Basic Steps of Website Production

1. Kick-off meeting

First, a kick-off meeting is held between the client and ALIVE Vietnam. At this meeting, we will listen to the client’s requirements. We will carefully listen to what kind of problems they are having, what issues they want to solve, what kind of pages they need, what kind of atmosphere they want the design to have, and so on. (This is often done in advance of providing a quote.)

 

2. Make wireframe for Homepage

After the kick-off meeting, we will create a wireframe for the Homepage. Simply put, a wireframe is like a draft or structure for a website design. A website design consists of a structure and decorations, but if we do all the detailed designs at once, we will have to redo everything if the structure does not match the customer’s needs. First, we create wireframes to confirm that the structure meets the client’s needs, and ask the client to check the wireframes. (For simple configurations, this step may be skipped.)

 

3. Designing the Homepage and creating wireframes for the lower level pages

After receiving the OK for the wireframe of the Home page, we will start working on the design. We will explore designs that fit the client’s requirements and the direction of the market and brand. At the same time, we will also create wireframes for the lower level pages.

 

4-1. Designs for all pages are completed

We meet with the client once every week or two to design all pages. Many of the contents required for the design of each page are provided by the client, so we proceed with the design while receiving materials. The later we receive the materials from the client, the more likely we are to fall behind the expected schedule.

 

4-2. Translation

In the case of a multilingual site, translation of the other languages should be started only after one language has been perfected. This is because if we proceed with all languages at the same time, it will be too complicated to revise when corrections are made.

 

5. Coding, prepare CMS page contents

Once the design is finalized, coding will begin. The duration of the project is about one month. We had frequent meetings with the client during the design process, but during the coding period, there will be no meetings. During this time, we ask the client to prepare the necessary contents for the CMS page.

 

6. Test upload, confirmation, and CMS input

Once the coding is finished and the test is uploaded, we and the client will make the confirmation. If there are any problems or other corrections, we will fix them. Also, since the CMS page does not contain any content, we input the content into the CMS page. If the client is slow in entering content into the CMS page, it is easy for the release of the site to be delayed. Google Analytics will also be installed at this time.

 

7. Upload to the server and publish

After it is ready in the test environment, it is uploaded to the production server and released to the public. We will also check for bugs when it is released to the public. If there is a form in the website, we will test the form submission on the main server.

 

Duration of website production

This is the process of website production. As for the time frame, it takes 2.5 to 3 months for a small site, and 4 to 6 months for a large (complex) site. First-time clients often feel that it takes longer than expected, so it is a good idea to set a comfortable time frame for website production.

 

Let’s ensure that our client have their own resources

In addition, while the production of a website is a job for us and an everyday occurrence, for our clients, the workload is likely to increase because the website production work is added to their normal duties. Many clients think that if they ask a production company to create a website, it will be done on its own, but once production begins, they often say that they did not expect it to be so difficult. Therefore, it is important to be prepared for the workload on client side as well.

 

In this issue, we have provided you with information on the general website production process. At ALIVE, we specialize in creating websites that solve your problems. If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact us.