HOW
DO YOU
BUILD A
WINNING
WEBSITE?

From complete turnkey projects to consultations - we bring a wealth of experience and attention to detail to everything we do.

We offer every service necessary for a successful website depending on your needs.

RESEARCH & STRATEGY
DEVELOPMENT

Devising a plan that focuses on a specific vision of success increases our combined odds of achieving it. That vision starts from the site visitor's perspective.

RESEARCH & STRATEGY SERVICES

We offer a range of planning services as part of complete website development projects or consulting on demand.

When engaging the challege of creating an effective website it is crucial to understand that a site becomes successful firstly if it satisfies the users - whose resulting interactions with the site accumulate to satisfy the goals of the owners. The site must be built to succeed for users first - that is the goal.

Website Research and Strategy services

ACQUIRE FOCUS

We assist clients to initially express aspirations for their websites - the ideal achievement in a boundless scenario. If everything were possible what would the website become and achieve? Seirim endeavors to be a part of bold thinking and projects, and we have the skills to build what can be imagined. We can guide clients through what is actually possible today and tomorrow.

Goal Definition

We help define ultimate goals based on clear business objectives, we can advise on the resources required and the areas where we will need to explore trade-offs to succeed with a balanced result.

The definition of the ultimate goal includes two perspectives that should align to create one quality experience - the long-term goals of the website's owners and the experience the website's users will hope for when they use the website.

Current Strengths and Weaknesses

We have all seen unfortunate, frustrating examples of online services and websites actually taking turns for the worse. When possible it is a good idea to learn from your current users what they already like and depend on in the current site to not disrupt that level of existing achievement from their perspective. If your users are already used to functioning patterns they need to be taken into account in new developments.

From there, what are the biggest pain points and failings of your current site? What questions and issues are you most often having to pick up the slack of the website for manually? How is the Content Management System letting you down?

We go over the current site's situation with clients with a trained eye to keep the good and focus on areas for improvement.

COMPETITION ANALYSIS

Great websites require more than just careful planning, they require an understanding of the space in which they will exist. Just as every company and organization competes in the open market, their websites compete as their representatives in the online world and their effectiveness will be checked by the success of alternatives. Nearly every website represents an appeal for attention and a call to action in an environment of other attractive options for the same goal.

Seirim conducts Competition Analysis studying the strengths and weakness of the competition in the client's website's niche. We study the broad and minute details that make some websites especially successful representing their company's objectives. Our service compiles the best ideas being used in competitor's sites and the many points where they may be misstepping. We carefully analyze these successes and errors to start building a knowledge base to work from and guide the new website in the right direction.

An extensive, thorough study of the competition can yield invaluable insights, new ideas and direction.

External Polling

Nothing beats input from a website's actual users, and we can conduct a survey of the client's user base to learn feedback on the existing site, what they like about other competing websites, and what an ideal website would contain. Interfacing with even a very small number of users will provide great insights distinct from the owner's views.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Like many endeavors, creating a successful website is a careful balance of aspirations and resources. We are mindful of the 'Minimum Viable Product' concept which focuses on a product launch with the most crucial and basic functions done well and delivered in a first iteration. We normally suggest to restrain the wishlists to the most needed initial features so that an attainable vision can be reached in a near horizon.

With our deep web experience we help clients choose among their ideas to know which features are more costly in time and resources than others and to prioritize the ideal feature set to lock down the vision on a comprehensive website product.

REQUIREMENTS DEFINITION

After we have aided the client to create their goals, defined the range of their vision and focus on a defined product we are set to clearly list their requirements and map the processes and timeline to achieve it. Seemingly small details and features can actually greatly change the workload and results of a project so it is key to exercise this process to arrive at a well-defined and agreed-upon scope and plan of action.

It is key at this stage to plan:

  • Define the Users and Stakeholders - We create initial User Personas to focus the website towards and ensure we are informed of all of the stakeholders from the client's side whose objectives need to be met and what those points are before going forward.

  • Information Architecture - The intelligence applied to the organization of a website's content is fundamental to a good user experience. Content and functionality are the currency of value in a website and the ease and logic of access will be the biggest factor in the site's success.

