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O v e r v i e w :
Welcome to the Services and Support area of our website. If you are looking for someone to design, develop or fix your website, you have found the right place. We can get your site up and running quickly and have it look the way you want.
R a t e s & Fees :
Our procedure for work estimates depends on the scope of your project. For large projects, we first estimate the cost for an initial planning period.
During that planning period, we work with you to develop detailed plans for everything you might want to include on the site for the foreseeable future. Once that's done, various parts of the project can be prioritized and divided into phases for implementation. Budgetary requirements are taken into account to determine the amount of work included in each phase.
Once the specifics of the immediate implementation phase are determined, we will give you a firm, detailed estimate of the cost. The estimates are based on the time and type of work involved.
Click here to see our standard package options.
Work can usually be customized to fit any budgetary requirements. Special discounts may be negotiated for especially large, long-term or non-profit projects. We require an initial downpayment before work begins. The amount varies depending on the size of your project. After the downpayment is applied, work is billed on a weekly basis.
We guarantee not to exceed our estimate unless the site plan or content is changed significantly. We will always give you notice in advance if a change will affect the overall cost of the project.
S i t e G o a l s :
Determining the exact purpose for your web site is the most important step in the process of establishing your presence on the World Wide Web. Everything else flows from the purpose--from the structure of the information right down to choice of colors and fonts. The purpose (or purposes) should be concise and should include both your immediate goals and your long-range plans as well.
S i t e R e q u i r e m e n t s :
Once the site goals are established, we can begin to get more specific. Itemizing site requirements means determining the details of how your web site will fulfill the goals you've established. This may include things such as:
- Content areas
- How interactivity will work (such as shopping cart options)
- Visuals (important photos and images, color palettes, etc.)
- Emotional effects (for instance, do you want visitors to feel excited or soothed?)
- Branding techniques
- Programming required (discussion boards? database integration? etc.)
Determining site requirements on the fly as the site is being built can often result in lost opportunities--things you wish had been done differently. While less exciting than the development phase, where you see your web pages actually coming into being, the importance of thorough preliminary planning cannot be overemphasized. Determining site requirements is one of the essential steps.
C o n t e n t D e v e l o p m e n t :
Most of the content for your web site will usually be provided by you. Uncle Jim's Web Designs can consult and recommend special adaptations to modify your existing content to work well on the web. For example, web writing must be brief and to the point. The style should be more conversational and personal than other common types of business writing.
If your own writers are not experienced at web writing, we can provide writing or editing services to help optimize the content you provide. There are many "tricks of the trade" to successful web writing, and our staff writer is experienced and versatile.
Graphics choices also need to be based on different criteria than other media. Photos, for instance, must be much simpler for publication online. The low screen resolution (dots per inch) will simply not show detailed images effectively. Contrast is different when you are looking at the light source on a monitor versus viewing reflected light from paper. We can coach you on how to make the best choices. We also have resources for creating or using existing graphics when you need generic images.
We pay strict attention to copyright laws, and require written permission to use content developed by third parties. When you hire us to develop your web site, you have access to our technical expertise and years of experience to help you develop content to make the quality of your online presentation stand out and be successful.
G r a p h i c a l D e s i g n :
Web site graphical design involves everything from the visual "look and feel" of the site to the preparation of individual graphical images. Because graphics account for most of the download time of a web page, it's important that graphics only be used if they enhance the message of the page.
First, you must determine all the possible kinds of information that might be useful in accomplishing your web site goals. What information do you already have? Brochures? Databases? Catalogs? White papers? Specification sheets? In this step you define the universe of information available.
The beginning part of the graphical design of a web site is the selection of the presentation style. Page style has to do with how the page feels--heavy and bold, natural, formal, funny, high tech, light and airy--all of these styles can be conveyed with proper design. The style of a web site should generally be consistent from page to page and definitely should be consistent with the web site's goals and the company's image.
Style is developed by an integration of such things as color, graphics, use of space on the page, writing tone, etc. Turtle Island Web Design can help you choose style elements to project your corporate image to the world in a way that appeals to your target audience.
Another part of graphical design is the actual preparation and creation of web page graphics. This is one part of the web design process that separates the amateurs from the professionals. Appropriate and creative graphics can help attract favorable attention to your web site. Graphics include not only photos and logos but icons, link buttons, and other special uses unique to web construction. Preparing graphics for use on the Web is a complex process, very different than for print media. Turtle Island Web Design has software, experience, and expertise to develop or adapt graphics for your online use.
S i t e D e v e l o p m e n t (CODING):
This is the part of the process that usually seems the most exciting. Finally all the images, text, graphics, sounds, and interactive elements are put together and the web site begins to physically take form.
