Phase III: Launch, Test, Maintain & Improve
Phase III is when we refine the site, make it available to the general public and maintain the quality of the site. This is an ongoing process, which is subject to frequent revisions in accordance with the client's wishes with consideration given to both the client's needs and the potential consumers of this site.
- Launch ~ We upload all the files to the host from the our system.
- Test ~ We try to edit out and minimize any problems that have survived the designing process. This process includes, but is not limited to, doing the following:
- We check the editorial content for grammatical or spelling errors: In other words, we do not want the general public reading grammatical or spelling mistakes on our client’s web sites, so we edit out any mistakes that we see before the general public ever sees the site.
- We check page access time: Since studies have indicated that visitors will quickly lose interest in web sites if the majority of a page does not download within 15 seconds, we strive to obtain download times for less than that. If it takes longer than 15 seconds for the majority of the page to load then we try to reduce that time or put warnings at the top of the page informing visitors that features may take longer to load, but it is loading.
- We check the degree of accessibility: We pay careful attention to accessibility issues because it is the law for nationally funded web sites in many nations (i.e., United States, Canada, Europe, etc.). For example, Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act establishes the minimum standards for federally funded web sites while educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments are considering implementing similar standards (See Accessibility for more information).
- We check the degree of usability: We define usability as the degree to which a user (someone visiting the web site) can successfully learn and use a site, which is evident by the user's understanding of site content and the relevancy of the site to current and potential users. This includes testing of browser and plug-in compatibility (See Usability for more information).
- We make sure there are no broken links or missing graphics anywhere on the site: This is simply going to every page on the site and following every link while as paying attention to graphics. We do this from a computer that is not linked with our computer system to ensure that individuals who are outside of our system can see the graphics.
- Receive Client Approval ~ We obtain the client's signature or the signature of an authorized agent for the client on the printouts of each page of the completed site. Please note until this is done, we do not consider the site to have received the client's approval.
- Maintain and Update ~ We offer continued contract or fee-based technical, maintenance, management and hosting support as well as search engine registration and promotion. If the continued contract is signed then we monitor the site to make sure that all of the features are working properly and add additions or edit current content as needed. We make sure that the content on the site is timely and relevant. We suggest creating an update schedule. This gives visitors a reason to return and rewards them when they do with new information or images. This process is summed up by the following:
- Maintenance involves varying degrees of work: This varies from client to client, so the exact process is dependent on the individual client and his or her needs.
- Responsibilities primarily entail content management, new versions of the site, file maintenance, and customer care: This is typically what we do for the majority of our clients. For example, if a problem with the current content arises or if something needs to be edited, we will fix it. We will make additions or update the site upon the client’s request and according to his or her specifications. If a consumer has a problem and contact us, we will do our best to resolve any problems arising from the use of the web site. Please note that consumer care only pertains to that involving the use of the site, if it is not site related then consumers will be directed to contact the client or the client’s authorized agent.
Please see Process for an overview of our entire procedure. We implement Metatags to increase traffic to our web sites.
