We launched another great site for ITW Texwipe at http://www.texwipe.com! This site seamlessly blends the functionality of Hannon Hill’s CMS (the Products, Industries and Technical Data menus) with a full-featured ecommerce store (the Buy Texwipe menu), with shared navigation and design. This is the first project that integrated both products at the same time and, thanks to hard work by pretty much everyone on the software dev team at one point or another. 

Other interesting features of the site:

• Ability to “hide” pages from different geographical regions, based on the “region” selection of the visitor in the footer.

• Transition of transactional applications from old system to new
• Email verification required to place order

 

 

We’re proud to announce the release of the Greensboro Housing Authority redesign!  As always, Beacon was right on-time with our deliverables, which is always our goal.  The client chose a soft launch date of December 1, 2011 because they wanted to show the new site to their Board of Directors at their annual meeting that day.

Their Web site was designed and constructed in-house several years ago, which meant that it was time for a completely new look.  The site also had content that was very out-of-date, so the client took it upon themselves to do a complete rewrite of the content, and restructure the site to be more intuitive.  Also, they wanted to get away from having to update the site by-hand using HTML, and wanted it in a content management system.  Finally, they wanted a new Web hosting partner.

Enter Beacon:

• We provided them with a brand-new graphical design;
• Developed it to display perfectly in multiple browsers;
• Implemented the new site into Cascade Server (content management system) to allow multiple users to update the content with an easy-to-use solution;
• Incorporated a new search feature;
• Imported approximately 60 pages of content, including 20 fact sheets about each of their properties;
• Transferred their Web site to a shared hosting package here at Beacon.

Several Beacon staff members made this project a success:

• Wendy:  Without much direction from the client, Wendy put together a design that they liked on the first try, which is phenomenal.
• Stephanie:  She was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, attending the initial meetings and providing meeting notes, the business requirements, and proposed site hierarchy.
• Zed:  He was thrown into the fire, as this was his first development project here.  He developed the front-end HTML/CSS/jQuery, and implemented the site into Cascade Server (which he picked up on very quickly), and entered most of the content.
• Tiffany:  Provided assistance and training to Zed.
• Justin:  Project Management and Cascade Server documentation & training.
• Beacon’s Technical Support Group (TSG):  And finally, no site hosting transfer is complete without the efforts of TSG, specifically Caleb and William, for setting up the hosting and troubleshooting some DNS issues over a weekend.

This is another high-quality design to add to our portfolio, and another non-profit site we can be proud of.   Thanks to everyone involved!

Before

After

One of our recent enhancements to the Beacon website included integrating components of our blog into the content of the site. This is visible on the homepage under the “Blog” tab and shows the three most recent postings on our WordPress blog. Additionally, we decided to include links to recent blog links by categories or topic on the page. For example, the SEO Management page would produce blog links that fell in the SEO category. This is applied throughout the site on interior pages, which is effective for SEO as each page will be updated with every blog posting we create (given the post falls in the category of the page displayed).

The blog feed on the homepage was much easier in comparison worked like this:

XSLT Format used in Cascade:

This is a simple ASP literal that will be the populated by the blog feed.

<xsl:comment>#START-CODE<asp:Literal id=”litFeedReaderBlog” runat=”server”/>#END-CODE</xsl:comment>

VB for CodeBehind File:

VB CodeBehind File (.pdf)

This small set of code basically links to page with RSS feed, in this case, the general RSS feed for entire blog. The part shown in red needs to match the URL of the RSS feed to your particular WordPress site. The part shown in green is a relative path to the XSL file you will use to format the output. Lastly, the part in blue needs to match the ID of your ASP literal so the codebehind knows where to place the output.

Most WordPress sites use the following schema to the feed: http://sitename.com/rss

Example: http://blog.beacontechnologies.com/feed

The above linked RSS page acts as the data source for the VB CodeBehind file and uses an XSL file (shown below) to format the output to the page. Because this RSS page is updated and managed by WordPress, the output is always up to date with the blog.

