Working Inside the Design Instead of With the Client

Some web design professionals run through the same mundane steps they are accustomed to in their own special way, and they never once inform the client about what they are planning to do and what they have or have not done.  So how does their client know what to expect?  How does the website owner know what stage of the process they are in?

Will the website ever actually get done?

The Web Design Process

To establish good project management you must start with a basic plan, a blue print of what is about to happen.  For our customers, we offer a flow chart of the general phases they can expect to occur during the project.  For example, the first phase is mock up designs.  Based on the scope and desires of the customer, we give them an idea of the timeline for that phase and when the next phase should begin.

This gives the customer some peace of mind in that early stage when they are not yet familiar with us, and it helps them to plan their own tasks as well, like when to deliver their next batch of content to us.

Good Tools

Not all customers are alike, so not every one of them will want to use my preferred tool.  But in most cases I invite them to our project management software system, so they can login to a special area to see notes, communication, and files related to their project.  I always have at least one customer who prefers basic email communication or even phone calls over the website system, but we still use the system for our internal staff.

With our project management software, all of our staff can track notes and progress for a project, create task lists and check off items when they are completed, track milestones, and share important files such as programming documentation and mock up designs.

Steamlining & Succeeding

It’s a shame to hear stories from website owners who are disenchanted with the web design industry because they had a poor experience previously.  A great deal of those stories could have been prevented with some basic project management.  Unfortunately, a great designer without quality project management might feel just as overwhelmed and lost as the customer who is wondering what the status of their website is and why it hasn’t launched months after they originally planned.

This statement describes both sides of the web design world – the client and the designer.

Looking back at the last 15 years of projects, we see a wide breadth of customers in our portfolio.  From a small real estate firm, a law office, or a marketing agency – to an actor, non-profit organizations, construction businesses, and fitness programs.  WEBii has touched a vast number of small, medium and large companies.

We have also worked on projects ranging from a minor maintenance task to a completely custom-built community management system (complete with online voting, member directories, and content management).  These days we have a fair amount of e-commerce projects under our belt written with a variety of shopping cart software.

On the other side of the ring, in the customer’s corner:

I have heard stories.  Stories about different personalities they happen upon as they try to pursue websites for their businesses.  Unfortunately, some folks who get into web design are not true professionals.  It’s a sad truth.

This is a very fun and trendy business, and lots of people want a part of it.  However, some of those people do not have the professional experience, the patience, or a heart for customer service – which means they might not stick around very long to see your project all the way through.

One of our clients once told me a story about her experience with a former web designer using licensed stock photos and avoiding the payments for them.  A year later, well after her designer had “disappeared” from all contact, the stock photography company came after her (the website owner) to collect the fees for the photos- several hundred dollars of surprise fees!

Another client shared with us that their previous web designer had created a website that was a replica of another competing website on the Internet, and much to their dismay the competitor approached them for copyright infringement.

At WEBii, we are proud of our continued professionalism in the web design industry and our commitment to provide our customers with an attractive, custom-designed, usable solution that will help their businesses succeed.  So consider us the best chocolate in the box (the one with the caramel inside).

A house, but not a very good house.

Probably a building, maybe with 4 walls, but probably in danger of falling down and made of foil and Lincoln Logs.

Knowing the importance of good shelter for my family, I will refrain from building my house.  Instead I will trust quality construction and real estate experts. Because, that is their profession.

Web development is a profession, too.  It is a neat one, and rather trendy, which is why so many folks like to try their hands at it.  But just like building dwellings, it takes experience and on-the-job training to build a quality website.

Is it important to get your website online? Absolutely.  Do you have access to do-it-yourself tools? Probably.  But if building websites and learning “clean” coding techniques is not how you spend most of your time, your website is likely to look like a result of “spare time”.

Here are just a few reasons to hire a good professional web designer like WEBii:

• We won’t put your website project on the back-burner, behind all of your clients
• We will probably code your website using seo-friendly techniques
• Your website won’t be a replica of the 100 other websites that used “that template”
• Your website will be an efficiency tool for your business, instead of an excuse
• You won’t avoid printing your website address on your business card

If you have started your website because you know it is important to have one, kudos.  But before you get in too deep and start making excuses, consider the importance of a website that was made professionally.

Websites used to be as simple as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) code embedded in a single file per page. While this was great for simplicity, it didn’t do much in the way of functionality. The pages could only display one static set of information per page. In today’s current version of the internet, one web page can display a variety of different information depending on what the user inputs. These types of websites are known as dynamic websites because they dynamically generate the web pages each time a visitor visits a page, using a set of data that is retrieved from a database.

Here is an example of the way a static HTML page works:

1) You type “www.example.com” in the address bar of your web browser, and your web browser sends a request to the server of “www.example.com” for the contents of the web page.

2) Your web browser downloads the content of the home page at “www.example.com” in the format of an HTML document.

