What are the basic requirements for a website development in Baton Rouge?

Affordable Website Development is our primary service, our specialty! Website design and development can be very complicated and there is a considerable learning curve as you begin to discover the web from the webmaster's side. We're here to help you with consultation and guidance every step of the way, and to take the burden off wherever we can while empowering you with as much control over your website as you would like to have. To be sure, one of the wonderful advantages of working with The Designsmith in Baton Rouge is our propensity to provide consultation and guidance at no extra cost! Our website design package prices are all focused on the real work of designing and building your website.

Our web development centers on the structuring of a website that fits your company and branding, fits your marketing goals, and fits your budget while addressing your target audience in terms they can quickly understand and digest to make an honest appraisal of you and connect to further your communication and create a business engagement, ie $$$.

to have a website you need AT LEAST THESE 5 THINGS:

A Domain Name. This is the address of your website that appears in the address bar of the browser. Ours is TheDesignsmith.com as you can see in the address bar above. In effect, you rent the name from a Domain Registrar like Network Solutions or GoDaddy. There are many registrars and there is no considerable difference between them as far as acquiring a name, but their costs vary widely. GoDaddy charges roughly $20 for a .com name per year while Network Solutions charges around $45 for the same thing. We tend to use GoDaddy more often.
A Hosting System. This is essentially the computer where the files of your website are stored. This special computer must be able to read and execute your programmed files, and it should be solidly connected to a main artery of the internet. The system farm should have backups and redundencies as well as other creative protection to make sure that your website is always available to web surfers. Naturally, we offer a wonderful hosting system equipped to handle all your website needs.
Hyper-Text Markup files. These files describe the look and content of your website to the browser which downloads and displays it to the surfers. HTM files can be built without programming, mixed with programming, or created by programming; but in the end it is the html that your visitors see drawn into their browser. Creating these files is what we do best by integrating beautiful graphics, cascading sytles and smart programming!
A Database. The days when you could manage a website without a database are gone. Today the website draws pages by pulling information from the database and combining it with the HTML markup so that the visitor sees the pages exactly how you want them to.
Security Certificate. At a minimum you will want to do any communication over secure socket layers (SSL) which encrypt the data during transmission. Today the whole website is delivered over https ( secure ) paths as a rule. Websites are subject to assault in many cases, and often for no apparent reason. So we recommend a few additions to your website outlay to include a firewall, monitoring, and backup whenever your budget can afford it.

In order for us to build your website we need to know what it is going to say and do. We've found the easiest way for you to tell us is by creating a flowchart or outline that names each page and describes the content. We're good at presuming the details, so a general description is good enough for us to give you a reasonable estimate. We also realize that this task is a show-stopper for many, so we offer services to work with you to put it together - contact us or look here to find out more.

Primary Elements of a Website:

The Template. We build websites for ease of updating and expansion by using templates that are broken up and inserted into each page of the site to assure consistency across the project. The template gives you the 'look and feel' of your website, the navigation, the head and foot, and much more that is a necessary part of each page. We often design these templates ourselves but to save money for some clients we can also pick from the many pre-designed templates available around the web and integrate our programming and content into one of them.
The Public Area. When someone types your website name into their browser address bar they see your homepage of your public area. The public area is simply not the private area and includes any part of the site that the public can reach through navigation from another public page or by clicking through from the results of a search engine like Google or Bing.
The Content Management System. Most websites are programmed to interact with a database and to administer the page content a site owner uses an interface. This interface is a set of pages referred to as the content management system (CMS) and it is not connected to the public area. For example, if your website has a shopping cart with lists of items the public can browse, the CMS would be used to keep those items updated with the correct image, price, etc.

See Also these Website Design & Development Pages:

Website Cost Estimate?

Contact us today with your website ideas and we'll get you a free estimate! If you have an outline or flowchart you can send us that to get the conversation going. Or if you would like us to visit and discuss what might be a good outline for your site we'll be happy to set up a meeting. Or a phone call - whatever works for you.

