Site map

Description

At the very beginning of a project it is useful to create a site map.  This is a very basic overview of what pages you envisage needing on your website and how they might link to one another.  It can also be helpful to jot down any notes about each page including features you would like to include.  A good site map will help me to provide an accurate cost and timeframe for the development of your new site and will lay the foundations for the design stage.  I am happy to help you make your site map if needs be.

Wireframes

Description

Wireframes are intended as precursor to the design stage and enable me to plan and structure how the content should be displayed on your future site.  The main benefit of wireframing is that I am able to experiment with different options quickly and easily whilst presenting my ideas to you for discussion and feedback.  Wireframes are not always necessary, especially for more basic sites, but they are usually a very worthwhile step, especially if you wish to be involved with the early stages of the design process.

Content Management System

Description

A content management system or CMS is a piece of software that enables you to add to and edit the content of your site quickly and easily from your web browser.  You just log in with a username and password provided by me, then you have access to all the pages of your website to change text,  add images and monitor your visitor statistics. 

I recommend ExpressioneEngine CMS for most of my sites as it is both highly flexible and very easy to master.  Using ExpressionEngine will ensure that your website can continue to develop as your business grows thanks to its expandable architecture and the thousands of first and third party add-ons.

A single site commercial license costs £200 with some commercial add-ons requiring an additional license fee.

Membership access control

Description

There are times when you may need to restrict access to areas of your site.  Thanks to ExpressionEngine's membership module it is easy to create new members who can log in to to restricted areas of your website.  It is also possible to create varying levels of privilege to differentiate the level of access each member is entitled to. 

If you would rather let people register themselves from the site itself then this is also possible via a front-end registration form.

Google Analytics site statistics

Description

The best way to increase the effectiveness of your website is by monitoring how it is used and acting on what you find out.  The best way of doing this is currently a service from Google called Analytics which provides reports on the amount of traffic your site receives, where your vistors are from, which pages they are viewing and for how long. Google analytics is as powerful as you want it to be and the analysis possibilities are vast.

I set up an Analytics account for every site I create (if you don't have one already) and if your site is based around a CMS, you can even monitor your statistics right from the control panel.