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About This eBook A website is a first impression, a sales tool, an introduction, a lead generator, and more. People are online all of the time. Some potential customers and leads gather information for buying decisions exclusively online. In 12 Steps to a Successful Website Project: A Guide to Creating an Outstanding Website you’ll learn what it takes to make your website project outstanding and successful. The full process will be covered from development phase to post website launch. At the end of the book there is a questionnaire to help guide you generate ideas for your new website. Why do I need a website? A better question: Why do I need a professional website?

Web Development Mobile Development Social Media Marketing Full Service Marketing Connect with Us 507.289.2229 | [email protected] | cws.net 3014 Allegro Park Lane SW Rochester, MN 55902 Custom Programming Secure Web Hosting Remarkable web design, custom programming, and dynamic marketing for established organizations across the United States.

First of all CONGRATS on starting your brand new website project! Creating a new site can seem like an overwhelming task, but we'll guide you through the whole process. Congratulations! 12 Steps to a Successful Website Project

Meet the Team CWS recruits the most experienced, dedicated and talented professionals who work closely with our clients. Beyond technical expertise, we understand the importance of meeting business objectives to deliver measurable results. 12 Steps to a Successful Website Project

A Quick Overview Things To Know About Your Website Project Step 1 Stages Of Creating A Website Step 2 Your Website Team Step 3 Web Development Meeting Checklist Step 4 Domain Names Step 5 Website Hosting Step 6 List of Website Pages / Website Navigation Step 7 Formatting Website Content Step 8 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Step 9 Content Management System (CMS) Step 10 Using Dropbox To Share Files Step 11 Ideas For Your New Website Step 12 12 Steps to a Successful Website Project

Things To Know About Your Website Project

Project Scope Websites come in all different sizes. Some companies need a website with 100 pages, some need 5 pages, others need a customized eCommerce system, or they may need a blog. Please review and understand what is included in your contract. If, in the process of creating your website, you have any additional items that you'd like to add, but are not included in your contract, an additional quote will be needed. We want to make sure that you feel in the loop through the whole process of creating your website. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your Account Strategist or anyone on your project team. Communication With Your Project Team An easy way to keep your website team in the loop is to CC everyone involved in the project on emails. Even if the communication doesn't pertain to a specific team member, it helps everyone keep a record and know the most updated info. Keeping Everyone In The Loop Project Communication Step 1 .net

Website Project Stages

...to your website project. Some are due dates for the CWS team and some are due dates for items needed from you. Creating a website can take anywhere from 2 months to 6 months+ depending on size and complexity. Most websites will fall into the 3 to 4 month range. The biggest factor that will help move the process along quickly will be receiving the information and items needed from you. There are 9 stages Step 2 .net

The Web Development meeting is our first chance to sit down, meet with you, drink some coffee, and ask you lots of questions about exactly what you envision for your website, what needs to be included, and what should be highlighted. Web Development Meeting After our Web Development meeting, CWS’s next step will be to create a graphic mockup of the website homepage and inner pages. You can think of Website Layout as the blueprints of the website. We will create this mockup based off of the information you provide to us in the Web Development meeting. Web Layout Elements From You Website Layout Meeting The Website Layout Meeting is our second chance to meet in person. At this meeting we review the information you shared with us at the Web Development meeting, reveal the website mockup, and go over how we incorporated what you asked for into the mockup. After the meeting we will send the website layout mockups to you to review further. We allow, for about a week, any revisions to the website. Once the website layout is the way you like it, the person designated as the Signoff Authority will fill out and submit an online Website Layout Signoff Form. A confirmation email will be sent to you as well as the CWS team and we'll begin building out the website. In order to create the mockup we will need items (if available) from you such as a Company Brand Standards or Style Guide, Logo Files (AI, PSD), any other company marketing materials, etc. Brand Standards Logo Marketing Materials

In our Web Development meeting we will review what pages and content will be incorporated into your website. Once the final list of pages and content has been decided we will ask that you have all website text, links, images, PDFs, documents, videos, etc. provided to us to place into your new website. Website Content Due From You The CWS development team will begin coding and creating the live version of your new website. The interactive items will be coded and content provided by you will be placed and formatted on your beta website. The beta website will only be accessible to people provided with the private beta link. Once a majority of the content is placed, we will send you the link to the beta website to review how the content looks in the site and how interactive items work. Beta Website Phase When you have reviewed your beta website, you will be able to provide us with a list of revisions to content (text, images, documents, etc.) of the site. After you have signed off on the Website Layout, changes to the structure of the site (navigation placement, homepage/subpage layout, etc.) will no longer be accepted without an additional cost. We will make the final requested revisions as well as test the quality of the website during this time. When the content is the way that you like it and we have completed our testing, the person designated as the Signoff Authority will fill out and submit an online Website Launch Signoff Form. A confirmation email will be sent to you as well as the CWS team. Beta Website Revisions Requested Step 2 When the layout is signed off on, the CWS development team will be able to start coding out and building your website. After signoff, no further revisions to the website layout will be allowed without an additional quote. .net

