Today, companies providing services on the web need to cater for the whole spectrum of services available. The process of having a professional web site starts from designing your site to hosting, supporting and marketing it. Many web companies still specialize in particular areas of web services. Some offer web design and development, others just hosting and others are purely concentrated on search engine optimization and internet marketing. Without doubt, a web company that can offer all these services without having to switch between different providers for different aspects of the whole process has an advantage. But what are the main essentials of a web site package and what should it include? First, there need to be different web site packages which can tailor for various business needs. A web site for a sole trader or an artist will definitely require different specifications from that of a large organization. Here are some processes which definitely need to form part of a web site package: Feasibility Study Before designing or even developing a web site, the clients requirements need to be absorbed and understood. A plan needs to be written down on how the site is going to look, feel, and most importantly, what needs to be achieved. This study can serve as the basis for the design and development stage. Design and Development The web site needs to be designed based on the clients requirements. Once this is done, the client needs to be satisfied with what the end result is going to look like before development commences. The actual development will depend on the nature of the site and the technology needed. The obvious characteristics that define the development stage depend on whether Flash technology is required and whether the site needs to hold static data or dynamic content. Testing and Client Approval Before going live, the client needs to be fully satisfied with the site and make sure it respects the business they are conducting. It also needs to clearly transmit the nature of the business or services provided, or in some cases, the information available, in other words, the scope of the site needs to be fully understood. Implementation and Hosting The site needs to reside on a hosting server to be available on the internet. The server needs to give access to the administrator of the site to modify it whenever necessary and needs to provide substantial bandwidth paired with maximum performance. Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Hopefully, the site would have been developed in such a way to provide the right guidelines for search engines to understand what the site is all about when they index it. If paid advertising is not an option, search engine optimization is crucial for the success of a web site and this is a definite must for a web site package to have. Web marketing and exposure comes next. This is normally done through articles related to the site and links pointing to it from other web sites. Support Whatever happens after the site is online cannot be left to chance. A web site package needs to include a minimum time for maintenance and support. This time is used for the client to get accustomed to the site, make some changes, if necessary, and have the guarantee that if anything had to go wrong in the first few days or months, the supporting company is there to help and resolve issues straight away. A web site package is the way forward, especially if one is new to the internet and is easily confused with all that is available online today. One person or company that can take care of all your web site requirements is definitely going to reduce the hassle and headache which normally people go through when several web services are required. |