My new company needed a web presence, but I feared I would have to engage a web designer in a far off locale who didn't speak my language. I was introduced to the Designsmith by an old friend. The professionals at the Designsmith coordinated our needs; facilitated the necessary communication, and offered a vision of a final product. They turned it into reality seemingly overnight. I can't report being happier with a vendor in years! Their work was prompt, professional and poised. And when I have had changes to my site -- as I'm sure all web customers do -- the Designsmith has handled them in the same manner. I am a satisfied customer.

Jefferson Angers, President - Center for Coastal Conservation

I would recommend The Designsmith's services to anyone. Everything we asked for was done quickly and to our satisfaction. Very nice and easy to work with.

Becky French, PR / Media Coordinator - LHSAA

My name is Scott Lang - owner of Advanced Hurricane Solutions in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I had imagined a concept for our logo and thought it was fairly intricate and wasn't sure if it was right for our business, but was passionate about it. I had approached other logo designers and each mentioned it may be too intricate and were forcing us to go with a more simple concept. I had lost focus on the logo over time and had become discouraged and resorted to a more simple logo design and was about a day or 2 away from implementing it into our company until I discovered Paul & The DesignSmith. Paul asked me to send him what I imagined for our more intricate version of the logo and he came back with a great price and said his team could get it done. A few days later, he sent some rough pencil drafts of different versions, we chose one and through a couple of minor changes arrived at an incredible logo that exceeded our expectations. Paul, you were great to work with, very patient and precise in nailing our concept of our logo. The detail is amazing and I can't say enough how happy we are. Thanks for renewing my passion for this logo and now I know it is right for our company. This definitely gives me a new outlook on our business and am excited to start branding our company with it.

Scott Lang, Owner - Advanced Hurricane Solutions

Paul did a terrific job developing and implementing our new firm website. We are all very pleased with the process and would recommend him highly for those in need of similar services.

Michael Robinson, Shareholder - Kantrow Spaht Weaver & Blitzer (APLC)

Huge thanks to Paul Miller at the Designsmith for his dedication and creativity bringing our site from an idea to reality. Paul is extremely talented but it was his patience and openness to input and suggestions that really made the difference for No Fault. Paul was able to deliever our product in a timely and efficient manner! We look forward to working with Paul and the Designsmith team in the future. Thanks again Paul!!!!

Austin McCullough, Regional Sales - Sports Surfacing

Paul Miller with The Designsmith is very easy to work with. He listed to what we wanted and guided us to the best design that would work for our business. Always prompt in answering questions, and the turnaround for our product was done in a fast, professional manner. Would highly recommend Mr. Paul Miller for your design needs.

Kay Legleu, Owner - Dubois Winery

Thank goodness for Paul and The Designsmith. We talked to other people and they wanted so much money while Paul offered a simple plan of action that is getting great results - and we can afford it! Thank you!!

Gwen Moore, Public Relations Director - St. James Place Retirement Community

This experience has been over the top. Your communication and patience with this process was impressive. Plus, your programing skills combined with your eye for design and background in writing, makes your one man show an incredible value. Thank you for your dedication to getting it right and all of the extras you have thrown in. Would do it again tomorrow. If anyone wants to call me about my experience, I will be happy to talk with them.

Richard Akin, MD, DDS - Oral Surgery

We have worked with Paul for over 10 years for our webhosting and graphic design needs for our marketing campaigns. Paul is not only professional, but he is consistently patient and responds to every need we have quickly. If you are looking for a webhost or graphic designer that truly cares about delivering excellent service, choose Paul. I recommend Paul to anyone looking for webhosting or graphic design support because I am confident that anyone who uses Paul will be 100% satisfied!

Melanie Robertson, Chief Operating Officer - Home360, Inc.

I was very pleased with The Designsmith's creativity and ability to adapt the web design to our business' practical needs. A job well done!

Jeff Starkey, Operations Manager - Iberville Companies

Working with Paul to develop our new website was a great experience. Working with other designers is not always easy, but Paul listened to our preferences, made suggestions to improve them, and then implemented the ideas beautifully. He was always available to answer questions and was extremely responsive to phone calls and emails. Overall, the experience could not have been better! I would highly recommend Paul to anyone looking to create a website!

