By Lee Creek  -  The first step can be done in advance of the meeting — finding a suitable domain name. This can be frustrating because most companies will find that their options are limited, at least in the .com and .net markets, either by the company name or domain name availability. Because of other companies with similar names or initials and because of squatters, it is increasingly more difficult to get the domain name the client may want.

You also run into strange things from time to time. Recently a client of mine wanted his site to be bigphotos.com, highlighting the fact that his studio produces poster size photos from 35 mm film. The problem he ran into is that his server would not allow the name, and he didn't want to change ISPs. Thus, he chose another, less colorful name. It is good to have 3-4 options available, thus enabling the client to be presented with reasonable choices. If you are not an ISP, it is a good idea to have a few in mind, along with their latest prices, to present to the client. That can save your neophyte clients some anxious times. Further, if you know the ISP to be reliable with a good down-time record, you can save some angry phone calls from your client to you.

The First Meeting

Never think that there is anything more important than finding out what the client wants and expects. The most beautiful site in the world is a dud unless it accomplishes the client's goals. To that end, there are a number of factors to be considered, and often, deciphered. Frequently, the client may in the beginning have only a vague idea of what is sought. "I want a Web site," the client might say. "I don't know anything about it, but everyone says I need one."

Thus, begin by finding out if the client really needs a Web site and how much of a Web site is needed. While it is not fun turning down a client or taking a smaller order than might have been possible, sometimes it is necessary to keep that person as a future client. If you don't treat your client right, someone will let them know in short order.

My company sometimes has clients from our small community come to us and want to close their brick-and-mortar store and operate strictly as an e-commerce entity. Unless they have an extremely unique product or service that cannot be found in communities worldwide (or at least nationwide), I usually keep a new T-shirt packaged that I pull it out of the desk drawer and offer to them.

"Why do I need a shirt," the client asks. "Because you are going to lose yours," I reply.

One of the most important steps is to determine the client's target market? If the target market is the client's local town, and the client doesn't have a unique product or service that it can deliver nationally, a small site to use for advertising is fine. For those types of clients to close their brick-and-mortar store selling typical products and to think they will sit at home and fill orders from around the world is pure folly.

If the target market is more regional or national — and the products and services are unique and can be delivered that way — I recommend doing both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce for awhile to see how it shakes out. Just because the client thinks the products are must-have items does not mean the rest of the world will agree. Besides, Web sites generally take some time to catch on and land somewhere useful on the search engines.

It is about this time that it is prudent to ask the client how much money they have budgeted for the project. If they say $50, good manners dictate that you at least make an attempt to stop laughing within a five-minute time frame. Anything longer than that is considered tacky. If they give you a reasonable response, it is time to get busy.

What are the client's goals?

Now it is time to discuss the actual site and the client's goals for that site. Speed is frequently an issue because clients, who usually are Internet users too, know how frustrating it is to sit in front of a blank screen waiting for a site to open. I recommend that a site open in 30 seconds or less. While studies show people are willing to wade through long pages, those same studies show that people have a quick trigger when it comes to leaving a site that is slow to open.

I have had clients in certain industries say they would rather have a flashy intro, even if it takes longer, because it is more suited to their line of business. But even then, it is important to reduce the startup time as much as is possible. That does not preclude flashy intros and the like; it precludes slow intros and the like.

Next, discuss the content the client wants on the site. Remind them that contact information is vital, as well as a full explanation of the products and services they offer. Information about a company on a Web site — including photos of the business — can be comforting to people who would rather not do business sight unseen. Never forget that content is king. If the site is little more than a business card itself, there is nothing to lure the customer. That is why it is so important to discuss content and plan its presentation. It is important to find out what elements a client may wish to have on their site. Something as simple as the overall color scheme can make a huge difference as to whether or not the client likes the final results.

Gather from the client all logos, pre-determined and created content, photos, and other items for the site before actually planning the site. Sometimes, clients can throw a designer a curve with things they want that the designer might not expect.

Another issue is whether or not the site will require daily, weekly, or monthly maintenance. If it does, is the client able and interested in taking care of those changes, or are you expected to provide those services? You may have to design the site differently to account for the differences in ability. That will become important later when you tally up the bill.

Once all of that information is gathered, it is time to send the client home and begin the design process

When you first talked to the client, you may have given them a ballpark figure on how much the site will cost. But before starting construction, it is definitely wise to reach an agreement on the final cost of the site. This phase starts with sketching out the site, including links, overall design, and size — making sure all of the desired content is included. It is also here that the pricing process comes together.

It needs to be determined if the overall design will be done using standard HTML pages or frames. Because of the quirks in various browsers, frames should be reserved for large sites that require many pages. Designers must also figure out what graphics will be needed, special applications (JavaScript, Java, forms, and other items), how much will have to out sourced and at what cost. Site navigation, leaving options for future expansion, and making sure the site is separated in a way that provides continuity are also crucial in this planning stage.

