Captiva Marketing
Web Design Process
Captiva Marketing
Web Design Process
Web Site Design Process
This document is intended to walk you through Captiva Marketing’s web design process so that we can assemble a web marketing strategy, proposal, and quote based on your specific needs, requirements, and budget. Our comprehensive design process includes 10 steps, but depending on the level of complexity and client involvement, certain elements can be reduced or passed to client to reduce costs.
1. Research & Strategy Development - Unless you have a really simple project, step 1 is to audit your business and existing website (if one exists) and assemble the strategy for this project. Our aim is to understand your business, your goals, your customers, your competitors, and your competitive advantages.
2. Information Design – In step 2, we develop the site architecture for your site which helps determine how to construct the user interface, where to add landing pages and how to integrate design.
3. Asset Organization – Armed with a site map and plan of attack, we gather images, content and other materials from content and determine what new assets need to be created.
4. Scope & Timeline Review – With the structure in place and assets organized, we can more effectively determine the scope of the project, assign tasks to specific people and assemble a realistic timeline.
5. Visual Design – Our Design and Front End Development teams then get working on wireframes and graphic designs for your website. 6. Technical Set Up – Concurrently, our Back End Development team sets up the Empoweren Content Management System that will allow
everyone to populate the site.
7. Site Development/Buildout – Once Empoweren is set up, the designers and project managers get to work populating the site with con tent, imagery and SEO elements. Links, PDFs and videos are installed. Forms are configured. The site essentially comes to life.
8. Test & Proof Website – Along with the client, we review all aspects of the site.
9. Set Up Tracking & Diagnostics – We apply tracking codes and set up various programs so that we can monitor site performance once it is launched.
10. Launch & Test – We publish the site and do final tests to make sure that the forms process correctly, that all re-directs were set up properly and that all pages are crawlable and error free.
1. Research & Strategy Development
Our first goal in designing your website is to determine what your specific goals are with your new site. You may think that this is obvious, but we have developed hundreds of websites and found that people use their websites for many different reasons. Furthermore, many companies use their sites to accomplish multiple goals and this often requires trade-offs to be made. It is our hope that this manual and our guidance will lead you to a new site that effectively meets our objectives.
Perform Site Audit
• Run diagnostic crawl on existing site
• Get access to existing Site Analytics and review • Generate basic keyword research
• Run initial ranking report
• Get access to any existing CPC data Review Messaging & Branding
• Discuss marketing message
• Review existing brand and style guidelines Review Competition
• Identify major competitors
• Perform basic review of their websites and online marketing Review Existing Online Marketing/SEO
• Evaluate current level of on-page optimization • Evaluate current level of link popularity vs. competition Review Technical
• Hosting – Review elements of hosting environment
• Content Management System - Review Empoweren platform noting areas that can be updated • Identify any areas requiring regular updating to make sure functionality can be employed Review Features
• Identify any custom features • Review use of any standard features
2. Information Design
Step 2 in our process is to create an organization chart for the site based on our initial discussion and the response from our questionnaire. For sites with SEO goals, we will also consider information found in the preliminary keyword analysis as it may be important to group search phrases into keyword buckets to ensure that effective landing pages are incorporated into the site for each keyword theme.
Create Site Architecture
As we develop a better feel for the content that will be included in the website, we can develop the site architecture using a basic organizational chart like the one show here.
Develop User Interface
Once we have outlined the site architecture, we can construct the global navigation and outline the plan for how sectional navigation will work. Review Landing Page Needs
For projects with significant SEO and CPC promotional campaigns, it is helpful to review the site map against the keyword data to ensure that effec-tive landing pages exist or can be incorporated into the website in the future.
Review Design Considerations
As part of the Information Design process, we will review how the design will need to be incorporated into the website.
Quick Ship Program Capabilities Company (About Us) Stock Standard Commercial Booklet Catalog Small / Coin Large / Oversized Window Business CD / DVD Gift Card Envelopes Packaging Bangtails Church Offering Expansion Specialty Padded Tyvek Expansion Standard Commercial Catalog Shipping Designs Sizes Seam Styles Flap Styles Sealing Methods Window Envelopes Material Tints Custom Print On Demand - Jet Offset / Litho Flexo Custom
Printed Envelopes ConvertingEnvelope Products Wholesale Postal Requirements Automatic Inserting Envelope Design Enelope Terminology Resources Link Page Info
Center CenterPrint
Returning Customer Contact Us Home Page
3. Asset Organization
While some websites that we make simply require updating the look and navigation, most projects require the development of new content, graphics, imagery, etc… In order to estimate costs, set timelines and divide responsibilities, it is helpful to organize all of the assets that will be used now and in the future on the website.