XSLT used by CodeBehind File for Output:

XSLT File (.pdf)

This XSL will limit the number of posts displayed to the most recent 3 posts (First 3 listed on RSS page–Code shown in green) and will output it in a way to provide a linked title, the author and date, as well as a snipped from the article itself and ‘Read More’ link. We used JavaScript to clean up some of the output that the RSS feed delivers, such as the [...] text and cleaned up the way links were displayed in the snippet.  You can visit the blog feed page and view source to get the XML data that will be processed by the XSLT.

So, if you followed all that and put it into practice, you get something like this (after styling):

Now, to implement category control, we needed to add an additional Data Definition within Cascade on every page that would set the category. We used a simple drop-down that had an entry for every category we have on our blog. Notice below that the data-definition values need to be URL-friendly. The reason for this is that the modified blog feed with category control will integrate this category to the blog’s general RSS feed. We are going to pass this category information to the codebehind file for processing by sticking the data definition value into the ASP literal’s text attribute. All interior pages would use the same codebehind file as to avoid the need for a new configuration type that would need published with each page.  The only maintenance that goes along with the blog feed is adding new ones to the data definitions as they are created in WordPress.

The code and logic above was primarily followed for the related links, but had to be modified to fit the following specs:

• Have Cascade output a text attribute on the ASP literal containing the category to be used (grabbed from data definitions) which would be passed as a parameter to the functions used in the original VB Codebehind.
• List out 3 of the most recent blogs (just linked titles, somewhat simplified from homepage output) from the blog category set in the data definition. If NO data definition is set for the ‘blog category’, use the ‘Section’ data definition value (which shown above is required on all of our pages.) The section value is a fall-back to one of the three parent categories on the blog: Web Development, Web Marketing, and Web Hosting.  Notice we can’t just use the values of the ‘Section’ data because it does not match the URL structure on WordPress.
• If there aren’t 3 posts for the blog category that has been set in the data definition, retrieve what posts are available and then use one or two posts the parent category (depending on how many needed to make 3 posts).

At first, the solution Justin and I had come up with, was to make the VB smart enough to recognize when less than 3 posts were output and go out and grab the remaining from the parent category. The issue with this was that the parent category of any category might list already output postings by the sub-category (since they are listed in order of most recent). Therefore, we had to heavily modify the codebehind file in a way that it would ALSO recognize not to output duplicate posts from the parent category.

XSLT Format and Template Changes in Cascade:

Every page needs to get the codebehind file.  In Cascade, this is accomplished by adding the following to the template:

<!–#START-ROOT-CODE<%@ Page Language=”VB” aspcompat=”true” AutoEventWireup=”false”  CodeFile=”/rightColumnBlogFeed.aspx.vb” Inherits=”_Default” %>#END-ROOT-CODE–>

We saw that http://blog.beacontechnologies.com/feed shows a listing from all categories (10 of the most recent being shown).  We can change the URL to include one of our categories, say… Web Marketing — just by changing the URL to http://blog.beacontechnologies.com/category/web-marketing/feed.  Notice the RSS feed is then modified to fit the category and still listed (as defaulted in WordPress) by most recent posts.  The XSLT file below was used to select either the post category or section for outputting the text attribute of the ASP literal.

Modified XSLT File (.pdf)

Changes in VB Codebehind & CodeBehind’s XSLT

While I’d prefer not to share our exact source code, here are the modification necessary to the templated file above to prevent duplicate stories from being output.

• The ‘BuildFeed’ function had the first parameter changed to the ASP literal’s text value.
• The XSLT file got dutplicated, one to output 3 posts and one to grab the full page of posts generated by the RSS (10).  Both had ‘~’ characters appended after each list item.
• The BuildFeed function would fetch what posts it could from the blog category, if there are less than 3, it would record the titles of the categories found and load them into an array (This was the reason for ‘~’ character being added–Parsing values was a bit easier this way using the split function.)
• The BuildFeed function would then visit the parent categories RSS page and compare post title with those in the subcategory recorded in the array.  If they matched, it skipped the post, otherwise appended it in with list to be included.  Because we didn’t have any categories with less than 3 posts, I was able to just switch my XSL file used by the codebehind to output only 2 posts–and the VB would take care of the rest and use the 10 post page parent.  Controlling the output this way made it much easier to debug and test that the proper number of posts being output from the parent category and subcategory feeds.

