Questions for creating a new web site

Posted on July 12, 2007 
Filed Under Planning

The following are questions website developer or webmasters will ask when planning on building your website. Reviewing these simple questions will assist you and the web developer in putting together a solid website quote.

  1. Who is the website for?
    • Is it for personal or business use?
  1. Who is the target market and what are their demographics?
    • Will you be targetting teens, adults, seniors, males under 30, small business community, academics, local market, nationwide?
  1. Tell us about your business
    • What type of business
    • What products and services are you currently offering?
  1. What are your website goals?
    • What are you trying to achieve with your website?
    • Sales?
    • Lead Generation?
    • Membership signups?
  1. Are you the decision maker for the website project?
    • Gathering information or making the final decision?
  1. What types of websites do you like to visit?
    • What is your favorate website and why?
    • Are there similar websites to the one you are about to build?
  1. Is your domain name ready?
    • Do you currently own your own domain or does one need to be acquired?
  1. Do you require website hosting?
    • Is you host company capable of running databases and PHP/ASP scripts?
  1. What is your current website?
    • Does it require a complete over-haul or changes done to the website?
  1. Do you have content ready?
    • Is your marketing material ready?
    • Do you have original graphics and a logo designed?
    • Is your content original?
    • What information do you wish to publish on your website?
    • Who will manage the content on an on-going basis?
  1. Will your content be static or dynamic?
    • Will your content change on a daily/weekly/monthly basis?
    • Will your content come from a database? Example: Products and pricing.
    • How often will the content need to be updated?
  1. Have you thought out a website structure?
    • How many estimated number of web pages?
    • What do you envision on the main web page?
    • What type of page layouts are you considering?
  1. What about website design?
    • Have you considered using pre-built website templates or having one custom built?
    • What color schemes have you in mind?
    • What website design element have you considered?
    • Flash or Flash intro? Rollover images, animation or rollover menus?
    • Menu systems: drop down, horizontal, vertical
  1. What are your project timelines?
    • When do you want the website project to start? Within a week/month/year?
    • When do you want the website project to end?
  1. Functionality of your website -  what are the items you want your website to do?
    • eCommerce and sales online
    • Audio and video files
    • Content Management System (CMS)
    • Auto-responders, mailing lists and newsletters
    • Online chat
    • Secure server access and password protected directories
    • Database driven
    • Search functionality
    • Email and order forms
    • Photo gallery
    • Search Engine Optimization
    • Guestbooks
    • Forums or discussion groups
    • Other custom tools
  1. What is your budget for the project?
    • What payment terms would work for you?
    • Set up progress payments with a deposit?
  1. What is your full contact information?
    • How do you want to communicate? By email, IM or phone?
  1. Have you explored natural search engine optimization (SEO) techniques?
    • What are your top 3-5 primary keywords or key phrases that you would like to be found by in the search engines?
    • What other websites or directories would you like to be found/listed in?
  1. What have you considered for your website marketing strategy?
    • Pay per click advertising campaigns?
    • Affiliate and/or reciprocal link exchange programs?
    • Print advertising in local or national newspapers?
    • Search engine advertising for Google, Yahoo, Ask and others?
  1. How will you measure the success of your website?
    • The traffic achieved from the site
    • The number of sales, leads or inquiries
    • Keyword positioning for selected keywords in the search engines?
  1. When do you want to get started?

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