Written Content
We basically need to know if written content exists for all pages in the site architecture and who will be responsible for supplying this. If it is going to be a team, responsibilities for each member should be discussed. Also, for larger sites with multiple team members, it can be helpful to estab-lish style guidelines.
Imagery
Images are typically used extensively on the home page, in page headers, within the body of the page and in photo galleries. We will need to evaluate your existing image assets and how new imagery will be acquired. We should also review the amount of editing that will be necessary to format the look of the images and optimize them for quick download.
Custom Graphics
While the Empoweren Content Editor allows one to easily add verbiage, images, photo galleries, links, and tables, some pages will benefit greatly from more artistic charts, graphs, or infographics. Individual pages should be reviewed for these needs.
Tools
The need for any online tools like calculators or applications should be discussed in detail. Videos & Animated Presentations
If this new site will require any animated presentations or videography work, this is typically broken out into a separate line item in our estimate. For the installation of existing videos or animations, the most common method for installing videos is to post the videos to a site like YouTube or Vimeo and then embed the code through the Content Editor which is a fairly straightforward process.
Forms
One of the primary goals of many websites is to generate leads and Empoweren features a Forms Manager that allows one to easily create forms. We should review the forms needed and discuss any issues related to layout and functionality.
Blog
This feature typically requires a separate platform and unique design due to the differences between traditional sites and blogs. Social Media Integration
4. Scope and Timeline Review
Depending on the size and complexity of the website being developed, there can be an extensive amount of work involved in getting through these first few phases. After we complete these steps, we will have a much better feel for the scope of the project and who will be responsible for delivering the various elements needed.
Outline Responsibilities
Given that we build sites on a very easy to use content management system and clients utilize us for varying aspects the build out process, we need to establish who will be responsible for each element of the site.
Finalize Cost Estimates
With a better feel for what needs to be done and who will perform each task, we can review our initial cost estimates and outline additional costs or areas of concern to formalize the budget.
Assemble Team
Within Captiva, we may have many different team members working on a website including designers, back end developers, front end developers, writers, animators, photographers, project managers and an account manager. Some tasks like front end and back end development require ex-tensive experience, but may be very limited in scope while other tasks like web page development can be shifted to clients with some basic training. Our goal in this step is to determine all of the team members involved and outline their tasks.
Prepare Timeline
5. Visual Design
Once we have a good feel for how we want to position the site from a marketing perspective, how we want to structure the user interface, and what content, forms, videos, PDFs, and CMS applications will be integrated into the site, we can begin the design process. While there are definitely some guidelines to follow in regards to creating attractive, user-friendly websites, some aspects of the design are more personal in nature. As such, your input can be helpful in allowing us to create that not only achieves our goals, but meets with your approval.
Create Home Page Wireframes
The home page is typically the most important and most complex page on the website. It not only needs to quickly communicate your primary message and engage visitors, but it needs to provide insight on how to get to the section of the site desired. In the home page wireframing process, we start by gathering the essential elements like the logo, global navigation, search bars, social media icons and contact information. We then assemble other key elements like the messaging, graphics, data feeds and promotional call outs.
Create Home Page Design
The artistic design of the site will flow from this wireframe along with your branding guidelines or any input you have in regards to design. Our design team will furnish a design or multiple designs (depending on client’s budget and desires) in static Photoshop files that can be reviewed and enhanced.
Oftentimes, our clients will combine different elements of the designs or require significant tweaking. This is often done in Photoshop files to speed up the process.
Interior Page Wireframes and Designs
Depending on the complexity of the project, we may utilize the same process used on the home page for various sections of the website. One of the primary advantages to using a CMS is that a consistent look will be applied to all pages in the website, but the content and imagery being applied to a page sometimes require multiple interior page templates to be developed.
6. Technical Set Up
For the most part, this step in the process is tasked completely to Captiva Marketing team members. It involves the implementation of the Empoweren System for the client’s domain and application of the visual design work.