Before your website is launched, we show you how to use the CWS Content Management System (eCMS) or other Content Management System. With this system, you will be able to update text, images, links, etc. for your website. Content Management Training When the website is ready to go, we will launch your new website live to the world! We try to choose a time that will be the least disruptive to your website visitors and monitor the site for any issues. Website Launch! After your website is launched, we keep your project open for an additional 2 weeks. In that time if you or your website users find any bugs in the website, we will fix them at no additional cost. When the 2 weeks has passed your website project will be closed. When your project is closing up we will show you how to get support, pay your bills, and answer any questions you may have. Website Post-Launch Step 2 .net

Your Website Team

Your team will be very important in the success of your website project. People will have designated roles that are set during the Web Development meeting. Some people may play multiple roles in the project. This will be CWS’ go-to person for questions that may come up in the website building process. Often this person is also the content gatherer. Main Contact This person is responsible for providing text, images, documents etc. together and formatting that content in a way easy for the CWS to place in your new website. Content Gatherer(s) This is the group of people that can give input on the website project process. If anyone else wants to give input that is not on this list, their input will not be incorporated into the website. Project Input This person will be in charge of signing off on the various stages of the website project process. Signoff Authority Step 3 .net

Things To Think About For Your Website

There are many things to think about when building a website. Here is a quick checklist of website items or information that will be needed from you. We'll go into more detail in the upcoming pages. Website Project Checklist Domain Names Website Hosting List of Website Pages / Website Navigation Formatting Website Content Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Content Management System (CMS) Using Dropbox To Share Files Ideas For Your New Website Step 4 .net (Don’t worry! We’ll go each item in the list in the upcoming pages)

Domain Name

The domain name for your website is the name that you type in the address box to get to your website (such as www.hulu.com). The domain name needs to be registered through websites such as networksolutions.com, godaddy.com, or register.com. What is a Domain Name? 1. Know what your domain account login info is 2. If you don't have a domain name, think about what you would like to register 3. Decide if you would like CWS to manage your domain(s) What To Know For the Web Development Meeting If CWS manages your domain we will be able to launch the site. If CWS doesn't manage the domain, we will need to provide you with the launch information to launch yourself. yourwebsite.com

Website Hosting

Every website on the internet needs to be hosted somewhere. Your website is basically a group of files and those files need to be stored on a server. What is Website Hosting? 1. Know if you will be hosting your website with CWS or elsewhere 2. If you are signed up for the monthly Business Online Solutions (BOS) package, hosting for your website is included 3. The CWS Content Management System is only available for websites hosted with CWS 4. If your website will be hosted elsewhere, we will need to know the company you'll will be hosted with and server information What To Know For the Web Development Meeting Step 6 .net

List Of Website Pages / Website Navigation

The Website Navigation Form will assist you with arranging the pages of your website. If you need help arranging the pages of your website the CWS development team can assist you. 1. Know the list of pages you’d like for your website 2. Have the website navigation form filled out What To Know For the Web Development Meeting Website navigation is the list of pages for your website and how those pages will be arranged in a logical way for your visitors to find information. This list of all pages of your website is called your sitemap. What is Website Navigation?

Website Navigation Example The main navigation is the primary way viewers move around your site. This type of navigation links to the main pages of your site. If your site consists of a large amount of pages, your main navigation will represent the categories of your site. Best practice is to have 7 options or less. Main Navigation Sub-navigation is used to further organize content on a website. If your Main Navigation has more than 7 links, grouping links under categories will be necessary. Sub-Navigation Utility bar navigation consists of additional information for your viewers. Not all sites need a Utility bar. If your site has more than 7 links, but fewer than 15 we can split the navigation between main navigation and additional or supportive navigation. Utility Bar Step 7 .net

