Web development process and services
Any website can benefit from an effective CMS. Content can be edited quickly and efficiently with little or no experience with HTML or the technical aspects of the Internet.
Domain Name Research, Registration and DNS transfer (optional)
If the client does not have a domain name Hubumedia will brainstorm and research potential domain names to best suit the needs of the client's business or services. After the client has chosen a domain it will be registered and hosted with Hubuhosting if requested.
If the client already has a domain and chooses to use Hubumedia for web hosting services Hubumedia will handle the DNS changes.
In both cases a temporary domain will be set up for client review during development of the new web website.
Website focus and purpose
The goal of this stage will be determining the purpose of the website. What benefits does the client expect to gain from the website? Who is the audience? What services or interactivity is required for the website?
Content organization and navigation
During this stage of website development existing or potentially new content is organized into sections and categories. Hubumedia will then develop a simple, consistent and effective navigation system to access and display the content. This includes determining locations of menus, secondary navigation and locations of content on the page.
Website Design
During this stage the look and feel of the website is developed. Depending on the budget and extent of the project this may be a simple re-purposing of an existing website design or a complete redesign.
During a redesign or new website project and after a rough outline and flow chart of the website has been created the website design is developed. This could involve starting with a base template or developing a website structure from scratch. In either case all effort is made to create a unique and original website. Hubumedia will work with the client to develop a color palette and graphical design to display the content to it's best potential.
Modules, Extensions and Plug-ins Installation and Setup
During the planning and development of the website some extensions for the Joomla CMS may be required. These additional extensions depend on the initial requirements determined in previous stages of development.
Hubumedia will use the experience and knowledge obtained from working with and testing many of these add-ons to find the best one for the clients needs. All installation and set up will be done by Hubumedia.
These optional extensions cover the following features:
- Back-end Article/Content Text Editor
Joomla allows the web master or website owner to edit and add to the website using most standard browsers (IE, FireFox, Safari, etc). Hubumedia will install a "custom" text editor that is fast and easy to create articles and content using tools familiar to most people who use applications like Microsoft Word. - Photo Gallery Solutions
Many clients need to display a gallery of images or both. Whether it is a series of product photos or any other type of image, there are many solutions for this, each with varying costs and complexity. Hubumedia will pick the best image/video gallery extension based on the needs and technical experience of the client and provide instructions for use. - Video Gallery Solutions
Clients may also wish to provide streaming video to their website visitors. Hubumedia will provide the most effective solution for delivering video content Video formats and streaming technology can be very confusing. With our extensive experience in streaming video conversion and formatting, Hubumedia can be hired to handle all video needs required by the client at a reasonable rate. Alternatively we can provide guidance and instructions for video formats and conversions so the client can do this on their own. Keep in mind that some video formatting for streaming purposes may require special tools. - SEO - Search Engine Optimization
The success of a web website is based on many things, look and feel, simple navigation, updated content, etc. One very big part of this is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is a websites ranking in search engine search results. Another benefit and strength of the Joomla CMS is it's focus on SEO and producing web websites that are "search engine friendly". Hubumedia has experience with extensions to improve SEO results and performance and will guide the client in making it work even better. - Website Navigation and Content Display
Many extensions used by Hubumedia give our clients websites added power for displaying their content in an easy to access navigational structure - Website Membership Management.
The Joomla CMS features basic membership sign up and user management. In addition to these simple but effective built in features there are extensions to expand this aspect of the website. From adding trusted users to help with back end administrative tasks to adding "limited" users to create and edit content there are other options available such as creating a shopping cart experience for purchasing products and tracking customers to creating a blog or powerful social networking website.
Client Training
Even with the ease of use the Joomla content management system offers, managing a website can be overwhelming for anyone lacking the technical skills required. Using the clients website as the source, Hubumedia will provide tutorials in easy to view online streaming video to help the client become familiar with the features and tools to maintain their website.
List of tutorials provided:
- Creating new content or articles
- Placing images in content
- Updating/changing content
- uploading images/videos
Hubumedia can also provide specific instructions for a particular task if the client requests this.
Website Maintenance
In addition to website development and design Hubumedia can also provide website maintenance and updating if the client requires this service.
Graphic Design Services
With decades of combined experience Hubumedia offers other graphic design services such as logo design or print collateral. View our Print Services page for more information or click on the links below.
Additional Website Production Details
Depending on the size and scope of the clients website needs Hubumedia can usually produce a website within 1 to 6 months. The time required depends on the scope of the website and recieving feedback, content and materials from the client on a timely basis.
Due to the advanced data driven nature of the Joomla CMS, integrating rich content and web 2.0 features into your website can be easier to set up and manage then other web solutions. Below additional descriptions of the web design process used by Hubumedia with approximate time required to implement standard features and features requested by the client. These are approximate times since every website is different..
The term "Extension" used in the following list refers to any type of third party component, module, plug-in or extension that is not included in the standard Joomla installation. These extensions may be commercial paid products or open source free products. Cost of any commercial extensions is incorporated into the price of website development. Hubumedia makes use of a set of standard commercial and free extensions that we install by default on all new websites.
