Our Web Development Process

The initial discovery phase ensures that all of the project goals and specifications have been identified and factored into the website project plan. The discovery process identifies key information to help guide the rest of the project, including:

The architecture phase of the website development process involves the production of a sitemap and wireframes. These materials are guided by the information established during the discovery phase, and help to inform the design phase of the project.

The sitemap is a document that shows all of the site pages in a hierarchical structure, with top-level pages followed by secondary and tertiary pages. The wireframes act as blueprints to show the basic layout for different page types, with all key page elements identified.

The web design process establishes the overall look and feel of the site. The design applies the brand standards, graphics and desired aesthetics to the page structure established with the wireframes; the designs also integrate the navigation structure from the sitemap for an attractive and usable user-interface.

The initial deliverables produced during the design phase are typically flat image files that look like web pages ("mockups"), so that all design elements can be conveniently reviewed and revised before the functional web pages are actually coded.

The development phase involves both front-end and back-end components. The front-end development involves the production of the HTML/CSS templates for various site pages, based on the design mockups. These design templates can then be reviewed and tested at varied screen sizes as web pages with real content; this is especially important for responsive design, where pages must scale reliably across different devices and platforms.

The back-end development involves setup of the site's content management system (CMS), and coding of all functional page elements. This process typically takes place in a development environment (on a development server) so that the site can be built privately and reviewed and updated until it is completed and ready for launch.

Once the site is established in the development environment, content is transferred and pages are built until the site structure and content is complete. The website is tested for compatibility with all target browsers and devices for quality assurance and to ensure that there are no bugs or page errors.

Once the site has been thoroughly reviewed and tested the site is ready to go-live on the production URL. "Launching" the site typically means transferring the site to the production server, or updating the DNS of the site's domain to point to the new site. Once the site is launched, it is visible at the desired public domain.

Once your website is successfully deployed, it's important to have a support and maintenance plan in place. This will ensure that your site remains in good working order, with a reliable resource for any support needs, including software and plugin updates, resolution of bugs or errors, data backup and recovery, site performance analytics, updates, and general questions or troubleshooting.