50 Questions to Ask Before Building a Website
Clients want to have a website that speaks the best about their overall business and you need to collaborate with them on how you can achieve this. With the internet’s fast growth, you should not forget to have a checklist of things that will enable you to give your prospects an accurate quote, as well as giving you a clear view of what they really want.
Project Worksheet: Questions to Ask Before Doing a Web Design for Your Clients
General Questions
- What is your website’s name?
- What is your website’s address?
- What is your business name?
- What is your business contact information?
- What are the hours of your business operation?
- If you don’t own a website yet, what domain name you have in mind and which web hosting service would you prefer?
- What is your budget for this project?
- Do you have a target launch date in mind?
Branding
- What image do you want your website to portray?
- Do you have a particular color and font preference?
- Do you already have a logo or graphics to be used to represent your business? If not, would you want this created too?
- Do you already have a tagline for your website? ( For example, Nike’s tagline ‘Just Do It’ )
- How is your brand currently perceived by your target market?
- Who are your top competitors?
- Which websites are similar to what you have in mind?
- What are your brand values?
- What is your business mission statement?
- Do you want a new look or new identity for your brand?
Marketing
- What are your products and services?
- Who is your target audience or market?
- What is the main goal of your website? To create sales? To get more leads? Please specify.
- What unique features do your business have that will draw visitors to your website?
- How do you plan to market your site?
- What keywords would you like to use on your site so the search engines will find it quickly?
- Will you require a space for advertising? ( header, sidebar or content )
- Will your site include a Call-to-Action or a sales page?
- What are your goals for your website in terms of popularity on the World Wide Web?
- How would you like to engage with your visitors? ( email, live chat, forum, blog, mailing list, online brochure )
Content
- What are the main categories you want on your website?
- Will you require a CMS or content management system?
- What features do you want your website to have? ( calendar, forum, blog, polls, etc. )
- Do you have any source material for the content? ( photos / electronic file )
- Do you require advance functions like database or scripting? ( shopping carts, contact forms, newsletters, etc. )
- Do you plan to put a blog on your website?
- Do you have any text, graphics, logos, music, or videos you want used for your website?
- How many people will update your website’s content?
- Will you require various levels of publishing rights?
Layout
- Are we designing from scratch? Or, are we going to do a makeover of your existing website?
- Which websites do you like? Please list five.
- Which websites don’t you like? Please list five.
- Do you have a preference on the website screen size? ( for example: 800 x 600 )
- Do you prefer a static site or a flash site?
- Do you want to include multimedia and collateral marketing materials in your website?
- Do you allow a credit link on your website to link to his/her home page or email address?
- If the site doesn’t fit the width of the screen, will you prefer a left or center alignment?
- Do you have business materials that can be matched to the website’s design? ( business card, etc. )
- Do you prefer using royalty free materials on the web for the graphics? Or, would you want it custom-made?
Sensitive Data
This information will be kept in strictest confidence.
- What is the username and password for FTP access?
- Who is your hosting company? What is their tech support hotline number?
- Who is the key person managing the project? What is his or her contact information?
These questions are created to help you during an interview with a prospect. You may alter it or add on it for you to get a crystal clear picture of what must be done. It may be a tedious task, but any smart client will appreciate your efforts. If you feel you have missed something, just try asking if there’s anything else you need to know.
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