Let's take a moment to walk through the steps of developing a Web site so you will know what to expect.

Now if all this looks complicated, not to worry. This process covers the bases for anything. If your site is relatively simple, we can fast-track a lot of these steps and zip right to delivery.

• Determine needs
• Proposal
• Sign agreement
• Acquire domain and host
• Develop specification
• Develop Web site
• Test prototype
• Deploy Web site
• Register with search engines (optional)
• Transfer materials

The first step, of course, is to determine what you need in a Web site. Do you need a simple site so that people can find you can make contact, or do you have an inventory of 100,000 items that you want to be able to sell online? Or anywhere in between?

Most of this is taken care of at your end by filling out and submitting our on-line form. Odds are that we'll have some additional questions and contact you so that you can clarify those points.

Once we are satisfied that we understand your needs, we will submit to you a proposal. The proposal will describe the broad objectives for your site and provide an estimate of cost. The cost is only an estimate at this point because the specification phase to come shortly may disclose additional requirements. Some Web developers quote high to cover the costs associated with unexpected requirements, but DuaneWeb feels that it is a better strategy to maximize the value to its customers.

This phase, as with any contract, is where we spell out our responsibilities to each other.

Your domain name is what you Web site will be called, such as www.younamegoeshere.com. We recommend that you submit several choices for a domain name, because the one you want might already be taken.

The host is the company whose servers will actually hold your Web site and make it available to the public. In the case of an extensive Web site design that takes several weeks or even months, we will delay in actually procuring the hosting service, because there is not sense in paying for a service that is not being used for that interval. All development is done on DuaneWeb servers.

In this phase, we come to an agreement on what your Web site is supposed to look like and how it is supposed to work. The specifications document will define the work that goes into developing your site.

This is the period of Web developers and graphic artists. This may be the longest phase of them all, but requires no participation from you unless you are creating materials such as artwork that is to be included on the site.

During this phase, both you and DuaneWeb test every aspect your Web site to make sure that it is working according to the specifications.

This is when we actually place the Web site on the host server and make it publicly available.

If you have elected to register with search engines, we do so now. Strictly speaking, search engine registration is not necessary, since the search engines will locate your site anyway, generally after several days to a few weeks. For small advertizing sites, the cost of search engine registration can exceed the cost of developing the site!

For large commercial sites, registration can be advantageous, because it will allow customers to find you sooner, and because premium search engine registration will give prominent placement to your site, rather like paying for larger advertising in the Yellow Pages. Either way, the choice is yours.

When all is said and done, we supply you with a CD-ROM containing all the source code written for your site and any instructions necessary for you to operate it.