Creating a Website - Doing the Job Right!

In today's competitive world, it is SOOOOO important to build your website right.  If you miss a step, or do something incorrectly, you could destroy your chances of doing well in Google.  At Cityline Websites, we have been building websites for over 15 years and feel we have found all the i's to dot and t's to cross.  Sounds like a lot to work, and it is, but we've managed to streamline the process to keep costs extremely fair.

In order to sustain this high level of quality, the entire team at Cityline Websites is required to follow the task list below. The departments involved in creating, building and then launching a website include:

• Sales
• Design
• Programming
• Coordinator
• SEO / Marketing

103 Tasks To Creating Your Website

Programmers: Site Preparation Before Design

1. Set up Git Repo for site
2. Fork Repository to name space
3. Clone Repository to local
4. Programmers Name
5. Empty: /images
6. Empty: /uploads
7. Remove: any unused modules in /admin/modules/
8. Clear: /logs/
9. Empty: /fonts
   Except those used by the site and Oswald (admin)"
10. Remove excess root level files, the following should be the only files at the beginning of a build:
    index.php, robots.txt, .htaccess, .gitignore, deploy.php, favicons"
11. Database: (when imported from another site)
    Remove any unused module tables (all module tables start with the module name)
    Remove all old records except single record tables (such as blog_options, auth_users etc.)   
12. Change Dashboard admin user to programmers email for testing
13. Make sure all loaded modules have been properly set from within the CMS. (Options, settings Dashboard all have appropriate data)
14. Be sure to Stage, Commit, and Push your local repo often. When the site is built, export the database and put the export file into the .db directory in the repo. Removed unused .sql files from this directory.

Programmers: Site Handover For Design

1. Remove unnecessary files. Pay particular attention to /includes/custom, /includes/inc-*
2. Make sure no extra files exist in the web root.
3. Change Dashboard admin user to clients name/email
4. Test all site functionality

Sales

1. Meeting with client
2. Send Quotation / Quotation Accepted
3. Deposit Invoice sent
4. Deposit received
5. Add client information to Cityline Clients Sheet
6. Client Questionnaire Completed
7. Design input received from Client
8. Registrar login information acquired / new domain registered (5 yrs)
9. Identify & Agree to top keywords - add to SEO list
10. Create Site Map for Website
11. Content discussed with client
12. Content received from client / edited  OR written

Graphic Design

1. Design brief sent to designer
2. First draft of design created
3. Design approved internally
4. Design sent to client
5. Client sends design change requests
6. Design changes made
7. Design revision sent to client
8. Client accepts design
9. Internal page designed
10. Mobile version designed
11. Tablet version designed
12. Design & notes sent to Programmer

Programmer / SEO Marketing

1. GitLab Repository Set up
2. Programming completed
3. Move site to Citylinedrafts2 for testing
4. Copy (Content) added to website
5. Photos added to website (where applicable)
6. META tags put on site

Coordinator / SEO Marketing

1. Mobile version tested & bug-free
2. Tablet version tested & bug-free
3. Check that search feature works - if applicable
4. Check for Social Media pages. install in CMS, check that they work
5. 404 Page checked (make sure default banner is ok)
6. HTML site map checked
7. Ensure robots.txt file is in place
8. Website approved internally
9. Website link sent to client
10. Website approved by client
11. Set up account / website on WHC server
12. Setup Remote Mail Exchanger in WHC account
13. Set up database & database user on WHC server
14. Add account info to Cityline Clients sheet
15. Create Favicon & send to programmer
16. Create Google Analytics account / send to programmer

Programmer

1. Add 301 redirects to htaccess file (if applicable)
2. Change config.php file for new server / database
3. Install Google Analytics code
4. lone / update repo on Git
5. Upload website to new server
6. Download database from temp server
7. Upload database to new server through CPanel
8. Check website on hosts file
9. Change A Records for domain
10. Change SPF Record for domain
11. Set up / check SSL certificate on server via Cpanel
12. HTTPS: Set up
13. Change config file for https

Coordinator

1. Make sure appropriate pages are hidden from Google
2. Check xml site map (CMS - admin AFTER propagation)
3. Site & site map submitted to Google Search Console
4. Site & site map submitted to Bing
5. Forward any secondary domains (if applicable)
6. Assign form emails in CMS
7. Change admin CMS password, add to client list
8. Add admin PW, hosting info, registrar, domain info to Cityline Clients.xls
9. Change CMS to reflect client contact personal info
10. Make a complete purchase on ecommerce sites
11. Check site: formatting, all links work, etc.
12. Ensure ALL contact forms / ALL website emails work
13. Check to make sure Google Analytics is working
14. Make sure 301 redirects are working (if applicable)
15. Set up G Suite email addresses if applicable
16. Update Git Repo through Git Kraken
17. Email client to arrange CMS training
18. Add Screen shot of new site front page to Cityline Portfolio page
19. Add Screen shot of new site front page to Cityline Social Media
20. Copy design files to Team Drive Completed Websites
21. Remove database from draft site
22. "X" out folder for programming files

Sales

1. Email for Client Admin PW, FTP Info, Server access
2. Send login info to client
3. Feedback/testimonial requested
4. Client invoiced

So a total of over 100 steps to ensure your website is designed & programmed right.  

Contact Cityline Websites for a quote on your new website.