20 questions to ask before starting your next website

I have compiled a list of questions to ask yourself before you start your next website project. These are questions that I will often ask potential clients at our initial meeting and can be very helpful when creating your RFP to send out to designers.

1. How would you describe your company including the products and services you provide?
2. How does your company differentiate itself from its competitors? List your main competitors. What are they doing successfully? What are they missing?
3. What are the primary objectives of your new website?
4. Who is a typical visitor coming to your site?
5. What is a typical visitor expecting to accomplish?
6. Will your website sell digital or physical products?
7. If so, how many products do you plan to sell?
8. If you currently have website what is the address?
9. What kind of feedback do you get about your current website?
10. If you don’t have a website yet do you require domain name registration and website hosting recommendations?
11. Do you require a new logo or a logo redesign?
12. In number of pages, what is the estimated size of your new site?
13. Is the content for your new website complete, edited and optimized?
14. If not, do you plan to hire a copywriter or will website content be written in house?
15. Will you require a Content Management System (WordPress, Squarespace, Drupal, etc.) so you can update content yourself, or do you prefer that website content be maintained by your Web Designer?
16. How often do you expect to add content to your website?
17. Would you like to track website traffic using an analytics program such as Google Analytics?
18. How will you market your new website? Blog, newsletter, search engine optimization, or paid advertising? Which Social Media platforms do you plan to use?
19. What is your budget?
20. When do you hope to launch your website?