Communication Process

Once we have agreed on a plan of service and I am working on your project, I make regular status updates on my work. When days go by and you don’t see tangible progress, it can feel like nothing is happening, when actually a lot is going on.

I also keep notes of our in-person or phone meetings and send them to you as another way to keep you informed of decisions and agreements.

Customer Agreement

As my client, I expect you to pay promptly, prepare your web site content in a timely manner, and when needed provide me with graphics or photos and other site components as the development process unfolds. As you do your part, I can do mine, allowing us to meet our agreed upon completion date.

Fees for Service: small projects

On small projects taking up to 10 hours, I normally estimate the time involved, billing you for actual time worked once the job is complete. If I spend less time on the project than estimated, your cost will be less. If the project takes more than the estimated time, you will be responsible for the difference. In the end, my goal is to leave you feeling satisfied with the quality and value of your purchase.

Fees for Service: large or complex projects

On projects that are complex or broad in scope, estimated at more than $500 or more, I draw up a contract. Once signed, I accept 50% or the first of three equally divided payments. The contract will designate when the second and/or final payment will be paid. I accept the final payment when all work on the project is complete.

Note: Sometimes, once I get into a project, I find features that would be advantageous to add or ways to improve the original concept. Because my goal is to do the best job possible, I will inform you, giving you the option to approve and sign off on additional work requiring additional fees.

 

Building a new site or redesigning a new site

In our first contact, I get a brief sense of your project and then ask you to answer 10 questions. The questions cover relevant information about your business, why you want a website, how you use one currently or intend to use one, what you want the site to accomplish for you and your business, and ways of implementing search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.

Your answers will provide the foundation for understanding your project’s scope and needed elements. If necessary, I will call or email you to clarify any details before preparing a design brief that outlines the steps required for accomplishing your project.

Once we both agree on the plan, we sign a contract.

At this point my building work begins. I create or recreate the site map and wireframe, or diagram view of each type of page. Once we agree on this structure, together we choose and finalize a design. I normally go through two rounds of changes during this process.

Once the wireframe is complete, we will begin fitting the content you have written for the various pages.

NOTE:If you are not comfortable with writing web content, or writing in general, I can recommend a professional web copywriter that can write effective web content incorporating optimized search keywords and phrases that can improve your site’s readability and search engine ratings.

I then convert the final layout(s) into a working webpage(s). (There may be one or more sub-page layouts.) During this phase, I put the site through various tests and validate the code. I finish building pages, and finally, the site goes live.