Formatting Your Website Content

Website content is everything that will be placed inside the pages of your website. This includes text, links, images, documents, PDFs, videos, etc. What is Website Content? ● Once the web navigation is finalized a shared folder will be created for each page of the website. ● Each folder should have a Word document that includes the headers, text, and links that should be on the page. The Word document should also note where links, images, videos, and documents should be placed. ● Each folder should also include the images, documents, and other items that will be included on page. How to Arrange the Content Items The Website Content Form will assist you in arranging and formatting the content of your website. 1. Once the web navigation is finalized a shared folder will be created for each page of the website. 2. Each folder should have a Word document that includes the headers, text, and links that should be on the page. It should also note where links, images, videos, and documents should be placed. The images, documents, and other items for the page should also be included in the folder. How To Format Content Per Page

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of making a site and its content relevant for both search engines and searchers. SEO includes making it easier for search engines to find and index a site for the appropriate keywords, as well as making a site more appealing to users. What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? The SEO Consultation Form will help in creating content that is relevant to your users as well as Search Engines. 1. Fill out the SEO Consultation form 2. Bring the filled out form to the Website Development Meeting What To Know For the Web Development Meeting

Content Management System (CMS)

A Content Management System makes it easy to update text, links, images, documents, etc. of your website without the need of coding skills. We offer 3 options for managing your website content. What is a CMS? About the eCMS: The eCMS is a content management system developed by CWS. It is online and accessible from any computer with an internet connection. The system allows for multiple users that each have a unique username and password. eCMS Requirements: Websites that use the eCMS must be hosted with CWS. eCMS is included in the Premium BOS Package, BOS Package, and eCMS packages. If you discontinue hosting your site with CWS, the eCMS will not longer be available to you. This Option is Best For: This option is best for companies that would like to host with CWS and have an unlimited amount of designated content editing users. CWS CMS (eCMS) Step 10 .net

About Wordpress Wordpress is another CMS option that was developed by a 3rd party. Wordpress is also an online system that allows for multiple users. Wordpress Requirements: Websites that use Wordpress must be built in an Wordpress website template. This Option is Best For: This option is best for companies that would not like to host with CWS. No CMS If you would not have a CMS, the CWS development team can make updates to your site with your BOS free hour or at our hourly rate. Wordpress Decide which Content Management System you would like to use. The option you choose will affect the way the website it built. What To Know For The Web Development Meeting

Using Dropbox To Share Files

Dropbox is an online program for sharing and storing multiple files and large files. CWS uses this program for you to easily share Word docs, images, documents, etc. with us while building your website. What is Dropbox? 1. Set up a Dropbox account at dropbox.com 2. CWS will send you an invitation to the shared folder and go over how to use it What To Know For the Web Development Meeting Sign Up Step 11 .net

Ideas For Your Website

In the Web Development meeting we will go through a whole list of questions with you on your new website. We'll cover everything from technical items such as domain & hosting to functionality such as calendars or photo galleries should be included to the look and feel of the overall website. The upcoming pages include a full list of questions that we will be going through with you. We'd like to give you time to think about it before our meeting. What do you want your website to be? Step 12 .net

Marketing Your Website Describe Your Business: What are your goals for the website? Entertainment, recognition, reduces service calls, increase sales, other… What is your customer/user’s goals when coming to the website? What do you like and not like about your current site? Keep & not keep? Website’s Primary Message Callouts / Call to Action What should be emphasized? What action do you want the user to take? Target Audience(s) USP: What sets you apart from competition? Major Competitors Do you have marketing materials we can reference? Step 12 .net

Site Design, Look & Feel Examples of sites you like Examples of sites you don’t like How should the visitor feel when viewing the site? Warm, professional, classic, modern... Colors / Color Schemes that you like & don’t like Fonts you like & don’t like Images, Photos & Graphics Types of images & photos: Graphics to incorporate Step 12 .net

Site Components & Functionality (1) Navigation Structure Main navigation should be 7 items or less… Main Navigation Sub-navigation Utility Bar What Kind Of Content Will Your Website Have? Text, images, video, PDFs, contact forms, other… Are There Any Specialty Pages? Are there any special or interactive pages included? Image Slider/Rotator Image Gallery Gallery Type: Featured Image Thumbnails Videos Videos Hosted With YouTube Vimeo Step 12 .net

Site Components & Functionality (2) Social Media Icons Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Other Search Functionality Typically used for sites of 50 or more pages Contact Form ● Form Recipients ● Form Fields ● Required Fields Links to external sites: Step 12 .net

Web Development Mobile Development Social Media Marketing Full Service Marketing Connect with Us 507.289.2229 | [email protected] | cws.net 3014 Allegro Park Lane SW Rochester, MN 55902 Custom Programming Secure Web Hosting Remarkable web design, custom programming, and dynamic marketing for established organizations across the United States.