  • Content Creation Plan - Who will be creating the content and what is the schedule and process for delivering it? Creating, editing and approving content for a website is a critical, time-consuming requirement for a website's success the importance and difficulty of which is often underappreciated. We also consider how to use current content and migrate it to an updated website.

  • Functionality Requirements - Detail the defined list of all the website's main functions, features and unique needs.

  • Timeline - What is the agreed upon timeframe of the project.

  • Client Contributions - What tasks will be completed by the client side.

  • Training & Handover - How we will prepare the client to use and own their new website. We advise the client on the required support and attention the site will require depending on the site's complexities and planned use.

  • Website Launch - Where we will deliver the client's website on hosting and how it will be supported long-term.

PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

We work with an Agile- influenced system and methods as our in-house dynamic adapts the software focused process to the unique challenges of web development.

Project Management

Efficiently progressing through the stages of a website's development is an art all its own in addition to all of the research, design and development work required to bring a website to life. Our goal is to ensure on-time, successful launches.

Smart management is a service we specifically offer and deliver. Our philosophy is to include the client in the development process in the roles that best suit their strengths and preferences. Clients are welcome to be as hands on or delegate as much of the process to us as they like and when starting a project we discuss at which levels the client wants to be involved.

If desired we also offer project management consulting and ongoing services to help clients successfully run website development projects.

With the client integrated into the workflow, we proceed full speed to maximize our combined strengths.

We work with an Agile-influenced process to achieve:

  • High-speed iterative development

  • Flexibility to account for evolving knowledge during the project

  • Constant testing and quality control to build on increasingly solid bases

TEAM STRUCTURE

Depending on the size and type of project, working with us will in most all cases include:

  • Lead and asst. Project Managers - Conduct research and strategy development, manage the project team and act as daily points of contact for clients. We also advise that one person on the client's side be designated the 'Product Owner' being the primary representative for the client's perspective. On a large project we also assign someone in this role to reiterate the client's point of view throughout development.

  • UI/UX Designers and Testers - Often a Project Manager who is also working on the project to directly inject the UI and aesthetic design with the lessons learned via the initial research and the client's stated preferences and goals. As a UX Tester the website is scrutinized throughout the process for adherence to project goals.

  • Designers - Working to deliver artistic inspiration into the process to bring life to the research and project's scope.

  • Frontend developers - Coding the visual representation of the designs to come alive in desktop, tablet and mobile browsers. Focused on maintaining a consistent user experience, high performance speed and usability, long-term website maintainability, proper SEO semantics and accessibility.

  • Backend Developers - Building the backend of the website as an application to achieve its functions and the Content Management System for client-friendly usage and ownership. Significant website functionality is also occurring in the frontend sphere and our frontend and backend developers work in tandem creating solutions to challenges spanning their usually defined roles.

  • SEO Specialist - Every website needs at least a thorough review at inception and ideally an ongoing campaign. We review and improve the SEO posture of every website along its development process through to launch.

SYSTEM & PROCESS

We naturally start with the research and requirements phase, and once concluded begin to design User Experience concepts.These concepts then result in initial designs to be considered and checked for User Experience quality.

While designing the website we are able to begin laying the base of the backend framework and gather input from the backend and frontend developer's perspectives to holistically design the website with their feedback fully integrated.

Milestone + Tasks System

In our project management system at seir.im we create and work towards major Milestones that help divide our work into many steps and measurable points to the larger goal.

Project management system at seir.im where clients have full access and input to the workflow

Regarding development we always build the most complicated, core components and features first and iteratively layer successive functionalities.

We break all Milestones down into tasks in our system and seek to complete them always as quickly as possible. To ensure for quality we include testing tasks for each point of development to debug issues early and as we go along.

Work Flow

Our method is Agile-influenced, and we prefer a client engagement process of 'constant-delivery' as we refer to it, whereby we share every incremental advancement with the client so that they can continuously see the direction of development and give feedback directly into the progress.

With the Strategy in place, the Milestones determined, and the Gameplan decided we proceed to develop in roughly this order, but with some overlapping:

  • User Interface components - that result from the User Experience goals that have been determined in the Strategy. This includes the Site Architecture, the subsequent navigation, processes and elements that have to be there in the design.

