Developing a website is a multiple-step process that involves WSG and you. It is a collaborative project with us providing technology, organization and design while you provide the content expertise.

• Definition and planning
• Information architecture
• Site design
• Site construction
• Functional construction
• Site promotion
• Tracking and evaluation
• Maintenance

Definition and planning

Understanding your audience and focusing your message is the critical first step. This is where you set your goals and objectives and define the overall scope of the site. We will work with you to create a budget and map out a work plan for the project.

Information architecture

This is where we determine the structure of the site, inventory the existing content, and determine what new content will be required. At this stage, we often build small prototype sites to help clarify design concepts and navigation schemes.

Site design

The site design creates a unique look and feel based on your input during the definition, planning and information architecture. We create the design, page grid, and overall graphic standards and review them with you.

Site construction

This is the stage of the process where the bulk of the site's pages are constructed and populated with content. By waiting until you have a site architecture, finished content elements, and a great page design, you will minimize the amount of rework and wasted energy that invariably results from rushing to build your site too soon.

Functional construction

As the site is built, any training, database or other application frameworks also take shape. WSG coordinates these efforts so that you can concentrate on the content and message you want your site to present.

Site promotion

There is no point in developing a site if no one knows it exists. Whether your audience is primarily campus-wide, or external, we can help you promote your site by working with the School of Medicine website and other websites that are complementary to yours to add cross links (cross links are an effective way to generate traffic and provide a cohesiveness).

Tracking and evaluation

Truly effective websites evolve and adapt in response to reader interests and preferences. We can help you track and evaluate your site's audience through the use of Web Trends. You can see how many visitors view sections of your site, where they are entering and leaving the site and how frequently visitors return.

Maintenance

Maintaining your website is crucial. A site will remain credible only if continues to be up-to-date and functional. To keep your site current, your organization will need to plan and budget for site updating.

This presentation describes what this process looks like.

The bulk of maintaining a website is editing, writing, reviewing and obtaining approval for content. We make this as easy as possible for you with our extensive tools and templates. To learn more about these tools see the Web Resources page.