3) Your browser reads this document, and then displays it in your web browser as a web page.

The way a dynamically generated page works is a little different. Let’s take this blog as an example. This blog runs on a popular blogging platform called WordPress. The WordPress software uses a combination of PHP code and a mySQL database in order to dynamically generate web pages. PHP is a server-side scripting language, which means that all the processing is done on the web server, as opposed to a client-side script like Javascript that runs on your local machine. The short explanation of mySQL is that it stores data on a database server, which can be retrieved through a series of “queries”. If you would like to know more, you can read about it here: mySQL

Here is an example of the way a dynamically generated web page works:

1) You type “www.webii.net/blog” in the address bar of your web browser, and your web browser sends a request for the contents of the web page.

2) The page “index.php” runs its PHP code on the web server, which includes mySQL queries for information from the database. This includes a query of the “latest posts” which WordPress stores in the mySQL database. The “index.php” file finishes running its code, and it outputs the result in HTML.

3) Your web browser reads the HTML output of the PHP file, and then displays it in your web browser.

Either way, your browser still receives and displays HTML information, but the manner in which it is retrieved is very different. The “index.php” file can put out different results depending on the user input. When you click on the “about” link in our blog’s navigation bar, you are actually calling the exact same “index.php” file, but this time the page is dynamically generated to display the “About” information that is stored in the mySQL database. Neat, huh?

Dynamic websites are not for every one. If you simply need to display a couple of pages of text and images, then sometimes bare bones HTML pages can suffice. If you need something better for your organization or business (or even just your personal website), dynamically generated web pages can be designed to give multi-tiered security access, allow you to update your web page from anywhere on the web, and many other powerful features that can turn an otherwise uninspired website into a full blown online presence, a tool to help you get things done.

This shopping cart software can be a web designer’s dream.  The software was well thought-out by it’s developers and is managed mostly with stylesheets, making custom layouts within close reach; opposed to a less flexible shopping cart that requires heavy programming to modify the look and feel.  Furthermore, developers will be pleased to see the impressively organized code for this program, complete with a smart override system.

You will need to do 3 things to make a website and publish it online: Create your Website Files, Purchase Web Hosting Space and Register a Domain Name, and Upload Your Files to a Web Server.

1) Create Your Website Files:

The website files are what visitors see when they visit your website. Basic websites are constructed with HTML code, but if you don’t know how to code HTML, there are programs that build websites in an environment similar to word processors (I.E Microsoft Word) and can generate your HTML files for you. Adobe Dreamweaver is a popular program, but if you’re looking for a free solution, Mozilla has a free HTML editor named SeaMonkey. (You can use any program you want, these are just recommendations).
Download and install the SeaMonkey program on your computer, then open the program.

In the SeaMonkey program, go to File > New > Composer Page.

Starting a New Web Page in SeaMonkey

This is where you can build your web page. Once you’re finished with a page, make sure to Save it. It will automatically save as an HTML document, with the file extension “.html”.

Great! You’ve now created your website files, and they’re saved on your computer. Now you need to find a company to host your files on the internet.

2) Purchase Web Hosting Space and Register a Domain Name:

A Domain Name is the name that will point to your website, such as “example.com” or “example.net”. Web hosting companies have servers that specialize in storing websites for people to access over the internet. Purchase some web hosting space from a company that offers the domain name as well, because it will greatly simplify the process. Some hosts even offer free domain name registration with the purchase of web hosting space. Example: Webii.net

Once you’ve purchased hosting space and a domain name, make sure to ask the company for your “FTP connection information” so that you can move onto step 3.

3) Upload Your Files to your Web Server:

In order to upload the website files that you created in step 1 to the web hosting server space that you purchased in step 2, we’re going to use something called an FTP program. There is a great, free program called Filezilla (made by the brains behind the Firefox web browser), and you can download it here: Download Filezilla

Download the the appropriate file depending on your operating system, install Filezilla on your computer, and open up the program.

In order to connect to your web server, you’ll need the following information, available from your web host: FTP Hostname, User Name, and Password. You can enter this information into the fields at the top of the Filezilla program and click “quick connect”. You should now be connected to your web server.

Connecting to your Web Server

Once you’ve connected, you can use the left window pane to navigate your computer’s files, and you can upload files from your computer to the web server. Ask your web host which directory contains your website files. You will upload the HTML files that you created on your computer onto the web server, into that specific directory.

Now, try visiting your domain name in a web browser. You’re on the web! You see? Publishing a web site onto the internet is easy. Making a web site that looks good? Now that is a different story.

Unless you are a dare devil, I imagine you said no.

This is a point I like to make when I hear that someone has decided to “save money” but having their friend, or friend’s friend, or a part-time student – do their web site.  Sure, there is some new and upcoming talent out there, and there always will be people aspiring to be a web designer.  But what about your business?  How much does it mean to you?  Is your marketing worth so little to your business that you would risk it on an inexperienced, part-time, and possibly unreliable person?

