So you've sold a website package to one of your clients.  Now what?  The are a number of steps to follow when proceeding with the development of the site.  Below is a basic list outlining the key elements of the next steps involved:

STEP 1 - FEATURES & DESIGN

Did you sell the Instant Edit™ CMS with the website package?  If so, the first step in any website project is to determine which Instant Edit™ features & modules your client decided to choose and then create a graphic user interface (GUI) or web design that will accommodate these elements in the design. At this stage you have two choices:

• OPTION A - YOU DESIGN - If you are a designer, you can shoose to decide to design the website graphic interface yourself.  You will be provided with a Photoshop template to use in your design.  You will then need to create each and every individual screenshot interface for the website in a layered Photoshop file format, or
• OPTION B - WE DESIGN - You can choose to have our designers create the site design and work with you to determine what your client is looking for in the design elements of their website. 

There are some very important hints when developing a website design. When designing the GUI, it is important to provide your client with screenshots for every page template or style that will be included in their site (i.e. home page, content page, module screen shots such as job postings, photo gallery, etc.) so that there are no design or layout surprises.

Your client can make changes to their designs and layouts before programming has begun.  Making changes to the design after programming can incur additional fees so it is best to get the graphics approved approved before the programming stage. We can provide you more information about these and other tips after we review your client's site requirements to make sure that their users can navigate the site easily while maintaining an attractive look and feel.

STEP 2 - SITE PROGRAMMING

Once the site design has been fully approved by you and your client, we can then move on to the programming stage.  This stage of the process is left to our skilled sit developers who will take the site designs (screenshots) and make them into an actual functioning website, complete with the CMS integration, and flash animation when applicable.

STEP 3 - POPULATING WEBSITE CONTENT

Once the site has been programmed, the site will then be ready to populate the page content (i.e. text, photos, images, links, etc.).  It is best to have this information ready before the end of the programming process to ensure no delays in the development process.

At this stage you have 4 options:

• OPTION A) If the website was sold without the Instant Edit™ CMS, the programmer will populate each of the pages with your client's supplied information, or
• OPTION B) When the site has been sold with the Instant Edit™ CMS, you can choose to populate the site yourself using the site editor, or
• OPTION C) When the site has been sold with the Instant Edit™ CMS, you can choose to have us populate the pages for you (at an additional cost), or
• OPTION D) When the site has been sold with the Instant Edit™ CMS, you can choose to have your client populate the pages themselves.

STEP 4 - INSTANT EDIT™ CMS TRAINING

Once the website project has been completed and you are ready to begin training, we have found in our experience that there are generally 3 categories of clients when it comes to their comforability level when using a new software such as the Instant Edit™ CMS:

• CLIENT A) The "I Can Do This Myself" client - this client is already quite comfortable using a computer, and after a quick run through the manual on their own, they are usually ready to jump right in.
• CLIENT B) The "I Think I Can" client - this client is somewhat comfortable with their computer, but is still slightly unsure about editing their website; after a quick sit down together to review the basics either in person or over the phone, and a brwose through the manual, this client is usually ready to get started.
• CLIENT C) The "This is VERY Confusing" client - this client requires a little more attention during the CMS training process; in this case, a little more time either in person or over the phone is required to help build the confidence they need. They may need to go over the steps several times before feeling comfortable in doing it on their own.

Whichever category your client fits into, it is important to recognize this quickly and handle their training appropriately. Remember, Instant Edit™ was built with category C in mind, and is meant to put control back into the clients' hands. 

For more information on these steps, please speak with your SiteWyze representative.