Seven Steps for preparing your web site project

We recommend you follow these steps before contacting us.

1. Define your vision – What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to sell products? Describe your services? Build a potential client list? Share your knowledge with the world?
2. Brainstorm Site Pages – make a list of all of the pages you’d like to have on the new website. Combine each page with a note explaining what the page will accomplish.
3. Organize Pages into a Hierarchy or Flow – This is the Outline portion of the planning process. With websites, the traditionally effective structure consists of a handful of main category pages and then includes subpages for each of these main pages that break into further additional detail for each category. Some folks go as far as making note cards, one for each desired page, and then laying them all out on a table or even the floor and organizing them into groups and order. For larger sites, this can be a good way to visualize how content fits together.
4. Gather digital photo and media content – Collect these from any existing marketing materials you have. Original photo and media content is best! Get a great headshot of yourself or a digital photo of your business location. Do you have a logo or existing brocures? Do you want any map content on your site? If you want great free stock photos, we recommend signing up for an account with RGBStock.com.  High resolution and print ready photo and graphic content is best. Your designer can reduce their size for use on a website easily. Smaller, low-resolution images may not be able to be enlarged.
5. WRITE! – Begin writing your first drafts for each of your pages. Put each of these pages in their own text document (Just text! Formatting on your word processing program doesn’t easily transfer to the web), and make them no more than 500-800 words. Think about what kind of photo, video, media, and call to action content you want to combine with your “copy”. Name your photos and media files appropriately and keep them separate. Do not embed pictures or media files in your word processing document. Simply write notes on each page draft at the bottom of the page talking about which media files to include.
6. Think of additional features you might want to have on the site. What are your competitors doing that you really like (or don’t like)? Make a list of potential ideas – whether big or small – and take notes that you will share with your initial consultation.
7. Write your first 2 Blog Posts in advance! Having blog content the moment your website is published shows your audience (and your web designer) that you are prepared, and that you have valuable content to share.

Clients we LOVE and how to become one

From the beginning, we have valued a personal and collaborative approach in working with our clients. Earning your trust and keeping a positive, long-term relationship is a core value in our business. We keep our client roster small because this allows us to give individual attention to each of our valued clients. If you are an individual, solopreneur business, or small organization with big plans to change the world or serve your community, we want to hear from you!

After you’ve prepared with the Seven Steps above, the process starts with you reviewing our website and learning how we operate. After you’ve done that, please visit our Contact page and fill out the appropriate contact form. We will then respond via email to set up a free 30-minute phone consultation to learn even more about your needs and find out if we’re a great fit for working together.

If we mutually decide we are a great fit, we’ll send you our Agreement Form and an invoice for your first block of pre-paid time or set a start date and invoice date to begin your website. If we have a waiting list for new clients, you will go to the front of the line upon our receiving your 1) agreement and 2) payment for a block of time or web project. Learn more on our Payments and Pricing page.

Here are some common characteristics of our favorite clients. They are:

• Organized and prepared with images, content, text, copy, and ideas
• Passionate about what they do
• Highly communicative
• Engaged in the creative and collaborative process
• Comfortable communicating primarily through email, allowing for scheduled phone calls if necessary
• Looking for a trusted, creative, friendly, and often long-term partner to help their business succeed