  • Content - We gather as much as we can to implement into:

  • Design - The beautiful dream that gives face to everything behind the scenes.

  • Frontend Development - The visual implementation of the design and the user experience in the browser

  • Backend Development - Everything behind the scenes that delivers and powers the website from the server to the user

  • SEO Implementation - The final stage to prepare the website to be found and respected on the web.

  • Website Maintenance and Support - Ongoing attention to the website's stability and continuing functionality.

CLIENT ACCESSIBLE SYSTEM

Of course every project has a project manager and the project manager is always reachable to the client by phone, email, Skype and our project management system located at seir.im. Clients can use their personal preference of communication.

We work asynchronously with the client as needed, never waiting or held up putting the onus of progress in someone else's hands. There is always plenty we can do in many categories to get a website project closer to completion.

INCREMENTAL + WEEKLY REPORTING

In addition to providing updates immediately as there is development work to share we also provide a review of progress and the overall status of the project every week in detail so the client understands the complete status of the website project.

WEBSITE &
APPLICATION
DEVELOPMENT

We offer a full range of website devlopment including E-Commerce, Custom Web Applications and Content Management Systems, Responsive and Mobile Sites, Apps and more.

WEBSITE & APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Coding, programming, debugging - where the rubber meets the road to make websites. Our team includes specialized frontend (the visual presentation of the website in the browser), backend (server-side, Content Management System and application functions) and full-stack developers who work in both.

3 out of 4 of us at Seirim are full time developers, and for as much as we prize the value of research, UX design, and proper planning and management the overwhelming majority of our work is building with code. The remaining quarter of us help support and test that code daily.

We offer ourselves as a development agency for clients as much as anything else, and on some occasions we purely do development of client's designs.

Web technologies we use for projects ranging from frameworks to advanced services

Web technologies Seirim uses

FRONTEND MASTERY

Our team is comprised of true artisans in frontend web development.

We focus on complete frontend mastery including creative and experimental CSS3, custom JavaScript and jQuery solutions, HTML5, SVG animations, Ajax loading, anything and everything it takes to make the dreams come together. We make the User Interface and primary elements fast, robust, cross-browser compatible, semantic and standards compliant. However the website needs to look, feel, act, and perform we can accomplish it.

We are constantly researching the latest advancements and technologies, and we contribute to the progress of what is capable in the browser with our own unique solutions.

Frontend Skills Include

  • HTML5 and CSS3 - We can use canvas, animations, transforms. You name it, if it's new and hot we are aware of it and can implement it if it is appropriate for the broader goals.

  • JavaScript, jQuery, frameworks such as Angular and more - The most powerful results often require coding beyond simple styling markup, and we can custom code scripts and plugins that control the browser and shape the outcome of online actions live. This website is built with Angular as a Single Page Application, for example

  • Node.js - We can work with this latest language that is taking advantage of client-side, in browser processing power and enabling more live action results in web applications.

  • Semantic markup - It is very important that the markup below the visual face of the website is properly coded, if the website looks pretty but is full of inconsistent and messy code it won't be accessible for visitors with special needs using screen readers or well readable by search engines and poorly affecting SEO. We make sure our code is correct beneath the skin.

BACKEND DEVELOPMENT

We have built completely custom, ground-up solutions and utilized some of the world-standard frameworks in the full range of web applications, from:

ASP.NET

Our two top lead developers each have a decade of experience working with .NET solutions, backed by another 2 of our developers also at the expert level in it. Some of our biggest client projects and ongoing work for major clients is in ASP.NET. We use Visual Studio, MVC5, and the major frameworks and tools surrounding .NET.

Examples include all of these Case Studies: Primewell, Giti China, GTRadial, Runway, Giti India and more, some of which include very complex and advanced functionalities.

PHP

We work with PHP driven projects just as commonly as ASP.NET, and have created projects using our own custom-coded Content Management System and complex web applications.

