Website Design
In today’s technology driven society, it is so important for businesses and organizations to have an online presence. Your potential clients, customers, members, and volunteers will automatically look for your website as the first point of contact between you and your audience. Your website will be your first impression of your business or organization. Having a website provides a level of professionalism and legitimacy to your company and opens the door to potential clients and customers.
As overwhelming as building and designing a website can seem, Forrest River Creative can help you! We work together with our clients to design a website for YOU. Our goal is to ensure that your website showcases your voice, your work, and your experience. This is a collaborative process that provides an opportunity to build relationships with our clients; while also providing a little website design and maintenance education so our clients feel comfortable taking the reigns when the project is complete.
Our Steps to Designing Your Website
Goal Identification
This is the first phase of our design process to ensure you have a successful website. We will talk about your intended audience, what your customers and clients expect to find on your website, your website’s primary aim (to inform, to sell, to amuse?), and your relation with your competitors.
Scope Definition
For all of our projects, we draft a contract that outlines the scope of the project. This list of deliverables ensures that the project remains on the projected timeline and within budget. Contracts are signed by both the designer/representative of Forrest River Creative and the client.
Site Map and Basic Layout
In this phase of the project, we will sketch a basic site map and layout (or wire frames) based on the previous project phases of goal identification, information gathering, and scope definition. Our goal with this phase is to plan out the user experience your customers and clients will experience when they visit your website.
Content Creation
This phase is the most important phase of designing and developing an effective website. Effective content engages users and drives them to take action necessary to fulfill your website’s goal. Your content also boosts your website’s visibility for search engines. This is called search engine optimization (SEO). Content that is well-written, informative, and keyword-rich is more easily picked up by search engines.
Visual Elements
During the visual elements phase of your website design project, we incorporate your brand style and aesthetic choices. This includes photographs, logos, colors, and typography choices. Visual elements are known to increase clicks, engagement, and revenue for companies and organizations. Utilizing visual elements enhance the message in the text and convey important messages about your brand.
Testing and Launch
In this phase, we are ready to test the items we’ve put in place on your website. We will ensure all the links are working and that the website loads properly on all devices and browsers. In this phase we also identify any coding errors and fix them prior to your website going live for public viewing.
3-2-1 Launch!
Let’s publish your website!
The launch of your website will feel like the end of the project, but is really just the beginning of your online presence. A key thing to remember is that even after your website is published publicly, website design is a fluid and on-going process. Your website will require updates and maintenance and will evolve over time to continue to tell your story and engage your audience in an effective way.
Website Design Packages
All website design packages offer:
Web hosting, website builder, and domain set up of client choice.
The cost of initiating an account with a web host, website builder, and domain is not included in this package cost. This purchase is completed with a third party of client choice outside of Forrest River Creative.
Professional photography services and/or full access to Forrest River Creative’s photography catalog.
Device responsive design.
Social media integration.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) initial set up.
Education session with designer that includes website maintenance and minor website updates.
A post-publishing retainer period to address minor updates within the scope of the original project.
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St. Croix
Basic level website design package includes:
Up to five (5) main web pages
Up to two (2) subpages
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Clearwater
Moderate level website design package includes:
Up to seven (7) main web pages
Up to four (4) subpages
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Rainy
All encompassing level website design package includes:
Unlimited number of web pages
E-commerce/online store integration
Bear Paw Coffee of Byron
Bear Paw Coffee of Byron, Minnesota opened their coffee shop in May of 2022. They are family-owned and locally-sourced and partnered with Forrest River Creative to design their website.
Bear Paw Coffee has a strong presence on Facebook and Instagram, but wanted to have a tool they could utilize to not only spread the word about their business, but also create an easy place to sell gift cards with room to expand to online merchandise sales and pre-ordering menu items.
MedCity Adventures, LLC
MedCity Adventures, LLC is a local outdoor guide service that specializes in open water and ice fishing trips, boating trips, bike tours, and hiking tours in the southeastern Minnesota region. They operate year-round and provide outdoor education and safety tips with each tour. Though MedCity Adventures has a strong social media presence, they were ready to increase their online presence with an official website that allowed their clients to view their services and book tours online.
South Zumbro Lutheran Church
South Zumbro Lutheran Church (SZLC) is a small, country church that began with a small group of Norwegian immigrants who created their faith community from scratch. As the years have evolved into the technological era, the congregation had a need for an updated online presence. This was a large-scale project that gave the opportunity for effective communication in an aesthetically pleasing way.