Set Up Platform
Captiva’s Development team sets up the Empoweren content management system on a development server that can only be accessed by those with usernames and passwords to the site. This allows all involved (including the client) to work building out the page s of the website while any existing website remains live.
Configure Modules
While the Empoweren system is very standardized, certain modules are configured to ones specifications and this is implemented during the set up process.
Create Users
7. Site Development / Build Out
This step of the process has the most variety depending on the number and complexity of pages to be created. As noted above, the website is built on a staging server that can be viewed by the client as it is being built. We find this helpful as clients can provide input in real time as the process evolves, but it is important to understand that what one sees is a “work-in-progress.” We will often start production of site by dumping all of the content and images onto pages in order to get the architecture and structure into place and then come back later to make every page look more appealing.
Construct Navigation
Create file and navigation names for each page in site and place in the site navigation. Apply Title Tags and SEO Elements
• Title Tag • Headline • Meta Description • Meta keywords (if desired)
Add Content and Imagery through Page Editor • Headlines • Content • Imagery • Graphs/Charts • Links • Downloadable PDFs • Other Assets
Install 301 re-directs (if applicable)
For websites that will replace an existing website, it can be critical to install page-by-page re-directs from the corresponding page on the old site. Apply Header Images (if applicable)
For sites with unique header images, these are typically applied at this time. Set Up Forms
In this step, the account manager reviews the site for broken links, typos, and other errors while the design team focuses on improving and optimiz-ing all graphics and imagery.
Improve/Optimize Graphics and Imagery
8. Edit, Proof & Test Website
While the editing of the website can be done as the site is built out, it is typically wise to review it prior to launch. This is often a joint effort that includes both Captiva team members and the client.
Typical activities include: • Review spelling and grammar • Review usability
• Review SEO elements • Review design
• Review browser compatibility • Review marketing and messaging • Review call to actions
9. Set Up Tracking & Diagnostics
While this step is not absolutely critical, we highly recommend setting up some forms of tracking and diagnostic testing so that we/you can monitor the performance of the website. Google offers a number of free tools and Captiva can supplement these with a number of other programs that help ensure that your website will perform at an optimum level.
Diagnostics
• Moz Analytics – Crawl Test • Google Webmaster Tools Rank Checking & Organic Traffic • Moz Rank Tracker
• MozCast
• Google Webmaster Tools Organic SEO
• Google Analytics • Google Webmaster Tools
• Moz Analytics – On Page Grader, Keyword Difficulty & SERP Analysis Link Acquisition & Monitoring
• Moz Analytics – Open Site Explorer • Google Webmaster Tools
Local SEO and Citation Monitoring • Moz Local
• BrightLocal CPC Advertising
• Google AdWords Conversion Tracking & Google Analytics • Bing Conversion Tracking
Mentions & Social Media • Google Alerts
• Moz- Fresh Web Explorer • Followerwonk for Twitter
10. Publish Site & Run Final Tests
Once the site has been approved for publication, we will work with you to get the site published on the server. All database driven applications will be installed.
Test Inquiry Forms
Once the site is loaded, the inquiry forms will be tested to ensure that they are processing quickly and that emails are being received. Run Diagnostics
After launch, we can run the site through our diagnostics software one more time to look for any 404 errors or other technical issues related to the site.
Check Tracking
While this activity will depend heavily on the number of tracking programs installed, how many different inquiry forms exists and how aggressive one’s promotion plan is, we usually need to spend some time to test conversion tracking and run the initial reports to make sure that all critical data is being monitored accurately.
Post Launch Activities
Once we launch a website built on the Empoweren CMS, you and your staff will be empowered to maintain most aspects of the website.
A. Support Website
Included in the monthly fee:
• Hosting of the Website – All websites are housed on servers in Tier 3 data center in St. Louis, Missouri featuring extensive safety, security and redundancy. Fees based on size of site and bandwidth usage.
• Empoweren System Maintenance – As a cloud based solution, we routinely apply system updates required for security, browser compatibility, software integration, and the like in a systematic fashion.
• Server Maintenance – Along with our Data Center provider, we maintain the server environment to maximize uptime, security and
compatibility. If there are any issues with your website from a server side point of view, our staff can troubleshoot most issues and advise on solutions to more complex issues.