It is also important to put the client's needs before the designer's desires. Glitz may be aesthetically pleasing, but if it gets in the way of the client's goals, avoid it like the plague. The client has given you a list of desired content, but it is up to the designer to make sure it is packaged in a logical, easy to follow order. Related sections should be close to each other, and all should have a link back to the home page and to other sections.

The Second Meeting

This can always be exciting. If your charges for building the site fall into the client's budget, a simple telephone meeting may be enough. If the charges exceed the client's budget, a face- to-face meeting can give you an opportunity to show the customer just how much you care. This allows you to show the client the various options available to get within the budget, such as the elimination or substitution of some features. Sometimes, the client will increase the budget to cover the cost; other times they may choose to cut something. Either way, they know you have done your best.

Additionally, if the charges fall below the budget, the client has the opportunity to get more features put on the site, and you can make more money. That way, you both end up happy. I would also recommend discussing site maintenance at this meeting. It is important to define minor changes and major updates to the client so that you won't find yourself redesigning a site and giving the client a heart attack when you pass along the bill.

For that reason, I recommend setting up a separate maintenance agreement with clients. That way, you can easily define what is included and charge a flat rate without having to worry about feeling "had" later. Some clients may feel confident enough in their abilities to make minor changes themselves, but most will prefer that the designer do it. What may seem like an extra charge to the designer may really feel like a Godsend to the client. At this point, the order is finalized, and you are ready to begin construction.

Give 'em Plenty of Content

Having spent a lifetime in newspapers, where all the news that fits is printed, the Internet was a whole new experience for me. By and large, people want depth rather than in-depth headlines. But there is a point to make here that is important: Not all people want that depth about all subjects. That is why I suggest offering a condensed version of the client's message, linking it to a more complete version.

One mistake that some people make is simply providing an electronic version of their company's brochure. Don't do that. There are no printing costs associated with the Internet, color is not a hindrance, and distribution is no big deal, either. Take advantage of these facts, and give the people all the information they need to know about a product or service.

As a group, readers on the Internet tend to scan copy, so it is wise to include headline breaks (such as in this article), perhaps underlined, bold, or italic key words throughout the copy, and pictures that best define the product or service. The best way to write for the Internet is to read your content as if you were buying the product or service yourself. Does it answer all of your questions? Do you not see information that would be pertinent to you making a decision? Can you easily find where you can get more information or contact the company? If you answer no to any of those questions, so will the client's market.

A word of caution is in order about content: It needs to be focused, and it needs to have a professional appearance. If words are incorrectly spelled, if descriptions appear with the wrong products, or if links are dead, the readers' impressions will not be good. It is also advised that the designer read and reread the content, making sure there are no holes that need to be plugged.

I also suggest strongly the use of style sheets in designing a site. It can save the designer tons of time, and it can save the client a lot of money that might be spent making changes that can be done by simply changing a line in the style sheet. In terms of graphics, make sure all are optimized to enable the fastest loading possible. In some instances, the quality may not be what anyone wants, and the graphic may need to be recreated or, in the case of photos, re-shot.

Once the pages are all designed, and the content (including all text and graphics) is in place, now is a good time to post it all somewhere on your site to let the client review it. Often, they can spot things that may be incorrect, either because you misunderstood them or because they simply gave you bogus information. This also allows them to see it and begin taking ownership of the site, an important factor in their liking or disliking it. Further, they may see things they wish to have omitted or added.

While the client is looking at the site online, it allows the designer to begin working on the more mundane — but equally important — tasks of creating proper meta tags and fine tuning the site for the search engines. Various search engines search for various things to determine how they will handle an entry. Some strongly favor titles, some seek out meta tags, others seek key phrases in the content, still others rely on the home page more than others. Regardless, it is important to cover all those factors. The site's name, description (25 words or less), keywords (50 words or less), and robot instructions are all important parts of the meta tags, and these items should not be taken lightly. Submitting a site to search engines without considering all of these factors is akin to throwing the child out with the bath water. It makes no sense. 

Please read Search Engine Optimization 

In addition to submitting the site to search engines, it helps promote the site if the site owner (or the designer for an extra cost) sends announcements to newsgroups, buys advertising on highly visited sites (if its affordable), mounts an e-mail campaign to a selected audience (please, no spamming), and makes a few phone calls to your better customers to let them know of the site's existence.

In Conclusion

There are obviously many variations for the steps described here, many simply depending on how large the design company and how large the client company. The bottom line is that it is important to make sure the client is getting what he or she wants at a price agreed upon and to see to it that the name is spelled correctly on the check. That said, it never hurts to keep an extra shirt in the desk drawer, just in case.