Your Website Development Process

Your website is your front door to your business. Using a content management system by Harmonic Mix is an investment for you. Having a site that adjusts its display automatically for PC's, Mac, iPhone, Andriod, Tablet or other device yet to come takes the worry out of how your site works so that you can concentrate on what story your site tells.

Overview of a Managed Content Website

Developing a website with Harmonic Mix is an interactive process with the customer. Our goal is to deliver a website that provides the following features to our customers.

  • Create a simple process to add pages, products, services, image galleries, request forms and other web content.
  • Enable you to own and manage your site using a web browser.
  • Provide a process to build complete solution from design to implementation to hosting.
  • Utilize a best of breed solution and architecture.
  • Implement basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Web Site Visitor Analytics.
  • Provide a solid foundation to add and expand to as needed

For more detailed information about items to consider for your website, please download our guide "Harmonic Mix Web Site Feature and Review Guide".

Website Development Process

Harmonic Mix uses the following outline as a guide to help you understand your future website and ensure that as a team we have done our best to simply and rapidly define the what the site should be. Harmonic Mix leverages a dynamic, rapid development process that allows customers to participate in that process and provide regular feedback. This feedback ensures that the site does become the vision of our customers and stays on track for delivery.

The following guide is below.

  • Define the goals and look and feel for your website
    Harmonic Mix assists with the process of defining and reviewing goals for the site. These goals include determining a general look and feel for the site and determining the types of graphic content and logos that will be used to make the site unique.

  • Review Project Costs and Ongoing Hosting and Maintenance Fees
    There are two types of project fees associated with website development. The implementation fees are the one time fees that cover Harmonic Mix's process for website implementation. The second fee type is a Hosting fee. This hosting fee covers site hosting, backups, basic maintenance, patch management, support for using the Content Management system and other general operating fees.

  • Identify Site Outline and Desired Content
    Interactive websites include standard features that visitors come to expect while visiting your site. Harmonic Mix is able to mix and match these basic features into a unique experience. Below is a listing of those core and advanced features that are available to your website and can be further discussed during the planning and implementation of your website.
    • [CORE FEATURES]
    • Web Pages
      This is typically the static content in your site that describes your objectives, products, features, services or other applicable items. It also includes some standard documents that every website should consider: Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, Refund Policy, Common Questions, etc.
    • Stories
      Stories are content that is unique to a time or event. A good example of a story is to announce an upcoming meeting. A story can be listed on a home page with a teaser that a visitor can then select to view its full content.
    • Web Forms
      Web forms are used to collect comments, questions, request for information and other basic forms. This information is not only collected and stored on the web site, but can also be emailed as the forms are submitted to one or more individuals associated with the site.
    • [ADVANCED FEATURES]
    • Secure Site
      This is for sites that need an SSL certificate to ensure communications with visitors are encrypted and protected. Normally used with sites that have shopping systems that include visitors entering credit card information.
    • Site Search
      This provides a simple free text search system that can search for keywords in the entire site.
    • Photo Galleries
      This provides a mechanism to upload, store and display pictures as a group to visitors of the site. It creates a friendly experience for visitors to view multiple pictures through your site.
    • Q & A Forum
      This tool allows you to create a Forum for either registered or anonymous users. A forum is best thought of as an interactive location for users to ask a question that someone else will provide an answer for.
    • Blogging
      This is a simple mechanism that is leveraged on websites today to provide a specific group or person a tool to regularly publish comments, views, opinions and timely information. Multiple users of the site can have their own Blog that is specifically associated with them. As they publish articles, these articles are then available to visitors to read. Blog's are typically organized by topic or author.
    • Newsletters
      Newsletters are a common way of reaching out to visitors and clients on a regular basis. This tool provides the basic features to let users register and remove themselves from a distribution list. Newsletters are posted on the site typically sorted by date published and are also emailed to the subscribers once published by a site manager.
    • Site Commenting
      This allows visitors to provide comments on stories, blogs and other content on the site. This can be implemented in such a manner that a site manager can review all comments before they are posted publicly for all to see.
    • Social Networking Integration
      This includes services like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Linked In, and other sites that you may have a presence on.
    • Visitors and Registered Users
      Visitors are anonymous on your site. If you desire to allow users to register for an account with your site, you can then create special content or experiences for these special users.
  • Review Web Site Tracking and Basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
    • Google Analytics
      Google Analytics provides a complete solution to allow monitoring of the site and visitors. It shows things like where visitors are from, pages they visited and in what order, types of devices accessing your site and much more. Access to this information is provided by Google and Harmonic Mix makes it easy for site managers to access and review this as needed.
    • Website application logging
      Within the site, it will track items like visitors, emails sent, pages, downloads and other basic elements.
    • SEO
      Since your website provides you the ability to create dynamic content on the fly, the Content Management System ensures that basic elements like keywords, titles and links are maintained in a friendly way for search engine crawlers who read and index your site.
  • Develop, Review and Deploy the Website
    Once the basic outline of the site is developed and the general look and feel is identified, Harmonic Mix will start to build a site that can be reviewed by the client. This provides an interactive process for development and allows the site to quickly take on a structure with content and information. Once a final punch list is created and completed, Harmonic Mix will release the site for visitors to access.