Frequently asked questions about web design and development
eMatti's web design / specification questionnaire will take you 15-20 minutes to complete. If you
don't like filling-in forms, we would be happy to call you to discuss your
needs. Just leave us a message and we'll contact you
as soon as we possibly can.
The web design specification process is very important, because the information
you provide us, will help us in designing a website that will best suit your
business and your objectives. We will call you to discuss your
specifications in further detail if needed, to gain a better understanding of your
requirements and then submit a formal proposal. Our initial estimate includes 3
revision rounds. Further changes to the specifications will be charged at the
normal hourly rate.
From that point, the web
development process for a basic informational site can take 10 days to 4 weeks. It could take less or more time,
depending on how complicated your requirements are, how quickly you submit the
requested material and how quickly you respond to revisions.
On acceptance of our web development proposal, you will be asked to sign a
Service Agreement and depending on the financial package you have selected, you
will
be required to pay a percentage deposit before we can commence working on your
project. On receipt of your deposit, we will proceed to Step 2 below.
Step 2: Evaluation of competition and target market
Based on your completed website order form, we will review your competitors'
websites and marketing material. We will evaluate what you like and dislike about your
competitors' design and direction, and start brainstorming ways to create a
superior design that will attract your target market.
Step 3: Gathering content
We will require you to submit all of the content that you will want
displayed on your website, either via email, post or courier. This will include
all the text copy, your logo file (eps / vector format), and any additional photos or graphics you would
like to include in your website.
Step 4: Evaluation and structuring of content
We will then review the content you will submit and make suggestions
for the layout and structure of your website, including navigation system, stock
photography, etc.
Step 5: Brainstorming design concepts
We normally take about 5-7 days to brainstorm website design concepts based on
the decided structure and all information gathered from the website information
form and marketing material you submitted.
Step 6: Reviewing design concepts
We will email you a PDF file of the website concepts for you to review. This is your time to review and
decide on the website concept that best suits the direction of your company.
Step 7: Revisions to selected concept
Once you have selected the website concept that best suits your company, you
may want to revise the layout, colour, font, design, or navigation system
— make
a list of the revisions that you would like implemented and discuss them with
us. We will then implement the revisions requested, and send you a
second draft, that way you can compare the revisions
with the original design. If after, the first set of revisions, you require
other revisions, then make another list of revisions for us to
implement. This process repeats until you are totally satisfied with your web
design.
Step 8: Creation of web pages and inputting content
Once the home page design is finalised, all the main pages that are linked from the
home page are created and content is inputted — this is when the style sheet
and templates are created. The navigation system is linked to the newly created
main pages. Then, the working site is uploaded to your your domain.
Step 9: Final review of web pages and navigation system
This is your chance to do one final review of your web's layout, content and
navigation system. If you have further changes to make, make a list of revisions
you would like implemented and discuss them with us. We will then implement the revisions requested and post the revised website.
Step 11: Uploading your web
When all revisions are made, the entire website is uploaded to your domain on
the hosting server.
You will need to review your website one final time, before the design process
of your website is considered complete.
The price is based on the size and complexity of your website.
Once you have completed your website questionnaire, we will review
and analyse your completed form and email you an estimate.
Since your company's logo design is a very important aspect of your marketing
strategy, we would design your logo first, before designing your website.
A Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) is a file with a set of instructions that tell Internet browsers how to
present the content of your website to your web visitors. Style sheets typically
include typographical and layout information on how the page should appear, such as fonts,
font size, colours, and spacing, etc. This ensures that all your pages are
consistent in look & feel.
Templates create consistency for all elements of your website. Having the
navigation system and all common elements in the same place throughout your
site, makes it easier for your visitors to find information, and makes browsing
through your site an enjoyable experience. Also, creating new pages is simple
when you have a template to work from. Depending on the various content you
have, you may require more than one template.
A domain name is a unique name that identifies an Internet site (i.e.:
www.companyname.com. eMatti can register your domain name (s) for you. You will
need to renew your domain name every 2 years unless you originally register your
domain for a longer period of time. A domain name should be registered before
the design process begins.
A web host is a company that leases space on its server to hold all your
website files and displays them on the Internet. A monthly fee is determined,
depending on how much server space you require and what other special features
you would require, such as how many mailboxes,
SSL (secure socket layer for shopping cart to encrypt private information), etc. eMatti prefers hosting sites
with its preferred supplier, based on reliability and quality of services.
 Web safe colours used to be more of a
concern than they are now. Many computer users used to only have 256 colour (8
bit) monitor in the past, but this no longer applies. Now, the majority of Internet users have monitors that display
thousands or millions of colours. Basically the choice to use web safe colours
is determined by your target market, whether or not the majority of your
visitors use very old or current systems. Although the colours in the chart
shown on the right
(click on image to view larger version) are not all the possible variations,
they are the variations that will not cause 'dithering' in browsers on most
platforms. Dithering is where a colour shade is simulated by using a cross-hatch
or other pattern to give the perception of a different colour shade. Therefore,
it is recommended you stay with a non-dithered colour whenever possible. You can
download a pdf
version of those colours, which includes conversions from Pantone to CMYK
and RGB web colours.
Frames are a technique used in web pages to divide the page into
multiple windows, where each window is called a frame and can contain its own
separate page. With frames, often you have one frame acting as a 'control frame'
while the others are 'target' frames. In many instances, a few frames will
remain static, while the inner frame can be scrolled to view the contents.
There are many reasons not to use frames, and they tend to outweigh the
reasons to use them. Several browsers still do not support frame sites. Frames
can also interfere with search engine optimization (getting ranked high in
search engines). Often, the functionality of frames can be achieved with
standard HTML, and is often the better choice.
Yes, we submit your site to major search engines as part of your web
development package.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) involves making your web pages more search
engine friendly, so that your website can achieve top ranking. Web developers
follow search engine rules when writing code and content on your web pages,
according to the criteria that major search engines consider the most important
factors in terms of relevance, ensuring that your site is optimised for maximum
results. It is recommended that you monitor your website statistics to continuously adjust
your web's positioning and include other marketing tools in your online
marketing strategy.
Yes, we can do any updates you require in minimum of 15-minute increments at
my normal hourly rate. All client update work
orders are treated on a first come first serve basis, unless it's a technical
problem that is required to be fixed urgently.
Apart from orders and website feedback you may receive from your website, you
can analyse your website's statistics to monitor your site's activity.
Ask us for more information.
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