The complex path to creating a website that feels simple.

Creating a custom-designed website that feels light and simple but delivers robust content is a complex process. We believe in doing things right here at Slabmedia. Here are the 12 steps we take to ensure your website comes out looking and working great.

1. Website Proposal
   1. Research the client's brand and investigate competitors
   2. Anticipate client's needs and propose an architecture
   3. Explain content management with system
   4. Establish site mission and action goals
2. Website Structure Plan
   
   1. Build the website in a development domain
   2. Create simple and intuitive navigation plans
   3. Organize website information into pages and sub-pages
   4. Establish key elements, (slider, homepage structure, etc)
   5. Build initial structure of the website
   6. Align architecture with the mission and action goals
3. Website Design
   1. Research according to current and proposed branding
   2. Work with the client to establish color palette and typeface use
   3. Ensure harmony with logo and other branding items
   4. Build-out of initial custom website design in the development domain
   5. Align design with the mission and action goals
4. Content Development
   1. Add basic content
   2. Revise website organization to fit content
   3. Add new sections, remove redunant sections
   4. Recommend content that may be missing
   5. Provide training for client management of content
   6. Make sure content serves the mission and contains the right keywords for google
5. Design Revisions
   1. 2 rounds minimum of revisions of design once basic content is in place
   2. Recommend new functionality (if needed)
   3. Revisit color and typeface plan
   4. Fine-tune general structure and layout
   5. Review mission and action goals
6. Custom Programming
   1. Add new custom created elements (if needed) for interaction
   2. Create custom forms for contact, signup, other queries for information
   3. Create additional complex forms (if needed)
   4. Ensure all forms are effective and intuitive and test
7. Mobile Design
   1. Create a mobile layout in harmony with custom design
   2. Test for phones, tablets, readers
   3. Adjust for optimization on each device
   4. Test for good user interaction
   5. Test for odd elements (thumbnails, sliders, etc)
   6. Revise as needed
8. Newsletter Template
   1. Create if required
   2. Design template in harmony with the website
   3. Ensure maximum compatibility with mail readers
   4. Test sending against readers
9. Final elements added
   1. Social media icons and API integration (if needed)
   2. Test with mobile layout
   3. Create a custom favicon (that little icon in the tab of the browser)
10. Initial SEO check
    1. Identify key SEO keywords for the site
    2. Optimize general keywords, site description, and root title
    3. Flush test text from all meta tags
    4. Add meta information for all content pages during setup
11. Standards check
    1. W3 check for CSS, Javascript, and HTML
    2. Test for accessibility
    3. Test for responsiveness again
    4. Check the site load speed and optimize
12. Go Live
    1. Final revisions and checks
    2. DNS propagation for website and email
    3. Script adjustments once the site goes live
    4. Test at live URL and final adjustments