Though coding and programming may seem like it should be a cut-and-dried process, it can actually be one of the most challenging to carry out. Our web site designs are created to work effectively on as many kinds of browser software and operating systems as your target audience is likely to be using. Each of these has its own idiosyncrasies in terms of how web page codes are interpreted. Codes for one browser may not work on others (see Testing/Editing).
Also, the web server that will host your web site must be taken into account. Programming languages, database structures, streaming media--all these are dependent on web server technologies. The coding for your pages must match the features of the web server you are using.
We specialize in developing web sites that are as vendor-neutral as possible. That means we try to create pages that are not dependent on the software or technology of a particular company. If you ever have to move your site to a different web server, we believe your web site should be easily portable without having to recode everything. In the rare case that the requirements of your site indicate a proprietary technology may be appropriate, we will let you know in advance and discuss the pros and cons of the decision.
It's just another way we focus on helping you save money.
W e b S i t e H o s t i n g :
A web server is a computer running web server software on which your web site files are stored (hosted). The requirements for configuring an effective server are complex. Security alone is a full-time preoccupation. Unless you already have an in-house web server and experienced staff to maintain it, we recommend outsourcing site hosting.
Web hosting accounts are inexpensive, starting at less than $10 per month for shared machines. Your cost will depend on the features you need. We recommend talking with us before you make your choice. Unlike many web developers, we are not affiliated with any single hosting service. Instead we have working relationships with several. We believe each hosting account should be individually selected. Account features must be tailored to exactly what you need, and allow for growth as your site evolves.
Hosting is a competitive business and highly volatile. We look into the background and business approach of every hosting company we recommend. We set up an account with them ourselves to get first-hand experience with their service. We work with their technical support system to test responsiveness. In short, we do everything we can to assure the hosting services we recommend will be of the highest quality and reliability available.
Hosting Service Recommendation: If you are only looking for a site hosting service and already know the features you want, we highly recommend the hosting plans at iPowerWeb.com. You'll find a full range of services available from starter accounts to dedicated servers. We have worked with many hosting services over the years, and believe that iPowerWeb is the best available in terms of flexible features, web-based site management tools, and responsive technical support. To see a current listing of available packages and features, click here.
D o m a i n R e g i s t r a t i o n :
A domain name, such as jdstiles.com, signifies your own address on the Internet. Because no two parties can ever hold identical domain names, selecting a domain name lets you have a truly unique identifier of you or your company. It is how your site visitors and customers will remember you and find you among the millions of other websites on the Internet.
The first step to establishing your web presence is to choose a domain name. To select a domain name,
click here.
When you have found the domain name you like, you may contact us here to help you register your domain name.
T e s t i n g & E d i t i n g :
Testing your web site for errors in coding, spelling, etc. begins as the first draft of your site is developed. We make extensive use of code validating software, link checkers, and other types of tools that help ensure the accuracy of your web site pages. Testing continues throughout the development process, and is intensified just before the site is publicly launched.
Actual testing strategies depend on your intended audience and budgetary constraints, but here's the typical testing regimen for web sites we develop:
- Code Validation
- W3C XHTML and CSS Validation
- Link Checking
- Custom testing and debugging procedures for programming we author or install
- Content Editing
- Spellchecking
- Additional grammar editing and proofreading optional, depending on budget
Cross-browser Testing
- Microsoft Internet Explorer, versions 4.0 and up
- Mozilla FireFox, versions 1 and up
- Netscape Navigator, versions 6 and up
- Accessibility Testing
- Usability Testing - When budget allows, we recommend testing the site for usability with a random group of people at least once, and preferably at several stages in your site development.
In summary, we do our best to ensure that your viewers will not be distracted by errors. It's important to keep in mind, though, that you are more expert on your site's subject than we are. When we ask you to proof pages before putting them online, it's very important that you or your staff examine them carefully before signing off. You are also responsible for the factual accuracy and legal implications of your content.
S i t e M a i n t e n a n c e :
Once your site is built and launched, there will usually be some ongoing maintenance required. At a minimum, links to other web sites should be tested and search engine listings checked and updated at regular intervals. Some of our clients prefer to have us build the site and turn over maintenance to trained in-house staff, but many hire us to do the work.
Our custom web software can sometimes help reduce maintenance costs by allowing you to add new content to your site via web-based forms. Simple editing, such as price changes, can be similarly automated. It costs more up front but could save you money in the long run.
For maximum flexibility or infrequent updates, you may choose to have us do the work. We aim for quick turnaround time on simple changes. Major changes receive priority scheduling for existing clients.
As we develop your web site, we'll keep future maintenance in mind and suggest ways to minimize maintenance costs whenever possible. We also factor site maintenance into our Work Estimates.
If you require further information or would like to sign up for our services, please contact the web administrator below, who will be more than happy to answer your questions. You may also submit your request through our on-line Feedback form the left menu.
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