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Website building, the Alive way

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Website building, the Alive way

Building a website can feel like a step into the unknown.

We get it. Let us take you by the hand and cut through the jargon to provide a simple guide to the process.
We’ve distilled down our experience and expertise to outline the steps needed to create a website that stands out.
We’ll work through these steps together. You bring the insight and knowledge about your business and we’ll lead you on the journey to create a website that make your brand come alive.
All it takes is four simple steps together:

 

Graphic with 'define' along the top in green box / black text with arrows on wooden posts that say 'brief' and 'scope' underneath pointing right

Define

Brief
Let’s get our heads together and work out what you need.

We ask the questions that help us understand the who, what, how, why and when of the project.
And we can help dig into what the real challenge the site is trying to address. What are the key objectives? Knowing the purpose of the website is crucial.

If you’re not sure, our handy briefing document can help.

 

Scope
We clarify with you and compile a defined record of your requirements and how they’re going to be delivered from a technical and functional point of view.

By the end of this stage, we’ll all be confident about what is and isn’t being delivered and by when.

 

 

Graphic with 'create' along the top in pink box / black text with arrows on wooden posts that say 'look and feel', 'content', 'wireframes' and 'full design' underneath pointing right

Create

Look and feel
If as part of the project requirement any form of brand development was included, this is the stage that we investigate any new brand concepts or evolution of brand.

We develop different creative concepts and show them how they will look across various media both online and offline.

The concepts are developed, tweaked and evolved with you, until you are happy with the final look and feel.

 

Content
The site copy is the real heavy lifter and shouldn’t be underestimated.

It’s fundamental to the site and needs to work in harmony with imagery and video.

We have communications consultants who can help with your strategy, as well as copywriting and copy editing if needed.

 

Wireframes
The whole website is designed, purely at a structural and functional level. This is called wireframing.

A wireframe is used to refine the navigation, functionality and user experience of all pages to provide the best possible user journey.

 

Full design
Once the design concepts, wireframe and content are all approved, the full design stage begins.

Here you’ll get to see all the different creative elements coming together – from images to icons, every detail will help your brand and story come to life.

We design up to 5-page templates that the entirety of the website will be based on and if required any other pre-determined content blocks that require consideration in isolation. These are the foundations we build from.

 

 

Graphic with 'develop' along the top in blue box / black text with arrows on wooden posts that say 'build' and 'testing' underneath pointing right

Develop

Build
Now your site really comes to life! We create a development version of the site, hidden away from the world, so you can see it take shape safely before your very eyes.

At various stages we’ll share the development site with you so you can have a stroll around, test, check and give feedback for us to apply.

 

Testing
The site needs to be tested in fine detail, the more eyes on it the better!

We test emails, mail listings, form submissions, responsiveness on various devices and different browsers.

We will test as much as we can from our side, but some things can only be tested from your side. Don’t worry we’ll give you a guide to what to check.

 

 

Graphic with 'launch' along the top in orange box / black text with arrows on wooden posts that say 'going live and 'aftercare'' underneath pointing right

Launch

Go-live
So your site is ready to be released into the wild!

We only go live when you’re ready, at a time that suits everyone, and have given full approval.

Once live, we recommend giving the site a once-over for peace of mind. We are in constant contact with you at this stage, keeping you up-to-date on progress.

 

Aftercare
We leave you with everything you need to hit the ground running and we’re only a phone call away.

If you need it, we can create training videos to guide you through the back end of your site, so you can refer back to these as much as you need to.

We are on hand following go-live for 30 days to make any adjustments within the scope, if required, for your peace of mind.

We also offer an ongoing package to support you and your website, so you’re not alone!

 

 

And that’s it. Not so scary now?

There’s more detail in this lovely guide.

If you have any questions about our process and how we work, we are always happy to answer any questions by email or by arranging a free discovery call.

Click to book a discovery call

 

Find out more about Website building, the Alive way.

“I feel like they own and care for the project as much as we do! I would not use anyone else for my creative work and think Alive is ahead of the game.”

Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
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