I put “save money” in quotes because, unfortunately, there are many occassions when a business owner does go this route and finds out later that they lost money

- all that time that went by when the web site still wasn’t complete and no one could visit it…
- the poor results of a badly designed or badly coded web site, which actually scared away customers…
- a not-so-professional designer who stole copyrighted images and the owner later found themselves fined by the stock photo company…

The truth is, there is great value in hiring a professional web site designer/developer to create an attractive, functional web site, that actually markets you well on the Web.  The Internet is different than other marketing media, and your professional web developer will understand and strategize that for you.

Trend #1: Canary Yellow is hot hot hot! Use splashes of color within your website design to create contrast and highlight important services or features. A pop of color is not only visually pleasing, but can also help you stand amongst the millions of other websites on the Internet. (Keep in mind, I said to use a POP of color – you don’t want your whole website to be a montage to a bright color that blinds your visitors.)

Trend #2: Braids, braids & more braids. It’s all the rage to braid your hair and I don’t mean the boring, one big braid we saw in the 1990s. Now it’s all about being creative with your braids – maybe it’s a small, side swept braid on just one side of your head or intricate braids tied into an up-do that paint a beautiful weave. Whatever the choice, there is something very hip about being creative with your braids. You are probably thinking how does this translate into my website’s design. It’s simple. While you want your design to be clean and modern, you also want a design that is creative and shows off your personality. Even when it is simple, creativity must be integrated into your website’s design.

Trend #3: Watch your step with those 4 inch heels. The world can be tricky to navigate, especially in four inch heels. However, the height advantage can really work for us shorter folks. However, don’t make your website a maze. Make it easy to navigate. Granted heels make it easier to see farther, but our feet can start to hurt if we have to walk too far. Your website navigation should be a breeze for visitors. The easier it is for them to find the information they need, the longer they will stay on the site.

Trend #4: The oversized handbag is your secret weapon. Inside your oversized handbag is all of your tricks. Use your website to hold a similar arsenal. Not only do you want to have the necessities in your purse (wallet, sunglasses, cell phone) and on your website (contact information, information about the company, products & services), but you want to have the helpful extras. For your website, this means having useful information and links readily available for your customers. It also means highlighting your own expertise for the visitor; you can do this easily through a blog or through posting helpful articles on your website.

Trend #5: Printed graphic tops show what you are made of. One of the most defining aspects of your website is the photography you use. You want to use high-quality, professional photography. Stock photography is very reasonably priced and provides you with the professional look that is necessary. The last thing you want is a website with low resolution images that provide an unpleasant viewing experience for your visitors, who are often potential customers. Fashion rewind … just as your photography translates into what people think about your website, your graphic tops should have prints that are meaningful and reflect your personality. Otherwise, who are you trying to show off to?

Trend #6: One shoulder, please! The perfect top … one shoulder exposed … stunning! Plus, it’s a sassy and fun summer look. Your website should show off your best shoulder. You want to highlight the important information about your company, the products & services you offer, and why folks should choose you.  However, you don’t want to give everything you’ve got away. Use your website to drawn them in. Make sure there is a clear call to action. Basically, you want to entice them to want more, so they will contact you directly.

It is fun to see how two completely separate items – fashion and web design – can relate to each other on so many levels and how you can translate that to success for your business’ web presence.

On a side note, remember to be fashionable in all that you do!

Firstly, there are many types of meta tags.  These tags are within the code of your web page.  Basically what the tags do is define certain information about your site that may be important to a search engine or computer.  A few examples are: title, description, keywords, and author (but there are many more).

So are they important? Yes, sort of.  They are based on earlier Internet technologies, and many search mechanisms ignore them. However, some tags – like the title tag – are still considered important to include, especially for search engine exposure.

Should your pages have meta tags? Yes. At least title, description, and keywords tags are a good idea.  It certainly does not hurt your site to include these, and it might help.

The most important ‘meta tag’ is the title tag. This is the title you see displayed in the web browser (in the top bar).  Even after a couple decades of Internet behavior changes, experts still agree that the title tag is an important communication tool that tells both browsers and search engines what your site is about.  It should be one of the first things in your code, so it is one of the first opportunities a search engine has to read about your site.  So – this is an ideal place to include strong key phrases about your business.  Furthermore, search marketing professionals will stress that you should strive for variation on each title tag page to page.

How can I tell if my pages have meta tags? View your web page in a browser, right click (PC), and select the View Source option (might be called Page Source or something similar).  This will display some of the code for your page (excluding certain programming like php or asp).  Toward the top, there should be several lines that start with <meta name=….

WEBii can help with enhancing your site for search friendliness, and this is one of the things we look for in that process.  Contact us if you would like assistance improving your web site’s code.