- URL name search
2 to 3 days. - URL registration
Once you have chosen a domain name (www.yourdomanname.com) it takes less than an hour to purchase and register domain - Assigning the url to a server or parking it on a server
set up can be done in less than an hour. 1 to 2 days to "propagate" the DNS for domain name access through a browser (within 48 hours is the estimated time but this usually happens instantly or within a few hours). - Site design
1-2 weeks (usually less depending on the client changes and approval process). Website comprehensives (comps) or design/s will be provided in image format for client approval. website production based on the layout/design requires additional 1 to 2 weeks and is part of the entire website production schedule including other features/extensions. - Asset acquisition or development
1-2 weeks as part of website production based on client's timely delivery of content as requested by Hubumedia. - Site architecture and structure
Hubumedia specializes in the Joomla CMS which is strongly focused on SEO and web standards. The look and feel of the site is based on cascading style sheets (CSS) keeping content and presentation separate. Because of this structure, content creation requires little or no HTML coding knowledge. The presentation of the content is handled automatically based on the template which contains all style information displayed in the front end. Those involved in creating or editing content do not have to focus on presentation or design of the content only on the content itself. Creating content can be as simple as typing or pasting text from any source into a text box and clicking "Save". In addition there are styling attributes for content creation such as bold, italic, font size, text color or highlighting using a tool set that most people will find familiar from word processing applications. - Content management and organization
In the simplest terms the Joomla Content Management System is based on a 3 tiered content structure:- Section
- Category
- Article
- Category
The Joomla CMS "core" is based on PHP and MySQL data driven content which is powerful and extremely extensible. This allows for simple updates to Joomla as they are made available. Hubumedia recommends that we handle Joomla updates as they are needed. - Section
- Copy writing
40 hours depending on size and scope of project. Less if re-purposing existing content. More if original copy is needed. Copy writing is an additional expense and requires client involvement and approvals/feedback. - Secure website protocols
For most standard websites an SSL certificate or secure connection is not required. For websites that require a secure connection between the user and the server, an SSL certificate can be installed to provide a secure encrypted connection between the end user and the server. An example of a site that may require an SSL certificate would be an ecommerce website that takes credit card numbers directly or a site that has forms with sensitive information. An SSL certificate is an extra cost in addition to the standard web hosting services Hubumedia provides. - Membership management tools
Joomla is based on two "zones" of user access; The front-end and the back-end.
the front-end is what visitors to the site will see when they type the url into the browser. This displays all the content available to the visitor. The back-end of a Joomla site contains all the administrative functions as well as content creation tools.
Joomla keeps these two areas separate by using different user group definitions within each zone.
Front-end user groups
Guest
Not an actual user group, the "Guest" represents anyone viewing the website who is not registered or logged in to the website. They can view content that is classified for public access.
Registered
A registered user can log into the site and view any content that has been classified for registered access and also all public access content.
Author
The Author User Group has the same access permissions as the Registered User Group as well as being able to create new content from the front-end of the website.
Editor
The Editor User Group has the same access permissions as the Author User Group as well as the ability to edit published and unpublished content.
Publisher
The Publisher User Group has the same access permissions as the Editor User Group as well as the ability to publish or unpublish content to the front-end of the website.
Back-end User Groups
This category of user has the ability to log in to the back-end administrative area of the site using a separate login from the front-end. Each group inherits the permissions of the previous group with additional access and administrative priveleges.
Manager
The Manager User Group has the same permissions as the Publisher User Group in addition to other priveleges.
Administrator
The Administrator User Group has the same permissions as the Manager user group in addition to other priveleges
Super Administrator
The Super Administrator has unlimited access priveleges to both the back-end and front-end of the website. - Forms
Form design and function is important for any site that requires user feedback. Hubumedia uses a commercial Joomla form extension that aids in the creation of attractive forms. It is possible to track and export all form submissions from the back end of the website as well as automatically sending form submissions in an email to website administrators. Form validation is very important both for receiving correct information and and for security reasons. Form validation can be as simple or complex as required. Forms can be easily modified and updated at anytime. Depending on the complexity of the forms (multi-part forms, product purchases, downloaded files, etc) set up and creation can take several hours to several days for each form. - Content feeds from other websites
News and RSS feeds are a standard feature built in to Joomla. Creating and managing these feeds is a simple process. In addition to the standard news feed component in Joomla there are many other commercial and free extensions with more powerful features. - Unique member access
Standard Joomla features or third party extensions depending on requirements. - Blog dialog or forums
Standard Joomla feature or Social Networking third party extensions depending on scope of the website. Time to implement a few hours to a few days depending on scope of the website.
Conclusion
Hubumedia knows that Managing a web site can be difficult for anyone without technical knowledge. Our experience and research has shown us that the Joomla CMS is the best and most efficient way to manage a website of any size or complexity, from a small simple website to a large complex e-commerce solution.All of these features and services covered above will be provided by Hubumedia for each client based on their needs and the budget available for their website project. In addition there are many new features being developed which can expand the website functionality even more in the future.
