What is the website development process?
- Planning & Design
- Development & Implementation
- Testing & Deployment
Andrade Global uses a consistent three-phase project model. Find out why:
Phase I. Planning & Design
Andrade Global approaches website design the way it approaches any software design. The first phase must accurately depict the end product. Failure to spend time in the planning phase will result in a project that is out of focus, and not to the client's liking. Executing the planning phase properly involves conferencing with the client and determining the requirements of the website.
What are the goals of the website? Is it a social network that is trying to build members? Is it an e-commerce store interested in achieving a certain amount of revenue? Different industries generally require different design principles as well. Andrade Global will ensure that the design of the website is appropriate for the industry.
Sound design is critical to the success of any website. Looks matter. A viewer's first impression is based solely on the design and aesthetics of the website. An attractive design will lure visitors to learn more about the company or product, and increase conversion rates. Andrade Global has witnessed this numerous times.
The client will be provided with up to three mock-up designs for the home page, and designs for several interior pages. Upon approval of the design, Andrade Global will immediately commence the second phase.
Phase II. Development & Implementation
Andrade Global practices standard programming principles, such as using MVC architecture and proper W3C coding techniques. If you do not know what these terms mean, understand that a website coded to standards is easier to maintain, and more portable. If another firm was ever to take over production, they could pick up where Andrade Global left off.
Andrade Global will develop the website on a testing server that mimics the production server. Functionality will be implemented according to the specifications outlined in the first phase. This is the most time-consuming portion of the project, since it requires many hours of development time to achieve proper function.
Andrade Global understands how to use search engine optimization and web marketing tactics to expand clients' businesses. Search engine tactics are included in this phase. Common elements clients will notice on completed sites are:
- Proper use of the <title> tag
- Proper use of header tags (<h1>-<h6>)
- Flat link structure for easier browsing, and Google indexing
- Use of SEO names and organized URIs, such as: http://www.sonicfiber.com/buy/search-name
- Inclusion of robots.txt file to guide search engines
- Canonical links at the top of every page to prevent duplicate content
Basic search engine optimization consulting is also included with every project. It has become such a fundamental aspect of website development, that it would be against our clients' interest not to bundle this service with the development.
Phase III. Testing & Deployment
Testing is critical before launching any website! As most people know, websites do not display the same in every browser. It is impossible to make websites display the same in every browser. It is NOT required that websites display exactly the same in every browser. In fact, it is a waste of development time to make sure that websites display exactly the same. What is important, however, is that websites function as expected in popular browsers. Specifically:
- Internet Explorer (7+)
- Firefox 1.0+
- Safari
- Chrome
- Opera
- Camino
- Konqueror
Deployment on the production server will include replacing revealing error messages with discrete messages, and implementing backup solutions on the completed website. A backup plan is essential to the long-term success of any website. Websites are stored on hard disks, and are just as susceptible to catastrophic data loss as a laptop. Besides the damage of not having a website visible for days, search engines will also penalize websites that display excessive "file not found" errors. Andrade Global highly advises implementation of a backup plan and use of adequate web hosting. "Adequate web hosting" refers to, at minimum, dedicated virtual hosting plans with static IP.
Ready to plan your website?
Contact us at (201) 677-8860.
Andrade Global was founded at the start of 2008. The team has worked on several projects that vary from manufacturing, to financial services. Through these projects, the team has learned each other's strengths and devised a project management system to efficiently bring a design from conception to publication. Andrade Global specializes in creating sophisticated, modern website formats that incorporate necessary technology features and marketing tactics.
Andrade Global specializes in creative design as well as secure implementation, and cost-effective marketing using search engine optimization techniques and "pay-per-click" advertising.