We build with PHP custom and utilizing the following frameworks and CMS's:

  • WordPress - We regularly build completely custom WP sites, including tailored plugins and extended website functions, for example SASCO and PGR Auto Design

  • Yii - for example this News organization website GMI Post- completely custom CMS and web application

  • Symfony - Albatross internal system - PHP with Symfony framework

  • CodeIgnitor - Admin system applications - RolePlayCenter - Custom development

  • Drupal - Team has previous experience working with Drupal

E-Commerce

We specialize in building e-commerce websites that perform, both for international, US or Chinese markets We have built multiple e-commerce shops in these categories, each with their own unique advantages and challenges:

  • Magento - World's most trusted medium-to-big e-commerce store solution - for example Hollow Rock Gear

  • Opencart - Light and fast solution - for example - Stixie

  • WooCommmerce - E-Commerce system matched with WordPress - Seven Seas Marine

  • BVCommerce - Popular and powerful - A-Z Darts

  • Completely custom - Microsoft Nav ERP plus our own backend solution in PHP - FabFactory

WEBSITE
MAINTENANCE

We offer long-term and on demand updating, maintenance and management for complete client peace of mind.

LONG-TERM & ON-DEMAND WEBSITE SERVICES

We build every website to be stand-alone and as error-free as possible from day one of deployment, and most all of our website development contracts include a 1 year service and assistance guarantee. This guarantees our work's functionality completely for an entire year after delivery - an uncommonly bold commitment in the industry. Any problem with the website not working as delivered we fix it at no extra charge, and any problem the client has using the website we help them head in the right direction at no extra charge.

Apart from guaranteeing our work, we also offer:

Website Management and Support services

WEBSITE MANAGEMENT

If so desired by a client, we can operate their website for them daily, handling all the day-to-day activities of posting news and blog posts, adding products and services, updating content and more. We can serve as administrators for their server hosting and email systems - essentially serving as an on-demand IT department.

ON-DEMAND DEVELOPMENT

We offer constant development, improvement and iteration beyond a website's launch or on existing websites. We work with clients who have ongoing needs and expanding aspirations, and we are steadily adding and tweaking components and functionalities on to their websites and working on their growing projects. We have worked with some clients since our very inception as they continue to grow their businesses and online presences.

ON-CALL SUPPORT

We offer rapid work to solve problems for which your current development team may not have the time or specializations to solve. We regularly work with in-house and other development teams to gladly play a supporting role. We work well with others. :-)

CYBERSECURITY SERVICES
& CONSULTING

Websites are valuable assets and gateways to your IT realm that must be protected accordingly via strict, thorough and continuous attention.

Cybersecurity Services & Consulting

SEIRIM provides a comprehensive array of cybersecurity consulting and services covering every aspect of concern for your organization's security. From understanding the basics, choosing devices, software and services, to thorough scanning, planning and hardening we assist and perform every needed step. We help lead your company to regulatory compliance such as for ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI DSS and more.

Highly Skilled Team

Our team includes certified analysts and developers each with at least a decode of experience to provide every facet of a full service solution. Our cybersecurity team members hold top certifications such as OSCP, OSWE, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, Security+, IBM, Cisco and Fortinet vendor certificates and many more. Can contact us for more details.

Neutral 'Commission-Free' Team

We are platform and product agnostic and take no commissions from sales or promotions of any product to ensure we can provide unbiased recommendations. For many purposes open source solutions are the right choice for the task and budget and save your company a lot of money. We will always recommend the most cost efficient solutions and neutrally highlight the pros and cons of each option from open source to premium.

Cybersecurity Services Dedicated Presentation

For more information, please visit the special section dedicated to our Shanghai-based cybersecurity services and consulting.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
& SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

The ultimate requirement for a website’s success is its life after birth, its promotion and consistent organic growth.

COMPLETE SEO & SEM SERVICES

We offer full-time SEO services and campaigns to help propel your website forward. Just building a great website is not enough - it has to be truly alive: connecting with other entities on the internet, generating content, improving itself, and positioning as the center of a range of online activity. Depending on the client's goals, preferences and budget we provide the following services:

SEO services

ON-PAGE OPTIMIZATION

Whether part of a complete website design and development project or a SEO Campaign, we revitalize websites from the top down to perform better for search engines. Unlike many SEO firms who only give clients recommendations on what to change on their website, as a primarily website development agency we have the in-house developers to simply get necessary changes down quickly without the client needing to source developers in addition to the SEO team.

