Websites

Our website and e-commerce engagements follow a rigorous Five-Step Process. The goal is to ensure that each client's vision and specific business goals are properly documented and implemented, and that nothing "falls through the cracks." Read below to learn more about our website and e-commerce development services.

Step 1: Site Strategy
Step 2: Site Design
Step 3: Site Coding
Step 4: Site Commerce
Step 5: Site Management/Analytics

Step 1: Site Strategy (back to top)

We are more than just a team of technologists – we are entrepreneurs who understand business and what it takes to succeed online. Accordingly, before we write a single line of code, our first step in any website or e-commerce project is to schedule one or more confidential "brainstorming" sessions to:

• Study the client's business model and brand
• Analyze the industry and markets in which the company competes
• Understand the company's unique strengths that differentiate it from competitors
• Review the business case for various website features and functionality from the standpoint of cost/benefit
• Explore the potential utility of email marketing, blogs, podcasts, search engine advertising and other online marketing initiatives to maximize ROI on the firm's website investment

The outcome of these strategy sessions is a roadmap that will guide subsequent design and development decisions, thereby ensuring that the technology deployed conforms to the company’s business goals and objectives, and not vice versa.

Step 2: Site Design (back to top)

Using appropriate layouts, and the right mix of imagery, colors, font styles, and interactivity, our graphic artists will create a site design that:

• Projects the proper brand image and business focus
• Employs intuitive and user-friendly navigation
• Maintains a consistent “look-and-feel” across all pages
• Encourages visitors to buy

Step 3: Site Coding (back to top)

Utilizing the latest database-driven techologies, our programmers will deploy a site that:

• Is optimized for maximum search engine visibility using appropriate content, meta tags and site code
• Is easily updated by non-technical staff using a content management system with an interface that looks and functions like MS Word and does not require any programming background
• Features user-friendly navigation that enables visitors to quickly and easily find the products and other information they are looking for and take desired actions
• Facilitates the capture of newsletter subscriptions and visitor contact information through well-positioned forms
• Offers appropriate customer support capabilities

Step 4: Site Commerce (back to top)

Our e-commerce developers can integrate a shopping cart and checkout application into your site that includes the following features to help maximize conversion rates and repeat purchases:

• Searchable product catalog with multiple fields (including full size and thumbnail images) and categorization. Includes easy-to-use admin interface for adding, editing, and deleting products
• “My Account” management for repeat customers
• Shopping cart with running display of contents
• Secure checkout process and order submission using SSL and digital certificate
• Integration with payment gateway for credit card authorization
• Integrated shipping and tax rules
• Promotional capabilities such as bundling, cross-selling, gift certificates, and “%” or “$” off specials to drive incremental sales when customers are in a buying mode.

Step 5: Site Management/Analytics (back to top)

Once your site launches, your job is just beginning. In order to generate an acceptable ROI on your website investment, you need to regularly monitor the source and volume of traffic on your website, and visitor navigation patterns. Proper analysis of site traffic reports will yield insights that can lead to modifications in site design, navigation and functionality that will increase sales, conversion rates, and other success metrics.

We can implement and maintain a successful site analytics program for your site that uses easy-to-read, highly visual reports to:

• Track customer navigation from site entry to sale
• Measure page views, unique visitors and hits (by day, month, hour, etc.)
• Monitor the navigation patterns of your visitors
• Identify the search engines spidering your site
• Discover the keywords visitors are using to find you, and which keywords they're using on each search engine
• Trace where your visitors are coming from (referring sites, referring URLs, IP addresses, and more)
• Measure the effectiveness of various search engine advertising programs and email marketing campaigns from the standpoint of conversion rates

Based on these reports, we will recommend incremental modifications to your site design, navigation and functionality to improve key success metrics.