Our Process
The Philosophy
When it comes to website design, you can have all the nice, appealing and fancy graphics, but if it does not function well or have much in way of content, you may be better off without a website. Often, this issue is derived from not having clear objectives for the website when it was first created. Although there may be other reasons also, two common reasons include (1) you were trying to save money by doing it yourself (2) you hired a bargain web designer who limits your option by charging you based on the number of pages you want. As if to add insults to injuries, the pages cannot be maintained easily so it is common to have websites that also have poor or out-of-dated content. At a minimum, your contact information (email, phone, fax, address, etc.) should be kept up-to-date.
The reason that these are considerable issues is because the website was not designed with the whole picture in mind. You can spend thousands of dollars getting a website designed and built, but if the maintenance of the site is not factored into the whole picture at the beginning, it can be the biggest mistake you will make.
That's why we have segmented our process to help you understand that there are 4 major categories you must consider when it comes to designing and choosing a designer for your website. The four components are system, application, layout and content (graphics & copy). In addition, each of these areas must be maintained separately and usually require differing skill sets.
When it comes to maintaining your website, you must understand that there are at least 4 separate levels to maintain. Traditionally, all four of these levels are given to the web administrator because he/she's got the technical skills necessary to do so; however, at Way Beyond Web Sites, you will learn that the requirements and frequencies to update the website change depending on the level in question and as such requires different skill sets to handle them. For instance, the database, web server, etc needs to be backed-up on a nightly bases (or as often as you change the content), while the content (graphics and copy) on the site may only change once a week or month. Furthermore, you don't want to have to hire or rely on a technical resource just to be able to change the content, such as copy or graphics, on your site.
Here is the breakdown of the 4 levels of maintenance:
- infrastructure (server and network) maintenance
- application (system and code) maintenance
- cognitive (layout, visual treatment and navigation) maintenance
- content maintenance
- copy (verbal)
- graphics (visual)
With that said what does that mean to you? Firstly, as the owner of a website, you only inherit the responsibility to maintain the content and graphic assets for the website. Typically this responsibility gets delegated to the webmaster who has one or two of the three required skill sets: technical, visual or verbal. Each of these skill sets address different areas of the website and your business needs. More on this later. Secondly, if you hired a website designer who also maintains your site, it will require that you wait for him/her to make updates or changes and can cost you much more than you expect to pay in both time and money.
The Approach
At Way Beyond Web Design©, we use a different paradigm for website design. Firstly, we use a content management system (CMS) model. Once we create a website, you will be given administrative access to update and add the content and graphic assets you want while the main structure (look & feel) of the site will be maintained by us. You do not need to know any HTML or other code writing skills, although helpful if you do, to update your site. You have the best of both worlds. The changes you make will become a part of your site as soon as you submit them. In addition, you can create new content as soon as you feel you need it, without the help of an administrator. Instead of the canned look and feel that you would get if you purchased one of those out of the box websites. Furthermore, with the separation of your presentation from your content, you can now give your website a visual face-lift every so often (as your marketing strategy changes) without having to scrap everything and start over again. The cost to do this is minimized dramatically.
CMS based websites allow for the most flexibility when it comes to designing and maintaining a website. For instance, the content that you are reading could be written by a non-technical person like an office administrator, assistant or secretary. These individual may be familiar with writing copy using a word processor. With a CMS based website, it does not have to get more complicated than that.
The Value Proposition
Finally, when it comes to website design, we believe that a website should be an extension of your sales force. We like to ask our clients whether they would like to have on their staff a 24/7 sales person. That's what we think a website should be. If it does not enhance your ability to sell your product or service, then we believe that you have missed the mark. That is why it is essential to integrate your marketing strategy into your website design and your website into your marketing strategy. We help our clients understand this line of reasoning and work with them to implement a website that truly is an extension of their sales force and not just a fancy brochure. Remember if your marketing plans change (and they will), with a CMS based website, you are positioned to make those changes easily and effortlessly at a fraction of the cost.
The Next Move is Yours
If the above discussion makes sense to you, then you owe it to your business to explore this new paradigm. Please contact us if you would like our assistance to help you create a website using this process.