Process
Circuit Riders uses practical methods borrowed from software development, anthropology, information and graphics design, and library science. We have years of project experience, and avoid the hidden pitfalls result in spiralling costs and unusable technology. Our work is economical, secure, and robust.
We deliver What the User Wanted.
Phased Approach
We use a phased approach to develop and update websites and online stores.
Each phase builds on the previous work and anticipates the next in a cyclical pattern. Each phase achieves a specific goal, while laying the foundations for the next round of development. This approach allows you to control the pace of the project, and integrate it into your existing business framework, schedule, and budget.
We never ask clients to commit to more than one phase at a time.
Every project is unique, but the following examples illustrate our phased approach.
Phase I – New Website Example
Phase I of a new website often includes basic graphic design and layout, plus a Home page, About page, and a Contact Us page with a form. Phase I frequently also includes a small gallery of images. The gallery may be updated as time and budget allow, and may eventually be developed into an online store in a Phase II project.
The website we built for Moab artist Rick Showalter is a typical example of this type of project: Surrealartstudio.com
Phase I – Existing Website Example
Another example of a Phase I project is when we are asked to revive an existing, but neglected site.
The first task is often SEO research to determine the site's standing in the search engines, including a site review using Google's Webmaster Guidelines as a baseline. The project deliverable is a report with recommendations for making changes to increase the site's visibility to the search engines.
Our clients can choose for themselves whether to hire us to implement our recommendations in Phase II; or they may use our report to create a long-term website update plan which they will implement with in-house staff.
We recently completed a project similar to this for Utah's Edge of the Cedars Museum State Park website. This park is a world-class museum and research center focused on the archaeology of the southwest, but there was almost nothing about it online. The site had no keywords and very little content, and as a result their Google ranking was very low.
The site now has a solid set of keywords and fresh, new content under "Collections", and they are beginning to come up higher in the search results. The park's staff is developing new materials, including photographs and product descriptions for a gallery of items they carry in their Visitor Center giftshop. This new material will be added in a Phase II project during their off-season sometime this winter. Turning the giftshop gallery into an online store is tentatively scheduled for Phase III sometime next year.