Our CMS of choice is WordPress. As for a WordPress theme, we don’t have a favorite. We use whatever theme makes sense for the organization and their project. We may fully customize a theme or use a pre-designed template. Due to this, we have experience with an array of themes and template developers.

• The goal of your website
• Key message to your site visitors
• Original logo files
• Website domain
• Current hosting provider
• Desired major revisions to current website
• Approximate number of pages
• Competitors and/or websites for inspiration
• Branding assets
• WordPress template(s) or theme(s) that you like

We typically chat on the phone, but we are available for virtual meetings if preferred. During this conversation, we will ask you about your business. How did you get started? What do you love about it? What do your customers love? What are your goals? How will your website help you? Do you have a logo? Do you have access to creative content or branding? We hope you have questions for us as well!

We will talk about your current website, if you have one, and what your new website will present to the world. We’ll also discuss other services that would be beneficial for you, such as SEO, PPC, or SaaS Implementation. We may even discover during our conversation that other marketing efforts should be a higher priority than a new website.

We never ever upsell, and only recommend what you actually need to succeed.

It is key for us to have a clear idea of what you’re looking for so that we can present you with an accurate proposal.

Your proposal includes so much more than cost.

Near the end of our conversation, we will discuss sending you a proposal that we create just for you. We typically send it to you within 48 hours. Everything we do is digital and very easy to navigate. 

Your proposal will include:

• Summary of our conversation with an overview of your goals
• What your new website will feature
• Technical aspects of the site
• Details about our Web Care Package
• Timeline
• Different cost options, depending on the project

While the bottom line matters a great deal, we believe that the value we provide is key to making that bottom line work best for you and your organization. Customizing a proposal is the best way to showcase what we will provide for your specific project.

After you accept the proposal and we have agreed to a timeline and/or start date, we will send you a contract and invoice. We typically require 50% up front. The contract is signed digitally by both Ocelot Media and you, the client. 

Then we get started on what we agreed to in the proposal and contract. This usually involves acquiring assets before we jump into the design.

Assets include everything we need for the website – from domain access to creative content. Many of the assets must be provided by you, while others are optional or created by us. We will discuss exactly what is expected when we first talk and in the proposal and contract.

Essentially, the more you can provide us, the better. Typical assets include:

• Domain registrar login or DNS access
• Original logo files
• Color/branding choices
• Copy and/or information for each page
• Stock photos or images
• Other branding
• Template/theme choice
• Product and shop details, if e-commerce

We will create a completely customized online form and send it to you. You can securely enter all your information, upload files, choose from different options, etc. 

You probably already know what we’re going to say, but…it depends. It really does depend on the project.

Once we have everything that we need from you, we get started on the website itself. The website is built on a staging domain (such as staging.yourdomain.com) so that your main domain is untouched.

These are typical timelines for web design, with the time starting when we begin the actual design, not from when the proposal is accepted. Note that these timelines tend to fluctuate significantly when we are awaiting client feedback.

• Five page brochure site with basic information on each page: three weeks
• Ten page site with varying copy on each page: Two months
• E-Commerce site with greater than 100 products: 2 to 4 months
• 15 page site that includes blog setup, SaaS integration, and extensive copy writing: 3 to 6 months

When we send you a custom proposal, we will give you a rough timeline for your specific project.

If we are fully customizing the design of your website, we will first design the home page. Then we’ll send you a link to view it and provide feedback, followed by two rounds of revisions. Then we’ll complete the rest of the website and follow up with another two rounds of revisions.

If we are using an agreed-upon template or theme, we will send you a link to view the site when all design work is complete. Then we will go through two rounds of revisions.

It’s very common that a client is 95% happy with the site and wants to just take it live, and then we’ll make minor adjustments from there. If you sign up for our Web Care Package, it includes an hour of work per month, which is perfect for fine-tuning.

Your website is part of your marketing strategy. So we make sure that it’s as optimized as possible, to set you up for future success. Here’s what we include with every website design:

• A Google account with admin access for Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager, backups, and login info. This is an account that we make exclusively for your site.
• SEO optimization of every page, both technical and on-page
• Caching/page speed optimization through plugin(s), development, and quality hosting
• SMTP configuration for optimal email deliverability
• Domain email setup
• Spam filtering, firewall, and security

Plus, unlike other designers, we don’t own your website. You do. Every piece of content is owned by you. So if our contract is ever severed, you keep it all. 

We make sure to be as transparent as possible in your initial proposal. Typically, the only thing you have to pay for, outside of our costs, is your domain. This is a low annual cost paid directly to your registrar.

There may be other costs that you pay directly to specific providers. We determine these costs for you ahead of time, so that you know what to expect. Examples include email platforms (such as Google Workplace), scheduling software, membership platform, premium integrations, specific SaaS for your needs, etc.

We encourage you sign up for our Web Care Package, which guarantees our continual support. This is a monthly plan that provides everything you need for your website:

• Fast quality hosting
• Daily backups in two locations
• Premium plugins
• Automatic and manual WordPress, plugin, and theme updates, with constant error monitoring
• Security management
• Page speed and uptime monitoring
• Monthly reporting
• Full client support, including one hour per month of requested website edits (hours not rolled over)

If you choose to self-manage your site, we provide support for 30 days after the site goes live. Additional fee incurred for WordPress and website training.

In 2018, we moved from Northern California to the Pacific Northwest. Most of our clients reside in the Bay Area and Central Valley, as we continue to maintain relationships there, so we serve all businesses on the west coast! Due to the remote nature of our work, we can work with businesses in any location. But if you are in the Portland, Oregon area, we are particularly interested in you! We live in Tigard and love helping other small to medium businesses in Washington County.