Zach Broussard, Project Manager - Jeffrey Carbo Landscape Architects

As a photographer and just starting a business, and not knowing anything about the web I contacted Paul and to this day im so glad i did. He has the knowledge and the skill to design the web the way you have in mind. He has worked with me dilligently in web support and making changes to the site from time to time. He made suggestions that i accepted in good faith that really made my site attractive and professional. Everything was done in a timely manner and finished as promised. I recommend him highly for your next web design or upgrade you won't be disappointed.

Kevin Freeman, Photographer - Unique Visions

We needed to redesign our website and had a very difficult time dealing with our previous web designer. After our first meeting with Paul, we knew he was the perfect guy for us! He was very easy to work with and he made the whole process a much more enjoyable experience! We love the design he came up with and look forward to working with him again on more projects! Thanks Paul!

Bobbie & Danny Baker, Owner - Delta Bravo Properties, LLC

We love the new batonrougetennis.com website! The new design is fabulous! I am glad The Designsmith was able to organize all of our information and make it easier to find what people are looking for. I also LOVE how easy it is to update the website. I can put in new information or update existing info, click submit, and "poof" it is updated in the site!! Thanks for all of your help along the way too!! You are easy to work with and I appreciate your patience while I learned my way around the admin tools.

Lisa Thomas, Board Member - GBRCTA

Working with The Designsmith for developing our company website was a pleasure. He worked closely with me on a daily basis making changes and replying to all questions and concerns we had. Not only did he listen to us he also made suggestions to the design and layout. If your looking for a web developer or digital graphics design The Designsmith is top notch. We are glad we went with Paul and even happier he was local.

Tom Hanson, Recruiting Consultant / IT Manager - The Eastman Group LLC

Paul, Just wanted to thank you for providing us a reliable hosting service. Since moving from our previous provider we have experienced nothing but superb up time and responsive customer service. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

Bob Nelson, President - NSP Inc.

We consider ourselves very lucky to have hired Designsmith for our web project. Paul's work is excellent, fast and affordable. I am always impressed by the quick response time and the high quality work. We never approach a web or design project without thinking of Paul. Every project is done right, done quickly and on budget. What else is there?

David Schenck, Information Technology Director - District Attorney's Office, Baton Rouge Louisiana

The Designsmith created exactly what we wanted for our website. It is now polished and projects the image we want our company to convey. The designer that assisted us was extremely patient with our requests, contacted us with answers, and revisions promptly, and most of all, created an excellent design... all this within our budget. We highly recommend anyone interested in a design for their site to contact The Designsmith.

John K. Davis, Treasurer - Louisiana Association of the Deaf, Inc.

Paul Miller is very responsive, very organized, and when you have a concern regarding the web page you get him and not any intermediary. He usually corrects any areas of concerns or new additions with in days if not hours. Obviously, the complexity may make revision take a bit longer but I want to emphasize his efficiency. We have looked to other vendors for comparable services and Paul has always been the one to rise to the surface. His pricing is extremely competitive and in this area, he has always come out on top as the most cost effective (for web page design, maintenance, and web page hosting costs) of any vendor we have interviewed. The Baton Rouge Clinic's relationship with him has gone back many years and I have personally worked with him for over 4 years now. The most important part of any web page is who owns the web page itself (not just the content) at the end of the day. Paul's firm does the work, but the purchaser would own the web page. For most design firms, the web page is licensed to the purchaser and its presence on the web is contingent upon an ongoing contract with that web design firm. As you can imagine, owning your own page offers much greater flexibility thus this is a very valuable asset. (Plus it speaks to the firm's level of confidence that he does not try to anchor you to him by a licensing arrangement, it is his service, value, and creative product that will keep you with the firm. Paul's pricing has always been fair for both programming as well as hosting the web page for us. You are welcome to visit our site. While we keep it straight forward (in part due to the older patient population we serve), it works well for all of our patients.

Harold D. Brandt, MD, FACP, Medical Director - The Baton Rouge Clinic, AMC

We have used The Designsmith to design several of our companies websites. Paul is very easy to work with and will come up with the perfect answer for your webpage design.

Leslie Hornyak, IT Director - PBOA/Risk Services