Design Process

The end to end design process normally follows up to eight separate stages from Client Initial Approach to Project Review and Ongoing Maintenance.

Initial Consultation and Estimate

This is the stage where you contact me to advise me of  your project requirements. As part of the consultation process I will determine your full requirements and outline the proposed solution based on these, along with an estimate of final cost and timescales.

Web Development Agreement and Initial Payment

I will draw up a web development agreement based on our findings at the initial consultation and estimate stage. It is therefore crucial to specify at the consultation stage of all requirements to avoid the scope of the project being incorrect, potentially resulting in additional costs. At this stage I will request 50% of the estimated costs up front to allow me to start work on the project.

Setup of Domain Name and Website Hosting

At this stage I will assist you in registering your domain name and website hosting. If you opt to purchase a hosting package via my recommended third party provider I would appreciate if you purchase this via my affiliate link. This is a source of additional income to myself to cover basic administration costs, which I receive directly from our recommended third party provider.

Initial Design of Layout and Basic Elements

During the initial design stage I ask you to provide me with any images and text for use on your site. It is not imperative for me to have all the images or text for the site at this stage, however, I would certainly recommend that you provide any main logo's and introductory text. Once I have received these I will draft the initial design and basic layout elements for your site. I will place the documents on a draft location on your hosting space. It is vital to have as much client input as possible at this stage to ensure your are happy with the initial layout and design.

Completion of Design

Once the initial design and layout has been agreed, I will continue to develop the site until all the pages specified in the web development agreement have been completed. At this stage I will require any remaining images and text from yourself. I will require you to continue to view the site during this development phase and make any recommendations to ensure the satisfactory completion of the site.

Final Billing

Once all pages for the project have been completed I will request payment of any outstanding balance to allow me to proceed with our final checks and moving the site to a live environment on your hosting space.

Final Upload and Post Implementation Checks

At this stage I will move the site from the draft directory onto the main directory of your site. I will also complete any final checks including Search Engine Optimisation, Accessibility and Validation. Finally I will submit your site to the major Search Engines for registration. Please note that sites can take anything up to six months to appear on the Search Engines and we can offer no guarantees of specific placement for appropriate search terms.

Review/Ongoing Maintenance

At any stage in the future if you wish me to review or amend your site then you are free to contact me at any time to discuss this.