SEMANTIC CONSTRUCTION

The first step for good SEO is to do all the basic, simplest things right, and this includes proper and intelligent use of title and meta tags, headers and semantic HTML markup, accessible navigation and information architecture and more.

BLOG & PORTFOLIO ADDITIONS

Whether it is called Latest News, a Blog, Recent Events or other your website needs a dynamic outlet for broadcasting your news, ideas and developments. We can add dynamic sections to any website with an accessible Content Management System to easily and regularly add content.

ON-PAGE CONTENT STRATEGIES

We conduct a proper keyword analysis and choice process followed up by a review of the current on-site content to optimize the website for its chosen strategy.

OFF-PAGE SEO & SEM DEVELOPMENT

Once the On-Page SEO development work is accomplished the majority of ongoing effort falls into the categories of content creation, link-building and general outreach that markets your website towards the internet.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

A critical step and service to begin a SEO campaign is to identify, measure and deconstruct how and why a website's competition ranks higher. Studying the success of the competition is critical in crafting a campaign to catch and surpass them. We analyze:

  • Their apparent chosen keywords, why do they seem to choose and focus on specific terms?

  • Strategize to aim for the same and/or modified terms depending on competitive strengths and weaknesses.

  • Where do they get their links and connections?

  • What social media are they using?

  • What content themes are publishing on their website?

CONTENT CREATION

With team members formerly working in journalism and with degrees in English Literature we particularly specialize in assisting our clients with content creation, both for initial website launches and for ongoing SEO campaigns. Consistently producing quality new content tailored to benefit the users of the website is the single most helpful SEO action, but in many cases also the most demanding of site owners.

Our special service is to interview the site owners regularly on topics in their industry - usually one-on-one or in video or audio chat - and from that recorded interview we are able to glean high-quality, sincere and valuable insights from which we can produce ideal articles for use as online content.

From there, we publish the new content on the client's website, and push the content as expert opinions in appropriate syndication publications to broaden the reach of their message to a bigger audience and help gain new backlinks.

QUALITY BACKLINKING

Backlinks are naturally considered the base currency of ranking on the web, and getting more quality links is the simplest-to-grasp goal at the heart of SEO. Building quality backlinks is the culmination of the entire efforts of the SEO campaign and includes publishing the website's articles on the wider web, making social media accounts and activity, appropriate directory submissions, commenting on behalf of the organization in online forums and more.

We naturally choose to operate and seek links in 'whitehat' ways to not put the client at risk of search engine penalties down the road, while at the same time aggressively seeking a high number/value ratio of links to generate immediate and steady returns on the investment in the SEO efforts.

UNIQUE CASE METHODS

Particular clients may lend themselves to being applicable to strategies that wouldn't apply to others, like making use of video links or certain kinds of social media updates, that we will help the client uncover and take advantage of. It is ideal to not just replicate the actions of the competition but to forge ground with original strategies, links and actions.

SEM: SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

Aiming for organic rank improvements is the base-level 'must-do' for SEO results, but for many clients paid advertising campaigns make complementary sense to see more immediate traffic and conversions. We can direct, manage or assist clients in the choices and operations for a successful paid Search Engine Marketing campaign.

CHINA, LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Most of our clients are interested to rank well in China, i.e. Baidu, search results in addition to the usual focus on Google and others. From our Shanghai base we are actively involved in the distinctive efforts to rank well in China in addition to internationally.

CURRENT WEBSITE AUDIT

We check the current site for overall potential issues, Google penalties, previous blackhat links and connections that may be causing problems. When necessary we can work contacting the site owners of bad current links to get them removed and then with Google via the disavow process.

ANALYSIS & REPORTING

A good campaign requires ongoing introspection, analysis and adjustment. We measure results of the engaged activities:

  • How do we rank for the proposed search terms?

  • Are there expanded ideas for the the targeted search terms?

  • How many new links since the last report and their qualities?

  • What new content delivered on the base website?

  • What social media and ancillary sites and tools activity?

  • How to categorize the current SEO stage and what is the next short-term target? What is the next medium-term shift?

  • Are there changes in the competitive landscape? How should we adapt the strategy?

We report on all progress points weekly and on the larger strategic questions monthly.