• Empoweren Enhancement – One of the greatest benefits to using Empoweren is that it is a cloud based solution that we are constantly improving. System enhancements related to functionality, performance, and usability are continually rolled out at no additional expense. • Training Classes – We offer a 2 hour training class each month on how to use the system.
Optional Support
• Individual or Group Training – We can train your staff on-site or in our facility focusing directly on your specific needs and your website. • Site Updates – Nearly every member of our staff is capable of making quick updates to your website in a quick and cost effective manner, but we also assign dedicated account managers to those clients with extensive content development and SEO programs.
• Design Support – Our skilled design team can help with graphic design needs like infographics, buttons, charts, new design templates, or the like.
• SEO Support – Our SEO team can provide guidance, training, troubleshooting or manage your entire search engine optimization and marketing programs.
B. Monitor Website
As noted in Step 9 of our Web Design Process, there are a large number of software tools and programs that can help with monitoring the activity and performance of your website.
Diagnostics
Moz Analytics (small monthly fee) and Google Webmaster Tools (free) both offer a significant amount of data as to how your site is performing. Rank Checking & Algorithm Compliance Monitoring
With Moz Rank Tracker and data from MozCast and Google Webmaster Tools, we can monitor how well your site ranks in the search engines for various keyword phrases.
Organic SEO
Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools offer a lot of data that help us monitor our SEO efforts, but for those with aggressive campaigns we recommend Moz Analytics because of its On Page Grader, Keyword Difficulty Tool, and ability to analyze SERPs and backlinks.
Link Acquisition & Monitoring
We use Moz Analytics’ Open Site Explorer to guide our link building efforts as it identifies the backlinks that are powering competitor websites to the top of the rankings. We also utilize Google Webmaster Tools to monitor your website’s links.
Local SEO and Citation Monitoring
We use both Moz Local and BrightLocal to monitor all aspects of our your local SEO efforts. From citation building to monitoring your presence in local directories, these programs provide insight into nearly every aspect of how your campaign stacks up to the competitors.
CPC Advertising
Since CPC advertising is often a major component of many businesses online marketing programs, we not only utilize Google AdWords and Bing Conver-sion Tracking, but we integrate these programs with Google Analytics and others so we can monitor its performance as well as possible.
Mentions & Social Media
For these with aggressive social media and public relations programs, we can integrate Google Alerts, Moz- Fresh Web Explorer, Followerwonk for Twitter and other programs.
KPI Reporting
C. Promote Website
Once your new website is live, we can engage in numerous activities to help improve its position in both the paid and non-paid listings if lead generation or online sales are an important aspect of the project. As one of the largest and most experienced SEO firms in the Midwest, we offer a comprehensive array of services.
• Our senior managers have been optimizing websites since 1999.
• We have been running cost per click advertising programs since Goto.com popularized the concept and were some of the first in the country to use Google AdWords.
• We run successful monthly programs for hundreds of clients and constantly monitor the ranking algorithms. • We utilize some of the most powerful SEO software in the industry.
• We understand the ranking algorithms and utilize a wide variety of techniques to get websites to both rank well and comply with Google’s quality guidelines.
Our Process
Research & Strategy - To develop effective search engine marketing programs, we engage in an extensive review of your current keywords, site struc-ture, level of competition, level of existing algorithm compliance, level of existing link popularity, and other elements to determine whether a campaign can be designed within your budget that will realistically provide results with an effective ROI.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - SEO is the process of making one’s site comply with the search engine ranking algorithms so that it ranks well in the free (organic) listings. It is typically broken into “on-page” factors that are controlled by integrating keyword phrases into the site and making it spi-der friendly and “off-page” factors that are determined by the quantity, quality, and structure of links coming into the site. In today’s world of integrated search, it also includes optimizing for localized, shopping, image and video results.
Cost per Click Advertising (CPC) - Depending on the level of bid competition, search volume, and target cost per lead/sale, we typically utilize some form of CPC advertising in the campaigns we develop. By using negative keywords, stricter matching methods, and other methods to improve Qual-ity Scores, we can often design CPC advertising programs that will have a positive ROI.
Campaign Management - Unlike many other forms of marketing, online marketing benefits from powerful web analytics software that provides us with tons of data on how your campaign is working. By analyzing this data, we can make adjustments such as adding content, adjusting CPC bids, and engaging in more PR or link building. The overall goal is to take advantage of opportunities while reducing expenses associated with efforts/costs that are not providing an acceptable return.