Finally, I’m starting to grasp the depth of SEO and how websites are ranked on Search Engines. Who knew there was so much to it? I knew I had a good grasp and understanding when I came to Beacon but I’ve learned a much deeper side to it that I wasn’t so sure of. There is a ton of information out there and its easy to learn once you dig into it and become familiar with it all.

My knowledge of SEO when I started was on an Intermediate level and now after much research and application with good results, I’m confident to say I’ve stepped up to a Competent/Proficient level. I know not everyone has a deep understanding of SEO and I thought I would take it upon myself to give you a short lesson on Ranking Factors for SEO. I’m going to try and make it as easy as possible to understand but if you have questions, please feel free to leave comments. I love knowing I’ve helped someone learn something new because learning is the key to success. So here we go!

Ranking Factors for SEO:

1. Keywords that you use in title tags – This it thought of as the #1 ranking factor for websites. It needs to say in a few short words what the page is about. The most important keywords should be listed first. For Example: Take Staub Leadership, Here you can tell by looking at the homepage this is company that teaches leadership to people. The Title Tag is what is seen at the top of the tab in firefox.
2. Anchor Text of inbound links – This is the text use to link to a site or in other words it’s the word that is hyperlinked. Example: Look at 1 and Staub Leadership is in blue and underlined. So Staub Leadership is the Anchor text.
3. Global link Authority of a site – this represents the quality and quantity of a site’s links. This just means you want to have links on sites that are relevant and that have good page rank because that page rank is carried on to your site.
4. Link Popularity within a site – This means that pages that have links on all the internal pages of a site show that the page being linked is very popular and important. Having the links on many internal pages of site shows search engines that this page is very important.
5. Topic relevance of inbound links – All this means is that you want to put links on pages that are relevant to the pages you are linking to. For Example: Beacon is creating a link to post on another site for our SEO Management page. In order for the link to be beneficial it needs to be posted on a site that is about SEO management. You wouldn’t want to put the link on a site for Health care because there is no relevance between the two.
6. Link Popularity in linking neighborhood – The more links you have coming to your site from websites that are similar to you show search engines that your site has authority and is reputable as long as they are links from other reputable sites. Links from spamming sites will hurt your website in ranking.
7. Keywords in the Body – Search Engines look at keywords in the body of your website as well as the title tags. The title tag keyword should be repeated in the body as well as synonyms for the keywords used. This helps to show the page is relevant to the topic.

The 7 ways I listed are not the only ways to affect ranking but they are the most common and best practices to start with. So that’s my short lesson for you in SEO Ranking Basics. Hope that helps some and like I said feel free to comment!

Lots of <3,

Ashley

The Cascade Server User Conference is something that Beacon has been attending since 2006.  (I personally have been to four of the 5, missing 2007′s conference to move into our new house…believe me, I would have rather been at the conference.)  It’s a great conference put on by Hannon Hill in Atlanta, where we get to mingle with Hannon Hill employees (and make absurd product development suggestions to them in-person), some of Beacon’s clients, and collaborate with other users.  And we get to see how others are using Cascade for their university or business, which is very interesting.

The conference began in 2006, and was small enough to fit in Hannon Hill’s very nice offices in Buckhead.  Given the ever-increasing popularity of Cascade, the conference has since moved to hotels, and this year will be at Georgia Tech’s Global Learning Center and Hotel & Conference Center.  Besides being a top-notch facility, they have a pool table, where I can demonstrate why I only play pool once a year.  Hannon Hill also hosts a reception on the first night, full of food, drinks, and mingling.  Overall, it’s a jam-packed, but awesome, two-day experience.

