You've taken the first step

When you've made the decision, building a web site can seem like a very daunting task. Especially if your a small business or single operator. It needn't be if you have the right team in your corner. Yes, there are many considerations that must be made in the beginning, and even more questions must be answered. Some of which are:

• What am I trying to convey on my site?
• Is it just going to be a resource of information about the business (Text images) in a brochure like design?
• Must it have Database functionality, a shopping cart with payment, transactions and Credit card facilities?
• Where does the web site go once it is designed?
• Our information changes frequently, so who looks after it once it is designed?
• How do we get our own web address , and how will this work with email?
• Will people be able to find us in Google or Yahoo etc?

To Web designers and IT people these questions may seem trivial, and yet are the types of questions people are afraid to ask.

At Pixel8, it is our duty to ensure we provide you with all the answers to these questions and more, so at the end the process you will know exactly where you are going, and how you are going to get there.

Where do we go from here?

Now you feel comfortable about the process, you need to get the ball rolling. To do that you need to get a few things clear in your head, and some of these may relate back to some of those earlier questions.

• Decide on the content and the message for your site. Try to break this content into definite categories which you might spread over web pages. (eg introduction page, about the company, products, contact page, employees page) etc.

• what will the look and feel of your web site be? Is it a visual company like art, photography, video? or are you structured and formal like accounting, engineering etc? This will determine whether you will need or want animation, graphics and images. Remember we can provide photography services you might need at your premises, employees, corporate events etc.

• will your web site sell products and services over the internet? Will the web site track the inventory of the stock via a database? Will it need to talk to an existing database in operation in your company? (ie M.S. Access?) Is your web site to have a search for keywords?

• Take a look at some web sites that really interest you, paying attention to its navigation, visual appearance, means of interaction and functionality. This is a great starting point to help us get a clear understanding of what you are looking for.

• Remember it will be more cost effective to have pre-prepared text and images already in use for brochures, flyers and stationery. However, we can offer on request, our services to create your text and artwork as required.

I have everything I need. Am I good to go?

Once you have gathered the information mentioned above, we can then arrange to come out and meet with you, and work through a plan of action. Following the meeting, we will request one individual who act as our point of contact for any intermediate queries relating to the design and content of your site. From then on Pixel8 will:

• Go away and work on the first phase of the web site This will cover the appearance of the site showing your company header with your corporate identity, design and logos etc, Where the navigation is to be, and some basic functionality, generic text and images. This will then be presented to you for your approval.

• Once we are on the right track we will begin working on the 2nd phase, which involves inserting all the relevant text and images. Finalizing the structure, navigation and back end connections to the database if required.

• Once the web site has reached its final stage, we will launch the site onto a testing server where we will once again meet with you to go through and demo your web site If you are happy at this stage we will leave the web site online on a test server, for you to test, read and review content at length. Following the successful testing we will upload the site live.

Other things to consider

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Aside from the web pages viewed by the public, there are other elements to the web site that should considered. One of the main points of discussion are Search Engines and Directories. Everyone wants to get on the top of the first page, and we all want to win Lotto too. Many Designers out there promise to get you that spot. The brutal honesty of the matter is, know one should offer that guarantee. Because the web is an evolving medium the rules, criteria and web sites being added, change daily. One day your on top the next your page 2,5 or 10. All you can do, is do the best to be up to date at the time of design. You can employ the services of firms that monitor your website, and adjust accordingly for improved SEO. The ability to rank your web site high on search engines is commonly known as Search Engine optimisation (SEO).
There are numerous techniques employed to try to rank web sites to the highest position. The most popular search engine "Google", can rank on many things such as, Keywords, Metadata, meaningful link descriptions, Alt text used to describe images in the site, Word and phrase repetition, and web page titles. You can also pay sponsorship fees to get high positions based on searched key words, or pay per click for the number of visitor landing on your web site based on those words. One thing is for sure, you will move up and down in rankings. more importantly, it can take up to six months or more to get the ranks promised. Patience is a must.

Hosting and Domain names

Though Pixel8 host digital media, we do prefer to use third party hosting companies to host our web sites They are more stable in the long term, Have excellent back-up and support, and also offer competitive domain name and hosting packages which benefit the end user. We have access to some of the most reliable and cost effective hosting companies in Australia. You can be assured of great quality and service at a price to suit any budget.