20+ Questions to ask yourself before creating a new Website
July 16th, 2009 | Author: Dan Harrison
If you’re thinking of starting any kind of website, or you’re working with a client to create a new website, here are some questions to ask to help discover the goals of the new site. These questions are intentionally probing, teasing out how the website should look, and how the website should focus on the visitors.
You are free to use these questions anywhere you like. If you do re-use them, please let me know, as I’m interested to know what they get used for.
Website Goals
- What do you want to say on your website?
- What do you perceive is the value of having a website?
Target Audience
- Who is your target market?
- Is your business or website targeted at a specific geographic area? If so, what areas?
- What do you want your visitors to do once they get to your website?
- Should your visitors be able to purchase something directly from your website?
- Why should your visitors come back to your website?
Competitors
- Why should visitors visit your website rather than a competitors?
- Who are your competitors?
- What do your competitors do better than you?
- What do you do better than your competitors?
Design and Usability Ideas
- List up to 5 websites that you like and what you like about them.
- List up to 5 websites that you really dislike and what it is about them that you dislike.
Content
- What information do people always ask you for?
- Who will provide the content for the website?
- What information do you think people will visit your website for?
Domain Name
- Do you have a domain name?
- Do you need a domain name that represents your company name?
Promotion
- How will you promote the website?
- What do you know about social media?
Any more?
If you have any more ideas of questions to ask when creating a new website, please add them via the comments below!
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One issue I always talk about with clients is weather they want a Full flash site or a more search engine friendly site?
Not so long ago I designed a site that only used flash files, which isn’t the most search engine friendly thing but they were going for the WOW factor for there existing clients.
That’s all changing though Julian, because I think read somewhere that flash sites can now be indexed. I know silverlight definitely can so flash has got to follow suit.
Well I didn’t know that. It was my impression that search engines could read the html that holds the swf files, I’m impressed that they can now penetrate the swf and read the text.
As for silverlight I’m not convinced its gonna catch on, its just Microsoft trying to get in on the animation action. If i go to a site and it asks me to download “Silverlight”, I close the window.