At the first conference in 2006, I was asked (10 minutes beforehand, I might add) to be a participant in a round table discussion, where Cascade users fired questions at my two fellow participants and me about how we use Cascade in our business.  (Little did I know that one of the participants would become a client of ours one day!)  I’ll never forget it because as part of the introductions, we had to say name our alma mater, and when I said “Virginia Tech”, I got booed by someone.  It turns out they were a bitter Clemson fan/employee, still upset about VT thumping them in the 2001 Gator Bowl.

Hannon Hill asked me to speak (by myself this time) at the 2007 conference, but I had to decline for reasons already mentioned.  However, I did speak in 2008 and 2009 on “Tips & Tricks for End Users”, where I gave some insider information on how we effectively use Cascade for a variety of clients.  For last year’s conference, I took the year off, and while I still attended the conference, I gladly let Brad Henry and Mark Dirks speak, titled “Web Marketing w/ Cascade Server CMS + Live SEO Reviews“.  This talk emphasized how Web Marketing is so vital to your business, and how Cascade aids in that effort.  It was a fantastic talk.

This year, I am speaking at the conference again, though the exact topic is TBD.  Why do I want to speak at these conferences?  Because I enjoy standing in front of a bunch of people at a lectern?  Hardly.  It’s a great way for me to share with others the innovative way we use Cascade to meet our clients’ content management needs.  Any CMS can let you edit your content.  But what else can it do for you?  That’s where we step in:  to push the envelope and make Cascade do what you need and want it to do.

If you’re a Cascade Server client of ours, come on down to Atlanta, September 19-20, 2011 for the 2011 Cascade Server User Conference.  We would love to see you there!

What: 2011 eduWeb Conference is coming soon, August 1 – 3

Where: San Antonio at The Westin Riverwalk

Why: MEET…SHARE…EXPLORE…and LEARN in collaboration with your Higher Education peers

This is an excellent annual conference that helps the higher education community meet, share, explore, and learn from one another.   The Conference is specifically targeted to higher education professionals involved in Online Strategy, Marketing and Technology.  Attendees will be from a wide range of functions including Marketing, PR, Alumni, Admissions/Enrollment, Student Affairs, IT, and Athletics.

Beacon Technologies is very pleased to be attending this year’s conference.   We will be exhibiting in the main exhibitor hall, Navarro Foyer, Table #5.

In addition, Beacon’s CMS partner, Hannon Hill /Cascade Server, will also be attending and exhibiting at Table #14.

We hope to see many of our clients at this year’s Conference.

Please contact me with any questions!

Patrick

336-232-5668 (direct)

336-944-4187 (mobile)

Patrick Flanagan LinkedIn

 

Basin Electric Power Cooperative
(http://www.basinelectric.com/; http://www.dakotagas.com/)

Basin Electric is the power cooperative for a large portion of the Midwest (map).  It has around 60 Web sites, and purchased Cascade Server to begin migrating those sites from their previous content management system. Beacon Technologies was brought in to migrate the first two sites, the Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Dakota Gasification Company,  into Cascade Server CMS.  Approximately 700 pages and design were carefully transferred “as is” using Cascade’s Web Services feature and several enhancements were made, including the following:

· Related Items Right Column content blocks: Allows a user to specify categories on a specific page, and Cascade feeds related links into that page’s right column;

· Calendar: Re-write of their existing PHP calendar (managed by Cascade Server);

· Photo Gallery:  Added this function in Cascade Server;

· Newsletter: Allows the customer to create weekly newsletters for emailing, as well as a print-friendly version to post at their plants and other facilities for those who don’t have a computer at home;

Prior to launch, Beacon also provided customized Cascade Server documentation and training.

Many thanks to Tiffany May, Keana Lynch, Miral Desai, and Thomas Brinegar (website development), Justin Klingman (project management / CMS leadership), Patrick Flanagan (account executive) and John Scaramuzzo (executive oversight and hosting services).

Beacon Technologies is very excited to be hosting an upcoming webinar in collaboration with Hannon Hill, makers of the award winning Cascade Server CMS (Content Management Software).

