine. Don’t worry, that’s completely normal, it will get there.  SEO is well worth the effort as it will pay dividends tenfold in the future.  So make it easy for your customers to find you.  Include SEO as part of your online presence.

Another method of getting your name out is through various social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter. This is an excellent adjunct to  your online presence, which is your website. These social media sites are easily created and maintained but  if you are going to use these tools, we recommend you update them frequently to get the most “bang for your buck.”

Information Architecture (IA)

What exactly is this? An information architect figures out what pieces go onto your website, organizes and categorizes it and finds the best possible way to present that information to your target market. This means they need to understand who your target market is, what your goals are and match that strategically to the look and feel you want your product or service to have.  This requires both technical skill, terrific communication skills and a sound understanding of psychology when it comes to selling and promoting.  You don’t want to just slap some info onto a website. You need to clearly categorize it and package it in a way that will most appeal to your customers.  This requires quite a bit of finesse. Sometimes an IA technician will even run some user testing groups to ensure they are on track. Sound IA can make or break your ability to appeal to the mass (target) market.

This is a service we not only automatically provide and apply to all our projects, but we also absolutely LOVE the process! It’s the place where you get to rock the most incredible ideas and tease them apart until you refine the perfect balance of technical know-how and visual aesthetic, resulting in seemless and inspired design.

How we work with you:

Your end:

When we work with you to create your fabulous new website, (or redesign your current one) we will need several things from you to get started;

  1. All the content written out exactly as you would like to see it online. We prefer a Word document but will accept e-mail also.  Since we know that no one knows your business better than you, we will not make any changes to the written text you send us, therefore, all editing should be complete by the time we receive your files.
  2. All images you would like us to use in your site. If sending photos, it pleases us to no end to get them in the highest possible resolution and in jpg format. However, we can also work with gif’s, PDF’s and many other digital formats.  Illustrations can be scanned or if you have them in digital format, send them in the highest resolution you’ve got.
  3. If you have a logo, send it in the highest resolution possible.

*If you are incorporating SEO, (very wise of you, even if we do say so ourselves) then we will need a list of key words from you. These key words should be the ones you think people are MOST likely to type in to a search engine when trying to find your product or service.

Our end:

We will go over your goals with you, talk about who your target market is, what you want to emphasize and provide various options of how best to present the information online.  Once you decide on a design and sign off on the proposal, we are ready to begin.

You will be given a username and password which will allow you to log on to the server and actually view progress live.  Isn’t that exciting? You don’t have to wait, you can check in any time to see how your site is coming along. This will also allow you to give us feedback as we go. *

All communication is done via e-mail, this way it is both quick and easy for you to view any design specs or details in an efficient manner..

Once your fabulous new site is complete, and you are happy with it, we will upload it to your hosting company’s server and make it live for all to enjoy.

In addition, we will e-mail you the master files of your website, along with the login information for your hosting company.  This way you have everything, should you decide to make any changes in the future.

Fees:

Initial consultations for a new or redesign are on the house! Also, there is never any pressure to continue afterwards should you decide to hold off or even go with someone else.  It`s your site and we want you to feel totally comfortable about working with us at all levels.

Web design or redesigns start at $1800.
SEO starts at $375.

If you are interested, send us an e-mail to start the ball rolling and obtain a quote.

  • If part way through you’ve had a change of heart and are keen to take the design or content in a new direction, we are very happy to accommodate your request. However, as this will entail extra work and a change in schedule on our parts, an addition fee of $45 per hour on top of the original price will be billed.
  • Domain name registration and web hosting fees are separate costs. These are usually below $100 per year.
  • If you already have a website and just want SEO, that is possible too.
  • Depending on your project, you may wish to be billed at an hourly rate instead. In this case, we charge $45 per hour.

And last but not least… the do it yourself option!

Are you interested in making frequent changes and updates to your site but aren’t a programmer?  No problem! We can help set you up on a Word Press template that allows you to go in and make all the changes you want yourself.  No programming required.

Send us all your content as described above and we will set everything up for you. Once it’s done, you can go in and make any alterations you desire.  We`ll even give you a little lesson on how exactly to do this! Now that’s the ultimate in both convenience and self-reliance! This service costs $500.

Happy e-marketing!

Curious? We invite you to browse through a few samples of our work…

The Storymaster

Storymaster publications and productions
Raw, primal and powerful.
Inspiring, introspective and unapologetic.
Creative works bringing people’s stories and passions to light.
 
*
 
*