The Development Process

For most people, the thought of planning and developing a website is a very daunting prospect.  The information on this page is intended to help you understand the process and explain all the steps along the way.

• You decide to ask us for a quote on your project:  at this point you know that you need something, and want to find out how much it is likely to cost.  You fill out our request for quotation form, and click submit.  Presto, all of the details you filled in are sent to our office.
• We get your request:  when we receive your request for a quotation, we go over it to see what you have asked for, and whether you have included enough details for us to prepare an estimate.  If we need more information, we will call or email and ask you a few questions about your project.
• The quotation:  when we prepare a quotation for a prospective customer, we are giving an estimate of what we believe it will cost to prepare the exact items identified in the quote.  This is the maximum amount you will pay for those specific items.  We will always identify what is included for the quoted price.  Optional or additional items are identified as such, and their prices clearly stated.  Any items you are expected to supply (such as copy for site pages) will be listed.  The amount of your deposit (usually 50% of the quoted price) is clearly identified, as well as the project timeline and billing procedures. 
• You ask for quotes or estimates from other designers:  this is an important step.  Please seek out pricing information from at least two other design studios.  The additional quotes will help you to make your decision.  The choice of designer for your project is very important, and we want you to be certain that you have chosen the correct studio to develop your site.
• You accept our quote:  at this point you will either sign the quote document and mail it to us with your deposit cheque, or email us your acceptance and make arrangements for your deposit.  If you wish, we can accept cheques, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or direct bank transfers.  We use PayPal business services for credit card payment and bank transfers.
• Your project is scheduled:  on receipt of your deposit, we will place your project on our master schedule, and you will be advised of the estimated start date.  On or before the scheduled start date we will contact you to discuss exact details for your project.
• Proofs are prepared for approval:  after working out your exact project details, and getting all the information we can from you, we will begin to prepare a basic layout or draft graphics.  When these are ready we will contact you for approval.  If you love them, you let us know, and we go ahead with your project.  If you want some changes, you tell us and we make them.  A reasonable number of changes or revisions are included in your quoted price, so this does not cost you extra.
• You are billed for the next portion of the project:  once you approve the work we have done, you will receive an invoice for the next project increment.  This is typically 25% of the original quoted price.  The percentage may be smaller if we anticipate more than a total of 3 billings will be necessary.
• Your project is prepared for upload:  once we receive your incremental payment, we will complete the contracted work, and upload it to our server for your approval.  You are asked to examine it carefully, and let us know about any errors or omissions on our part.  We will make any necessary changes, and ask you for final approval.
• Your site goes live:  on final approval, we will upload your website files to your website, and issue a final billing.  Usually this invoice will be for the final 25% of the quoted price, plus any extras you asked for, and applicable taxes.  Very large projects may have more incremental billings of smaller percentages, depending on the total value of the project and our out of pocket expenses.  Copyright and ownership of the files we created will pass to you on receipt of your final payment.
• Your training session:  if you are in the Winnipeg area, we will come to your office and train you, or your designated staff member, how to administer your website.  If you are outside the Winnipeg area, we can do your session over the phone.  The session will include training in basic webmaster skills, like setting up email accounts, checking site statistics, submitting your site to search engines, and administering a blog.  We provide printed instructions for all of the material covered in the session.
• Just in case you have questions that weren't answered in your training session, or have some technical problems, you will also have 30 days of phone or email technical support.

That's the process, from start to finish.  Along the way there are a few things you can do to help keep your costs down:

• include as much detail as possible in your original quote request.  The more detail you can give, the more accurate we can be with our pricing.
• let us know about your budget constraints, up front.  We will be happy to recommend options that fit within your budget, if you let us know what it is.  We can often find ways to customize templates or free applications so that you get big design on a limited budget.  A few small, custom graphics, added to a stock layout equals custom design on a small budget.
• if you are supposed to supply something, make sure it is available when we need it.  If you say that you will supply copy for all the pages of your website, but don't, we will have to write it for you.  And, of course, we will have to charge you for it.
• respond to our requests for proof approval in a reasonable time.  Taking more than two or three days to reply will add time and money to your project.

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487 Craig St.  Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3G 3C2
(204) 223-6652  info@wolseleygirl.com