Have you ever tried to build a house without a blueprint? How about constructing Ikea furniture without instructions? Or better yet, have you ever tried driving to Mississauga without a map or GPS? These are all challenging tasks, but without the proper guidance or planning, they can all become downright impossible. The same could be said for developing your Toronto web design project without a flowchart - sure it can be done, but the end result will not be pretty. In fact, the flowchart is the most critical part to your website development project, and without it, there's very little chance your Toronto website design project will be a success.

At Rebel Trail, whenever we are welcoming a new client, we are always curious to know how their last Toronto web design firm treated them, and what were the issues that led them to contact us. Most of these new clients will cite problems during both website design and development stages. The problems range in type and complexity, but almost all of them can be traced back to a lack of a flowcharting stage. In fact, when we ask these new clients if their previous designer ever developed a flowchart, the answer is almost always 'no - they went straight from the contract to the design of the website'. Clearly an important website development stage has been missed.

Using the house construction analogy, could you imagine a house being built without a blueprint? Imagine the construction crew haphazardly building large sections of your home with no forethought, strategy, plan, or coordination. Would you want to live in the end-result knowing that it could collapse at any point? Now imagine how much it would cost to fix all the mistakes that were made. Unfortunately, we see this kind of development in the Toronto web design industry all the time. Some website foundations are so bad that we must start from scratch.

Rebel Trail uses five basic development stages for any website project, and these stages are always customized to the client's unique needs. In order, these stages are: contract, flowchart, design, development, deployment. The flowchart stage comes immediately after we have signed a contract with the client - it is always the very first stage. The website development flowchart is a document that maps out every webpage in your website and shows how they link together. The navigation of your website is clearly defined in this document and graphically shows you how a user will navigate from the home page to any other page on your website within one click. Further, all functionality of your website is fully documented in the flowchart. Even if your website has simple functions like online contact forms, we will document what information these forms contain, and how that information gets to you instantly. For more complex functions such as custom applications, this functional documentation is invaluable as it charts the information flow precisely.

The flowchart forces you to think of the website from the user's perspective and streamline the processes for them. Functions that may look good in a photoshop design can sometimes fall apart when applied to a live website, so the flowchart helps us avoid those mistakes. We also document your admin system, or content management system, in the flowchart so you can see exactly how information you input into the website will be presented to your users. This allows for unlimited client customizations so that we develop a system that works perfectly for the client's unique needs. Further, we provide you with unlimited revisions to the flowchart with no alteration in the website price. You can take as long as you'd like to make sure the flowchart perfectly accomplishes your goals.

It normally takes about 2 weeks to complete a Toronto website development flowchart. This process is guided by one of our professional website consultants and Rebel Trail does all the work. We will consult with you every step of the way and present you with unlimited revisions. The flowchart stage is only complete when you, the client, are thoroughly satisfied with the results. We then have a solid blueprint for your website and can confidently proceed to the design and development stages.

Of course, this question always comes up: "What if I want to make changes after the flowchart is complete?". Having been in business for over 22 years, we know that even with a completed flowchart, new ideas can arise during design and development, and we want to do everything possible to encourage those great website ideas. Website development flowcharts should not be 'carved in stone', rather they should have the flexibility to accommodate new ideas and growth. A good flowchart attempts to see into the future and predict what future website development phases may include. New ideas that arise post-flowchart phase should be welcomed and easily integrated into the overall project scope.

If you are considering a Toronto web design project, make sure the project plan includes a flowchart stage. It may add a week or two to your development timeline, but the time and costs it saves from a poorly developed website is invaluable.

2019 will be an exciting year for the Toronto Web Development industry. There are so many innovative functions and tools coming this year that you will immediately want to redesign your existing website to incorporate all that 2019 will have to offer. So let's take a look at what will power your website project this year.

The mobile website development market will continue to gain ground this year, which is good news for any website that features a responsive design. If your website design is not responsive, then you can expect a significant slide in your Google page rankings. In 2018, the mobile website viewing audience surpassed its desktop counterpart, and Google started to reward mobile-friendly websites with higher placement in the search engine rankings. Now more than ever, you need to have mobile compliance with your Toronto website development project- it will be the single greatest contributor to achieving top results with the search engines.

As 2018 comes to a close it is timely to look back at the year and contemplate the trends and technologies that dominated the Toronto web design landscape. It is this reflection that may give us a glimpse into what 2019 has in store, and what new trends may be worth investing for your Toronto web development project in the new year.

One of the fastest growth sectors in the Toronto web design market is in the area of LMS and e-learning systems. LMS is an acronym for 'Learning Management System" and e-learning and e-testing systems are basically referring to the same sort of application. While there are a number of out-of-the-box solutions that will provide these functions for your Toronto website development project, more users find that these systems are restrictive and cannot perform critical custom functionality that is normally required of a full LMS solution.

In the Toronto web design creative and technical environment, the terms “UI” (User Interface) and “UX” (User Experience) are being used more than ever. While they seem new, these terms are referring to specialties and ideas that have been around for years prior to the introduction of the acronyms in the Toronto website development market.

With the current landscape of Toronto Web Design it's difficult to tell when its time to give your website a fresh new design. There are also many factors to consider such as your current Toronto web design versus that of your competitors as well as the overall functionality your website utilizes. Upgrading the functionality of your website is just as important as keeping the website design current. Further, there are always new technologies that can vastly improve your website's performance, and if left ignored, these can benefit your competitors rather than you. At Rebel Trail Web Design, we have complied the top 4 signs your Toronto Web Design is in need of a refresh.

Hardly a day goes by without web design Toronto companies receiving a call from a prospective client that is looking for a 'WordPress Website'. Every web design Toronto firm should know this platform very well and should also have a number of web development projects that have been exclusively designed for this system. WordPress provides the environment for simple content management as well as a host of other display and functional tools for the Toronto website designer. However it does have it's limitations - and that's something your website designer Toronto should let you know.

We're over halfway into 2015 and it’s once again time to see what trends are at the forefront for the Toronto website designer. 2014 ushered in a number of new tools for Toronto web development, and this year we have seen the evolution of those tools, plus some exciting new technology as well.

One of the most frequent questions we are asked by our clients is “How important is it to have a blog on my website for web design in Toronto?” A blog is considered to be a section on your website that is updated frequently with informal news or information on your company, products, or services. The answer differs from client to client, but generally if search engine placement is a high priority, then a blog is a must have for your Toronto web design project.

One of the most vital components of your Toronto website design project is a system that you can use to update content. This is typically referred to as a Content Management System or CMS. The CMS allows you to keep the content of your website design current, which is mandatory for high search engine placement.

Before you sign a contract or agreement with a Toronto website developer, it is always a good idea to inquire about their onsite meeting policy. Many Toronto web design firms have a minimum and maximum number of meetings per client that they find appropriate and knowing this information can be critical to the success of your website development project.