Are you considering a Site Redesign in 2011 or 2012?  If so, please join us March 8, 2011 from 2 to 3 pm EST.

Redesign projects can be a very challenging and an extremely vital project to the success of your organization.

Beacon has the expertise to support your project from start to finish.  We can help you with the consulting & analysis, requirements gathering & documentation, project management, steering committee engagement, site structure & layout, graphical design, development, content migration, testing, implementation, hosting, support, maintenance, marketing, analytics and upgrades.

We have been managing these types of Cascade Server Redesign projects for the past 6 years.

Beacon knows how to get the job done on-schedule and on-budget.

So please join us for a 30 minute presentation followed up with 30 minutes of Q&A.

To register, please visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/794321048

Hannon Hill press release: http://www.hannonhill.com/news/blog/2011/Webinar-Hosted-By-Beacon-Technologies.html

Please contact me with any questions regarding the webinar.

Patrick Flanagan, 336-232-5668

pflanagan@beacontec.com

I just got back from a meeting in New Jersey with one of our long-term client (going on 11 years).  We launched their site in 2000, and did a full redesign and Cascade Server implementation for them in 2006. Now, in addition to online billing and account management enhancements, they want to do a redesign of their five Web sites.

One of my tasks was to present ideas for improvements to their sites in order to bring them into this decade. Admittedly, I had a hard time finding things that needed fixing since in 2006, Beacon did really great job on the redesign, and this client has done a fantastic job of keeping the site looking very professional and modern. While they’re not looking for a start-from-scratch redesign (just a “face lift”), it got me thinking about ways that the Web has evolved in the last five years. Below is a comparison chart that, in my opinion, is what Web development was like “back then”, and the way it is now.

Circa 2006	How it is Today
Most popular browsers: Internet Explorer 6/7. Netscape is still around, but losing market share. Firefox and Safari are on the rise. Google Chrome is just a fleeting thought in the minds of billionaires.	Internet Explorer 6 is virtually dead (thank goodness), and Internet Explorer 7 is walking towards the light. Firefox is now the most popular browser, and Google Chrome didn’t exist in 2006. Also, Internet Explorer 8 is all the rage (for those who accept what comes with their computers), and Internet Explorer 9 is in beta. Safari (and Firefox) rule the Mac world.
Everything must be “above the fold” (in the visible region without scrolling). If users couldn’t see it, they didn’t know it was down there.	Users are much more Web savvy, and know that there’s more good stuff if you scroll down.
The smaller the font size, the more text you could fit “above the fold”, even though it was sometimes hard to read.	Font sizes are getting much larger, thus allowing more users with sight issues to use the Web effectively.
Popups are a great way to highlight small pieces of information without the user leaving the parent page.	I bet you have a popup blocker installed (I have two for comfort). Popups are being replaced by JavaScript/CSS-based overlay windows and IFRAMEs.
Web site visitors are willing to read the information you provide, and click several times to get where they’re going. The sheer fact that what they’re looking for exists on your site is perfect.	On a functional Web site, if a user can’t quickly do what they came to do, they’re frustrated, or gone. Today, it’s imperative to get a user to where they’re going in 1-2 clicks.
Homepages are for showing off your company’s news, photos, and advertisements. The more stuff, the better (as long as it remains “above the fold”).	Your homepage must grab a user’s attention and quickly provide them with access to what they came for (such as a login to manage their account). Only a few news stories are necessary, and a clean, uncluttered look is king.
Users are more willing to figure out how to do something on your site, like “Register for an Account”. This function could be buried on a Tier 2 page.	Users are looking for those very simple, catchy phrases to guide them, such as “I want to…”, “I need help”, “Get Started”, “I am a… (consumer, business, etc.)”. Simplicity and fewer words are what attract users, who demand information and functionality quickly.
Your mobile phone is just that…a “phone” (though it may have a camera). It probably flips open and shut. If it has a Web browser, the sites it can bring up are few and far between. But who can even see a Web site on that tiny screen?	I don’t know about you, but I’m addicted to my smartphone. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one (given the amount of people who were up at 3am a few nights ago to pre-order Verizon’s iPhone). There is extremely high demand for your Web site to show properly on a mobile device, including smartphones and tablets. Does your site have a mobile version?

