We develop websites.

How do we develop websites?

The development process naturally begins with getting to know each other—both on a personal level and from a technical perspective—through a briefing. We ask questions and work together to determine what is expected of the new website, what it needs to be able to do, and what its core function is. Together, we put ourselves in the shoes of the target audience: What are they looking for? What do they expect? What matters most?

In a second step, we tackle the design. What kind of feeling should it convey? Where are we coming from—and where do we want to go?

Once the most important points have been clarified, we outline a project timeline—and estimate the expected workload.

We then create initial design and functionality sketches—a mockup that can be accessed in a browser and navigated just like a website.

Developing Content Types and Content Blocks

At the same time, we develop the concept for the content management system. We create an initial framework and establish the first structures. Based on the previous briefing, we identify content types and define content blocks through which all content can later be entered.

Examples of content types include:

• News
• Products
• Events

Examples of content blocks include:

• Texts, text formats (e.g., body text, informational text, quotes)
• Images, image galleries
• Tables, lists
• Forms

Now begins a phase I like to call the “ping-pong phase.” Together, we develop the structure of both the front end (website) and the back end (content management system), and through direct coordination, we align our work with the previously discussed key points—for example, to map internal work processes as accurately as possible.

During the ping-pong phase, it becomes increasingly important to work with real content. A concept only works as well as reality allows. A design filled with dummy text and placeholder images may look good in a presentation—but what really matters is whether the concept, structure, and design work with the actual content.

Development Environment

Of course, the “works in progress” site is not publicly accessible. As a rule, we first develop a website on a dedicated installation—in a development environment on our server.

As the development process progresses, we’ll grant you access to this “works in progress” site. However, caution is advised: just like the digital mockup, the development environment may already look like a finished website—but it isn’t.

The development environment is also where we work together to add the first real, sample content. And step by step, the development environment becomes the website that we’ll launch at the end of the development process.

WordPress as a CMS

For some time now, we’ve been developing websites primarily using the open-source platform WordPress. To do this, we typically create a WordPress theme tailored to the specific needs of each project and customize WordPress so that it can be used as a content management system. We use WordPress primarily as a “backend engine”—and in the end, a website we develop using WordPress bears little resemblance to a “typical” WordPress site.

We hold agency licenses for a number of so-called pro plugins, which we can, of course, pass on to our clients.

Where will my website be developed and, if applicable, hosted?

Our headquarters are in Berlin—but we’re also firmly rooted in the Wendland. Since all we need for our work is internet access (plus peace and quiet, and time), working in the city or in the countryside works out just fine. Both environments have their pros and cons. And so we’re also easily accessible in person in the greater Berlin, Hamburg, Lüneburg, and Uelzen areas—and, of course, in the Wendland.

We have a so-called managed server with All-Inkl in Friedersdorf. The websites we manage and host are therefore hosted in Germany. The All-Inkl team takes care of server administration.

Another plus: All-Inkl.’s server center runs on 100% green energy—and our offices in Berlin and the Wendland also run on 100% green energy.

Tools for Website Development

We work on macOS—and our server has what’s known as a LAMP setup: a Linux operating system, an Apache server, a MySQL database (or MariaDB), and PHP for programming.

The full Adobe suite runs on our computers—and for WordPress, we’ve licensed a range of Pro plugins that let us do everything from the possible to the impossible—sophisticated portfolios, extensive online stores with special features, booking tools, image campaigns—the range of possibilities is incredibly broad.

How much does website development cost?

Of course, that’s probably the most interesting—and at the same time the most difficult—question. Based on our experience, the number of hours required to develop a new website is typically in the triple digits. However, we can’t truly estimate how much work it will actually take until we know what the project entails.

An initial estimate is, of course, free of charge.

Would you like us to develop your website?

Curious? You’ll find some recent references and direct contact information on our website, Herr/Frau/Firma.