I Want to Create a Website.
Where Do I Start?

Back in April, Statista reported that over 227 million Americans now shop online. That is an 8 percent growth from just four years ago. Online shopping is expected to increase further to 230 million by this time next year. As the internet market rapidly expands, the need for your business to have an online presence is greater than ever.

If you’ve been considering starting a website, Lucid can help you every step of the way. From early concepts to site completion, our dedicated team of web specialists can guide you through the entire process, taking your ideas and turning them into reality.  Let’s take a closer look below at what you need to consider before launching a website and our role in making it a success.

What is a Web Developer and What Should You Look For?

Before you launch a website, you need to determine what your needs are and how you want the website to look. Next, you need to find a web developer who can capture your vision with a professional, high-performance, secure site that can accommodate the kind of traffic you expect.

At Lucid, our web developers incorporate practices that have proven measurable success across all platforms.

We Embrace a Less-is-More Approach

Simplicity and minimalism never go out of style. A site that has less clutter and an easy-to-navigate sitemap will always attract visitors. Our less-is-more approach allows you to meet your visitors’ needs, focus on your products and deliver your brand with a straightforward message and clean design.

We Stick to the Standards

Deviating from web development standards and trying to reinvent the wheel creates more problems than solutions. We make visiting your website easy on your viewers by providing elements that are familiar and simple but embedding them in a unique design that reflects your brand.  

We Offer Mobile-Friendly Development

According to a recent CNBC report, nearly three-quarters of internet users will access the web exclusively on smartphones by 2025. We prepare your company for this paradigm shift in the market by creating a site that is accessible, functional and user-friendly on any computer, tablet or smartphone.

We Provide Comprehensive Web Services

Clients prefer not to work with multiple providers to get their site up and running. We provide comprehensive digital marketing services that help you on every level. Our services include:

• Web design
• Content production
• Graphic design
• Video production
• Branding
• PPC advertising
• Review Management

With Lucid Advertising, you can have it all and save yourself the hassle of working with multiple agencies.

Web Design: A Step-By-Step Collaboration

At its core, your website should perform one primary function: convert your visitors into customers.

The layout of your site will determine your conversion rates and how many customers keep coming back. We collaborate closely with you to consider every element of your design and how it meets your goals. We incorporate the tools you need for a fully-functional user experience. We also help you choose images, videos, font and messaging.

To get the most out of your website design, we cover the following:

• Create a visual hierarchy to determine which items on the page are the most important and should be viewed first.
• Use descriptive and catchy headlines on the home page and every page after.
• Add a call to action on every page – give your clients instructions after they read the content.
• Organize every page so that it’s clean, easy to navigate and easy to read.
• Use high quality, high-definition images and videos that were professionally produced.
• Incorporate visual cues to guide your visitors from one section or page to the next.

The design phase of website development is the most important. It makes the process much easier when you plan. Our web team works closely with you throughout the process so that you are 100 percent satisfied with the result.

Responsive Website Design: Why You Need It

Today’s websites must fully adapt to a broad range of devices that are broken down into various operating systems. For instance, most people use Windows or Mac operating systems. Smartphones such as iPhone or Android require specific designs. Then there is iPad, Netbook and Kindle – all devices that have their own visual settings.

A responsive web design functions flawlessly and efficiently regardless of what device or operating system you are viewing it on. What happens if a site doesn’t respond as it should? You lose potential (and sometimes current) customers. People do not have the patience for a website that doesn’t load as it should or has poor resolution.

Lucid has the tools and resources necessary to ensure that your website is responsive and will work across all platforms and operating systems. We optimize your site so that your viewers have a hassle-free viewing experience.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The purpose of search engine optimization (SEO) is to increase traffic to your website through organic search results. The three main things we consider when applying SEO to your site are:

1. Quality of Traffic

Quality of traffic refers to the type of visitors your site is getting. If your website contains the right kind of content, then you will reach your target market. We design your site to attract visitors who are genuinely interested in your products or services.

2. Quantity of Traffic

The key to increasing the amount of quality traffic to your website is research. Before writing content, we research your target audience and what they are searching for as it pertains to your products or services. 

3. Organic Search Results

An organic search result is a free listing in a Google search that appears because it’s relevant to a search term or set of keywords. We match the right keywords and content with common search phrases in your industry so that more people see your website during a Google search.

Web Development Timeline

Building a website is a team effort in which we work closely with you to ensure that every detail of the site is correct. From concept to completion, we guide you through each stage, answering your questions, addressing your concerns, and making recommendations for your approval.

Phase	Tasks
Onboarding & Kick-Off	Our team meets with yours to determine your goals, review your current website, and gain a better understanding of your business.
Preparation	We gather all relevant information such as logins and design materials. Our team also creates your new site structure and content plan.
Design	In this phase, you will work side-by-side with our design team to create the initial website concept. We sketch and wireframe your homepage and interior pages with an emphasis on responsive design.
Development	Once you have approved the design of your website, we begin our development process. We create your new webpages, add images and copy and set up tracking phone numbers and contact forms.
Testing	After development, our team tests each page of your website for responsiveness, usability and design functionality. We also proofread the copy on the website.
Presentation and Site Launch	We present the complete website to your team and give you time to review it on your own as well. Once approved, it’s time to take the website live! Our team manages ongoing checks to ensure your new website is running smoothly after publishing.

For this reason, developing your website does not happen overnight. It can take several weeks to create a website that is fully functional, optimized and responsive before we release it to the web. So, be patient and try to make the most of each step in the process. Our web development timeline looks like this:

Once the site is up, our web development team will continue to monitor and maintain the site as necessary, as well as help you develop a digital marketing strategy for promoting your business online. We are also responsible for enhancing and updating the site regularly to keep it fresh and optimized.

Contact Lucid Today for Web Development Services

At Lucid, we provide a wide range of marketing tools that helps you expand your market reach while targeting the customers you want. We deliver measured results that reflect your brand and help you reach your goals. To find out more about our web development services, call us at
850.760.0478 or fill out the quick contact form below, and we will be in touch.