Introducing web design

The web design of a site is first presented in the form of a functional mock-up with technical specifications: ergonomics, graphic charter, visual identity, marketing, interactivity. A website can be a simple static page in HTML format, possibly formatted or enriched with CSS, including images and links to other content, or it can be made up of dynamic content with functionalities grafted on to make it interactive, with services programmed in Java, PHP or another server language, forms requiring processing in JavaScript, or Ajax. It can be based on database technologies such as MySQL or etc.

Steps in creating a website

Depending on the type of website, context, and available resources to implement the website in question, some of these steps may be optional or even unnecessary. Each of these steps corresponds to specialized skills (ergonomics, information architecture, SEO, web writing, etc.).

Project: • Reflection on the website’s objective, its target, profitability, and financial resources to be invested… • Reflection on the desired autonomy and the type of human resources needed for updates. • Reflection on the content: pages, expected services, navigation principles.

Implementation: • Domain name. • Hosting provider. • Choice and installation of a Content Management System (examples: WordPress, SPIP, TYPO3, …) or a website editor like Adobe Dreamweaver, PHP Designer, or text editors such as Bluefish, ++…).

Implementation: • Domain name. • Hosting provider. • Choice and installation of a Content Management System (examples: WordPress, SPIP, TYPO3, …) or a website editor like Adobe Dreamweaver, PHP Designer, or text editors such as Bluefish, ++…). • To properly separate structure from presentation, CSS stylesheets are used. • Possible dynamic developments (forms, services, etc.)

Follow-up: Launch of the site: going live. Design: • Establishment of an HTML or XHTML page structure. • Definition of a site map. • Development of a graphic charter. • Development of an editorial charter. Realization:

• Creation of pages through the Content Management System or the editor. Pages can be created individually or based on a template system. Implementation of the graphic charter. Promotion. Making the site known can be done through various means: announcements, advertising, registration in directories…

Updates: A fundamental action in the life of a website which consists of updating, modifying, and evolving the graphic, textual, visual content, and even the structure and functionalities of the website.

Backup: Regardless of the type of your website, static or dynamic, it is exposed to several threats: server crashes, hacking, viruses, bugs… So, for security measures, it is very important to do regular backups for the website data (database, content such as documents, images, texts…) and all the settings of your hosting, after each update, to avoid data loss and ensure the continuity of your services on the web.

Maintenance: Consists of ensuring its proper functioning; there are four types of maintenance: Corrective maintenance, Preventive maintenance, Evolutionary maintenance, Adaptive maintenance. The accessibility of the site is a factor to consider at each stage from the development of the page structure. The same goes for SEO, whose strategy can be implemented from the design stage. SEO principles are also to be considered during the creation of templates, page integration, content writing, site launch, and maintenance. Ergonomics also plays a role at all stages: design, testing, audits, continuous improvement.

Website components • Structure and content in HTML or XHTML • Presentation with CSS stylesheets. • Graphics through slicing and integrating images like GIF, JPG, PNG, MNG. • Behavior in JavaScript, which will be managed client-side by the browser. • Navigation and data exchange via the HTTP protocol and the use of Web Services or AJAX. • Animation in Flash or SVG, and since the end of 2014, with some CSS3 attributes as well as the use of Canvas with JavaScript. • Incorporation of multimedia. Dynamism in content management will be handled server-side with development languages like PHP, Java, ASP… working with a web server.

Now you know the steps to take for web design, so contact our web agency to create the website for your business or activity.