Again, this is my perception of how it was, and how it is. Your opinion may differ. But the one thing I’m certain of is that Web sites need a refresh every so often to keep up with rapidly-changing browsers and standards, user demands, and the ever-evolving mobile world. And if you have a beautiful site now, it doesn’t have to take a complete re-do…just a face lift can fast forward your site to today.

I have been in the information technology world since 1981 when I wrote my first programs as a student at Wake Forest, then later as an intern at the NC Dept of Agriculture and throughout my career with RJ Reynolds, AT&T, as a student at Kansas State and now with Beacon.  In 1998 when we started Beacon, there were a few web development companies out there, but now they are EVERYWHERE!  All of them claim to be the best.  I know, I know.  That’s just business.  I have talked with hundreds of business leaders with respect to web initiatives over the years.  To no one’s surprise, the four main factors that drive the decision to select a web development/consulting firm are (1) Price, (2) Experience/Capability, (3) Delivery Time, and (4) Relationship / Support.  I believe we are very good at what we do, but by no means are we perfect as there is always room for improvement.  But having been in this profession for over half my life, I thought it might be worthwhile to share some of my experience-based thoughts on what good web development entails.  Of course, this isn’t all inclusive, but a solid foundation.

Website Development Facts:

1. For business purposes, it is NOT so simple that “a caveman can do it”.
2. Every website is a custom website.  Cost increases with the level of customization and volume of content/products.
3. You get what you pay for.  Cutting corners, having your nephew build the site, trying to build it yourself when you have time usually produces poor results.  Take the time to do it right.  Prioritize all your requirements and desired features.  Establish a realistic budget and share it with your vendor.  Ask them to provide as much as they can with that budget without sacrificing quality.  Push lower priority requirements to a future release.
4. Every website has a “Blueprint” Phase and a “Construction” Phase (most expensive of the two).  A good blueprint keeps the construction costs down and prevents re-work, so take the time to do it right.  Breaking these two phases into separate projects (contracts) works best.
5. Web development, hosting and marketing depend on each other.  It is a BIG advantage to have a single vendor that is strong in all 3 areas with good customer support.  One number to call for any web-related issues.

 Website Types:

1. Marketing (Informational, lead-generation)
2. Storefront (Ecommerce, online revenue generation)
3. Activity-Based (Custom Applications, Blogs)
4. Mix of the above

 Website Development Differentiators:  Good firms will not only discuss your specific needs, but will also share current trends, brainstorm new ideas and proactively cover the following (at a minimum), while constantly providing ideas and consultation.  If your web development company is sitting there waiting for you to tell them what to do, find another firm.

1. Cross Browser Compatibility:  Will your website operate in ALL the most current popular browser versions?
2. Updates to the website:  I’ve NEVER seen a website that didn’t need updates from time to time.  How will updates be handled and priced?
3. Content Management:  There are many, many content management systems on the market.  Of course, they vary in price based on features and functionality.  One size doesn’t fit all.  No reason to put a monster engine in a VW bug, nor a 4-cylinder into a Corvette. 
4. Coding for search engine visibility (SEO):  It’s one thing to create content for a web page, but a whole different thing to make the site search engine friendly, using meta tags effectively, the right keyword density, SEO landing pages, internal linking and much more.  You can’t just build a website and expect the world to find it.  You have to know how to construct it so the search engines “like” it…and I’m not talking about a Facebook “Like”!
5. Professional/Creative Web Design:  The old saying is quite true… You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.  Your website represents your business.  People don’t read content as much anymore.  This is why using the right imagery with easy navigation is important.
6. Calls to Action:  Ask yourself, “What do I want people to do when they come to my website?”  Is there a strong call to action that facilitates this?  And how will it be tracked?
7. Analytics:  I frequently say, “you can’t manage what can’t measure”.  MAKE SURE you have some sort of analytics tool (preferably Google Analytics) to track visitors, conversions and much more.  Your website is another Sales Rep – make sure it is performing well.
8. Site Search:  Is a site search tool included and is it appropriate for your site?  It is vitally important.
9. Hosting & support:  If your vendor also hosts your website, can they also host your email and provide spam filtering?  Are redirects being used appropriately?  What happens if a page isn’t found?  Do they check for broken links regularly?
10. Local web marketing:  Will your vendor help with optimizing your listings in Google Local, Places, Maps…and other standard local venues?
11. Integration:  Does your website need to integrate with 3^rd party or back office software?  Accounting?  Shipping?  Order Management?  CRM?  Will experienced engineers be available to discuss critical requirements.

