Working Relationship

Ensuring that the right people have the right information is key in making the best decisions and ensuring projects reach their goals. We will agree early on who is responsible for each of the aspects of the planned work. This will include identifying the members of your team (if you have a team) who will be available to provide the materials, data and feedback we may need to complete our tasks. One of our team members will be assigned to personally oversee the marketing management process for your project from day one.

Project Timelines

Every project has unique needs, however, we aim to stick to key guidelines to ensure tasks are delivered promptly and budget is not wasted. Usually we will arrange several sessions to discuss, plan and outline your project's needs - producing documentation to ensure all involved are clear on what is being agreed.
A typical website development process will involve the following 4 steps:

Crucial Web's process of marketing
Finalisation & Delivery

Websites can take 3-8 weeks. Clients arrange live testing and we fix any bugs found. Once the final invoice is paid we provide full access to the product and source files too.
Consultation

We discuss your needs, set goals and define the scope of the project. Once we have gathered the necessary information we will produce a quotation for you.
Project Proposal

On receipt of the initial payment we will produce an analysis, design and project plan (usually within 7 days). The more text, artwork and info you provide, the quicker this will be completed.

Feedback & Revision

Stakeholders review the  proposal and provide feedback. Our aim is to ensure all details are captured. We limit the feedback to 2 rounds so that budget is not exceeded.

Payment & Budgeting

Once we are sure we have gathered the necessary information about your project's needs we will produce a quotation for the work. Our quotes are usually accurate, however, the final cost may be more or less than the initial quote - depending on any unpredictable factors. We recommend that you set aside slightly more budget than we quote for in order to account for any unforeseen work that may be involved.

We usually require an initial payment of 50% up front, before work begins - with the remaining balance being invoiced once the work has been completed. Payment can be made via direct bank transfer, card or cryptocurrencies. Repeating tasks, such as running online advertising campaigns will be invoiced monthly until we are informed otherwise.

You can visit our pricing page for an idea of our current prices and to view our current service packages.

Decision Making In The Marketing Process

Based on our conversations with you, we will produce an appropriate analysis, design and project plan that defines goals and a route to their completion. The more information and resources you can provide here (such as artwork, business insights, statistics and text content), the smoother this stage will be. In most cases we can provide the proposal/plan within 7 days - though the scope of the project will effect the timing.

In the case of website construction, the proposal will typically include a visual layout design site structure - proposals for other types of projects will vary in their content and scope. The designs and project plans will be discussed with you and revised according to your feedback, including up to a maximum of 2 rounds of feedback (to avoid the project dragging on and burning through the budget). This is usually sufficient to ensure that all the details and requirements are captured. Additional changes made after the feedback/revision stages are completed will result in additional charges - which we will highlight in advance to ensure transparency.

In the case of ongoing tasks, such as online advertising campaigns, we will produce a monthly report to demonstrate our activity and performance. We will hold regular discussions with you to ensure that you are happy with the direction our work is going and to make any requested adjustments.

Technologies & Licensing

While we have a preferred way of working, we are also open to using alternative technologies if our clients require us to do so. Typically, however, we will rely on the following:

- .Psd and .Ai file formats for designs.
- Webflow for website design.
- Webflow or Wordpress for Deployment.
- Shopify or WooCommerce for eCommerce Solutions.
- Webflow, Shopify, Siteground or custom barebones servers for website hosting.

In the event that we need to use a font or stock graphic/video in your project, you will be required to license the file appropriately. This may be charged seperately to the initial quotation, but varies on a case by case basis.

Testing & Bug Fixing

Where appropriate, our team will test any software we create as it is being built to ensure a working end product. Even the best test plans can miss unusual bugs and edge cases, so we suggest our clients arrange some real world testing too before going live. This does not need to be more complicated than having your team test the new software/website on a test server and log any problems they discover.

Any errors that are found during the testing period will be fixed without extra cost. Once the project has been signed off and is made live there may be further bugs discovered and these will not be fixed as part of the initial build agreement. A maintenance contract will need to be agreed in order to ensure the continued smooth running of the code (especially in the case of websites, since internet standards are constantly evolving and what works today may not work in a month's time).

Deliverables & Web Hosting

Once a project is signed off and the final invoice has been paid, we will provide you with full access to the final product and any source code that you need too.

In the case that we agree to host a website or other software on your behalf, we will do so and provide the necessary access keys to you. We currently favour using the hosting infrastructure provided by Webflow, however, we are quite happy to also configure custom webservers or use other third party hosts as required. Note: We use Linux based Operating Systems as we have found these to be the most reliable and efficient option.
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Why promote online?

The world is using interent technology at an ever growing rate and for reaping the benefits means being able to catch people's attention in compelling ways. The future of commerce is digital and so the future of commercial success is based around online communication and promotion.

eCommerce as percentage of Global Retail in 2019
16%
Percent of Internet Users Who Spent Money Online (Jan 2019)
75%
Percent of global population using the internet in 2019
57%
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