CMS Website Design and Development
I may be useful to think about web development being similar to the framing in of a house. This is the part of the build that determines the structure and functionality of everything else going forward. Once the framework is built, it is safe to install the sheathing plywood, wallboard & siding, etc. Similarly with a web build, the development stage determines the format and function for what will come later (the things that come later are no less important, but are dependent on the framing being done right. It is important to determine up front what things the site will need to do, since these elements may determine what tools are used for development. For instance, it would be shortsighted to build a house with standard 6’8″ door if you’re building a house for an NBA center. It’s the same with web development. Make a list of everything the site may be called on to perform, whether it is a contact form, calendar, storefront, booking tool, etc.
WordPress Plugins
Generally, there is a wordpress plugin to do almost anything that you’d like to do. The more of these tools that are used, the greater the chance of incompatibility between them. Each WordPress plugin is also a potential security threat. It’s wise to weigh the pros and cons of each element that is added to the site. WordPress plugins from good sources with good reviews and references, usually used in greater numbers are preferable. For the most part, stick with wordpress plugins from the wordpress repository. Going forward, weekly maintenance will be required to install updates and in some cases, replace broken or compromised software. It will be necessary to review potential threats periodically. A tool like Wordfence can perform this task automatically for a fee (the free version is useful as well).
Don’t forget the users
In addition, it’s important to identify the users. Is there a chance that visually-impaired or hearing-impaired users will be using the site? If that’s the case, it might be prudent to plan early-on to include accessibility features. Are there elements on your website that might be mis-read by someone with color-blindness?
Example Websites
Portland Maine Web Development – PHP Web Design and Development
Typical Web Development Life Cycle (Agile Approach):
- Discovery: Client completes a survey encompassing history, requirements, environment and competitors.
- Evaluation: Spire Express evaluates the requirement document, begins the process of generating a proposal with appropriate scope for the requirements (recommended tech).
- Proposal: On approval, server space is provisioned, coding begins for the infrastructure, and a timeline is set for the complete project.
- Coding: On approval of the proposal/timeline, coding begins on the structure of the site itself; Aesthetic design and copywriting begin as well (if not already supplied). As major milestones are reached, beta pages are reviewed by client, and adjustments made.
- Review: Client reviews beta pages with content/design in place as early as possible so as to keep costs down for rework.
- Approval: Client does final review, approves pages for live deployment.
- Assessment: Check final pages against the proposal and hopefully go live.
Any marketing program should be seamless to your clients.
Top reasons for failure
- Lack of executive support
- Poor user involvement
- Lack of experienced project management
- Lack of clear business objectives
- Inability to manage and minimize scope
- Lack of a formal methodology
- Lack of reliable estimates
SPIRE Express – Design and development company | Approach
- Appropriate executive involvement
- Driven by users, with a user research capability
- Experienced program management
- Establishes explicit business objectives (EBO)
- Rigorous scope management
- Fixed price drives world class estimation
Contact us to get started with web development that turns ideas into customers!