Process

• Each client is different and we respect that.

  We believe in maintaining an organic process and can adjust to each client’s requirements. Some need a little more hand holding. More complex projects require additional meetings or phone calls to hash out ideas. However, no matter the client or project, the basic 6 steps to transform your site from an idea to code remain the same and are detailed below. These steps will give you an idea of what to expect when starting a project with unbox interactive.
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  1. Functionality List

  Once a proposal is approved, the first step is to further discuss and refine your website functionality list. Do you need a blog, specialized search functions, email sign up, donation page or an event calendar? If a mobile specific site is important to your business, we might discuss options like a separate mobile friendly site or a responsive layout.

  To come up with this list we ask questions, propose ideas and get creative. We always keep the website goals and users at the forefront throughout this process to ensure your website is all it needs to be.
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  1.5. Do you need a mobile optimized site?

  More users are accessing websites on their smart phones. A recent survey of our client sites found mobile users constituted between 6-29% of total visitors. Usually clients determine if they need a mobile optimized site by checking their web statistics history and considering what type of users their site caters to.

  Scan the QR code with your phone to view a mobile friendly version of Unbox Interactive. The menu changes to a drop down to make the site easier to navigate on a small device and the layout is optimized for a vertical display.

   
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  2. Site Map

  With all the basic functionalities in mind, we move to organizing your site map. The site map is a hierarchical list of the number and type of pages your site will consist of and where those pages fall in the site navigation. Your site map is one of the most important pieces of your website. If users can’t easily find the information they are looking for, they will become frustrated and leave.
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  3. Design Concepts

  At this point, we can begin the design process. We keep in mind everything planned out in steps 1 and 2 and come up with a home page design and one or more second level page designs. Usually two design concepts for the home page and second level page are sufficient to come up with a look everyone loves.
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  4. Program

  Now we can begin to build your site. Whether your site is built in WordPress or custom php, we have years of experience creating functional websites free of errors or hidden frustrations. We can leverage WordPress modules to give your site additional functionality or customize WordPress to accommodate your unique business requirements. We test our work in all the common browsers including IE 6+, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and on mobile devices.
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  5. Content

  Every website has content, and on the world wide web, content is king. Most people come to sites looking for information, and search engines rely heavily on your content when ranking your site. We provide copywriting services, but most of our clients write their own. If clients supply copy, we provide guidance in effective copy writing for the web and tools to help measure how effective the content is. All sites come with Google Analytics installed to track users’ visits. WordPress sites come with an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plugin so you can tweak your meta description and keywords on every page.
• 6. Test, deploy and maintenance

  Once a site is programmed and content is added, the site is ready to be tested and deployed. If you had an old website, we’ll make sure users who come from old links will make it to the right page on your new website. If your site is in WordPress, we’ll walk you through editing your site and provide detailed instructions for future reference.

  After a site is deployed we move into maintenance mode. Any issues are fixed promptly for free if they were part of the initial project. At this stage, new additions or changes are billed separately at our hourly rate.

  If your site is in WordPress, you might opt for our quarterly maintenance plan to keep your WordPress plugins up to date. Our quarterly maintenance plans depend on the size and complexity of your website, but are very reasonable. You might also want to discuss an SEO plan to monitor and tweak your search engine rankings.