WEB SERVICES
The BCIU Web Team offers comprehensive Web site services, including:
- Site planning & implementation
- Content creation
- Web programming
- Site maintenance
Whether you want to develop a Web site from the ground up or take the site you have to the next level, the BCIU can help.
For schools and nonprofits, a Web site is an essential power tool used in managing public relations and marketing, providing customer service, and conducting business. Because each organization has its own unique identity, customers, and business agenda, Web sites should be customized to advance a specific identity, serve particular customers, and efficiently conduct the business of a singular organization.
Educational institutions whose Web sites are less than professional run the risk of producing negative impressions in the minds of their constituents, who may have a tendency to become more critical of the institution in general, and of its administration in particular. Nonprofit agencies run a similar risk in that non-professional Web sites may diminish donor confidence and support by creating impressions of flawed customer service or mediocre management.
The BCIU Web Team develops, builds, and maintains Web sites for schools, nonprofit agencies, and municipalities. The team includes writers, designers, programmers, applications engineers, and other technicians who collaborate to produce sites that are effective and attractive. Our comprehensive menu of services includes:
Site Planning and Implementation
To be effective, a Web site must be planned with specific objectives and audiences in mind. The content of the site must be organized to serve those objectives and appeal to those audiences. Navigation must be planned and executed in such a way as to be convenient and intuitive for a broad range of users.
Institutional sites usually require the organization and presentation of massive quantities of information, much of which has never been collected or displayed in such a comprehensive form before. Most organizations underestimate the importance and difficulty of accomplishing this planning phase, and many neglect to do it altogether.
Developing a blueprint for a workhorse Web site can be a daunting task. The insightful objectivity of the BCIU Web Team will help you organize your content in a logical, user-friendly way. Let us guide you through the hyperlink maze.
- Project management of the site build or overhaul
- Integration with the communication plan
- Organization of content and site navigation
- Site promotion
- Search engine seeding and registration
- Link management
- Site testing
Content Creation
Interesting, rich content is critical to a Web site's success. Oftentimes, content must be created or remade for the Web because paper-based publications converted directly to the Web rarely engage online viewers. The instantaneous and interactive nature of the Web makes it fundamentally different from conventional media and gives rise to the need for entirely new content.
Professional Web content proceeds from professional writing, photography, and design. Web content should be consistent with an organization's corporate identity. Content should be presented in a consistent institutional voice that is reflective of the corporate culture and supportive of the organization's communication objectives.
The look and feel of a Web site should reinforce the public identity of the organization, be in harmony with the organization's printed publications, and adhere to style guidelines with respect to corporate colors and logos. Professional page layout and design does all of those things while utilizing compositions that engage the viewer's attention and create positive impressions. Our designers and writers can communicate your message with graphics that grip and prose that packs a punch.
- Design of look and feel
- Page layout and production
- Copywriting, editing, and proofreading
- Graphics and photography
- Document conversion and scans
Web Programming
When the World Wide Web was first developed, it was sufficient for sites to simply display information. Now, databases and programming tools are used to produce second generation sites that are interactive, data-driven, and dynamic in nature. Contemporary sites have the ability to update themselves as a byproduct of the normal course of business and enable end users to change Web site content themselves.
Sites today also feature increased functionality, such as mechanisms for the exchange of information (online submission of forms and applications, surveys, polls), e-commerce, and Web-based e-mail. Our programmers can help you maximize your data and the performance of your site.
Maintenance
Internet users now rely on Web sites to provide up-to-the-minute information and have come to expect frequent updates and enhancements. If a site remains static, it disappoints and alienates the very audience it was created to reach. Site maintenance is a critical phase of an organization's Web site strategy. Even sites with good organization and navigation can benefit from a fresh look and feel.
The BCIU Web Team can help keep your site current. Turn to us for cosmetic enhancements as well as substantive improvements that optimize your Web presence.
- Time-sensitive updates
- Additions and enhancements
- Site make-overs
- Sub-sites for specific audiences or programs
click here to view the PR portfolio.