 Choosing a Website Development Partner:  When you select a website development firm, there is always somewhat of a leap of faith.  Like any profession, there are good firms and bad firms. Minimize this leap by considering the following:

1. How many years have they been in business?  Demonstrates financial stability, success and peace of mind that they have not only been providing these services, but will be around when you need them in the future.
2. Look at their portfolio.  There are so many firms out there that showcase relatively unknown clients.  There’s a reason for this – especially if they have been around for a long time.
3. Read their blog and Facebook page.  It will tell you a lot about their breadth and depth of skills, their people and their personality.
4. Do they outsource or do everything in house?  Nothing against outsourcing, but I’m a big believer in minimizing the number of costly middle-men.
5. Ask about who’s doing the work.  Does one person handle project management, creative design, development, testing, SEO and implementation?  I have yet to meet a person who is an expert in all of these areas.
6. Ask for example deliverables.  Can they provide examples of a project plan and any other deliverables that are created prior to development?  The website is NOT the only deliverable.  Houses aren’t built without a blueprint, neither should your website.
7. Ask about communication.  Will your primary point of contact be a Project Manager or a Developer?  Can you meet this person?
8. Ask about the creative design process.  How many design-and-review iterations do they provide with respect to the website design – so that you can see the creative design(s) and request modifications?
9. Ask about the CMS and eCommerce software options.  Are they locked into only one of each or do they have more breadth of experience and alternative options to meet your price and functional requirements?
10. Ask how they test the website before it is launched.  Do they have a formal “User Acceptance Testing” process – so you can check everything out before it gets launched?
11. Is the firm a good fit for your business culture?  Does the relationship “feel” good & honest like the firm cares about the success of your website?  Or do you feel like you are just part of an assembly line.
12. Ask about post-launch support.  Who to call?  Pricing?  Expected response time?  After hours?  Ticketing system to insure your request is logged and monitored to completion?
13. Do they really provide their own hosting services or do they use a 3^rd party?  Ask this 3-part question:  Where is the web server located that houses my website?  How often is server maintenance performed and who performs it?  I’ve seen a lot of finger pointing between hosting firms and development firms over the years.

 Website Development Budget:  For us, every project is quoted separately  There’s always exceptions, but here’s a “Rule of Thumb” table that I have put together based on several hundred projects we’ve performed over the years.  I hope this helps to some degree with your approach to web development firms.

	Small*	Medium	Large	X-Large**
Pages/Products	1-25	25-50	50-200	200+
CMS	Static/WP	WP/CS	CS/iAPPS	CS/iAPPS
eCommerce	NA	NA	ASPDNSF/IAPPS	ASPDNSF/IAPPS
Content Budget	$3K to $10K	$10K to $25K	$25K to $65K	$50K to $300K
eComm Budget	NA	NA	$7.5K to $25K
Duration***	1-4 wks	4-12 wks	12-24 wks	24+ wks

*Small:  option to pay monthly
**X-Large: businesses w/ large product catalogs, universities, etc (thousands of pages) that require careful planning and coordination with internal decision-making groups. Many times these projects require integration with existing legacy systems and/or 3^rd party software.
***Duration is dependent on the availability of resources, number of resources working concurrently and the client’s availability & delivery of content.