Does your website look a bit rusty? Is it time for a fresh new site design? Often prospective clients come to us with websites that were built at the turn of the century (the 21st century that is), and they want to get a head start on planning for their new and improved site. If you are revved up to revamp your old, stagnant website, you can get a jump on the process by considering the following questions before you even meet with a web development company:

GOALS:

• What are the high level business goals for your company or organization?
• What are the goals for the new web site?
• How are those goals different from your previous website?
• How will you measure success of the new web site?

AUDIENCE & MESSAGE:

• Who is the primary audience? Secondary targets?
• What will visitors do on the site? Consider age, education level, gender, tech savvinesss, and any other visitor attributes that might help you understand how they’ll use your site.
• Please sum up your customer’s/audience’s needs and concerns in a sentence.
• What are your key marketing and communications messages?
• What does your audience think you do/are? What do you want them to think?

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN:

• Will the new site’s architecture differ from that of the current site?
• Have you established hierarchy and labeling for navigation for new site? (Global navigation/main buttons, local navigation/subsections, etc.)
• Has style guide been approved by your company? (i.e., colors, fonts, etc.)
• What is the desired site attitude/look and feel?
• What sites inspire you? What do you find appealing about these sites?
• Who are your competitors (or comparable organizations)?  What do you like/dislike about their sites?

CONTENT:

• Is content already prepared for the site, including illustrations, photography, and other graphic or audiovisual content?
• Who will write the content for your site? Who will be the main editor?
• Do you have a plan for creating, gathering, tracking, and managing site content assets prior to site development?
• How will the site be maintained?
• Will you use a Content Management System (CMS?
• Do you have a specific CMS in mind?

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION:

• Search Terms: Please list the most common terms that users might type into Google to look for a company/organization/service like yours:
• Outgoing Links: Please list sites that your site links to.
• Incoming Links: Please list websites that already link to your site.

FUNCTIONALITY, IMPLEMENTATION, INTEGRATION, AND LAUNCH:

• What functionalities will the site incorporate?  Here are some possible items you might want to consider: keyword-based site search, advanced search (specific parameters – i.e. search by last name, title, city, etc.), Flash / animated areas of site, blog, discussion forum, wiki, RSS feeds, online forms, online surveys or polls, eCommerce/shopping cart, online donations, event calendar, event registration, photo gallery, video clips, audio clips/podcasts, web cams, advertising/sponsorship, member/user management, password protected content
• Do you have/use a database for contacts, membership, products, etc.? Do you want your site to tie to your database?
• Do you have any requirements for how the site is built? i.e. you would prefer the use of open source technologies.
• Are there any 3rd party applications which will integrate with the site?
• Did you buy your domain name(s) yet?
• Do you have a hosting company in mind?
• Who will test the website? (It’s best to test the beta site with at least 7-10 actual site visitors)

If you complete this long list of questions, you’ll be well on your way to a well-planned website. But hey - you’re not off the hook yet. This is just the start. You should expect (or even demand) that your chosen web company bombard you with further questions.

This may sound crazy coming from a business owner trying to grow her company, but we send away business every day. When prospective clients call, we ask a bunch of probing questions, and when it makes sense, we direct them to a trusted group of web freelancers. But, why would a company EVER send business away? Because a good fit is vital to a good outcome!How do you know who’s right for your next web project? Here’s some quick guidance on how to choose between a freelancer and a web development shop:

Reasons to Choose a Freelancer:

• You want a basic informational site.
• Your budget is limited (i.e. under $3-5 K).
• You’ve already designed your site; now you need someone to code it.
• Conversely, you need someone to design your site, and you’ll have one of your in-house techies code the site.
• You already have a decent website; you just need someone to help you make changes or additions.

Reasons to Choose a Web Development Firm:

• Your new website will be complex - perhaps it’s database-driven, with a login area, an online store, and a content management system.
• You want to work with a team with a wide breadth of expertise - marketing, search engine optimization, design, programming, animation, video for the web - you want your web team to have it all.
• You want to hang out in a funky, orange office (+ spend time with Norm the dog).

If you’re still not sure who would build you the best website, you might consider talking to both freelancers and web shops. Here are some considerations when interviewing one-woman shops vs. larger companies:

Considerations when choosing a freelancer:

• What’s in the freelancer’s portfolio? Do you like their work?
• Does s/he ask the right questions, listen intently, and understand your goals?
• Do you have a good fit with the freelancer? (This is important since it’s a one-on-one relationship.)
• How quickly can the freelancer complete the work?
• Does the freelancer build websites part-time? Do they have a day job?

Considerations when choosing a web firm:

Almost 2 years ago, I wrote a blog post about this very topic. It tells you what questions to ask when choosing a web development firm. Here’s the link - Choosing a Web Firm: 20 Questions For Prospective Web Developers. The next time you come talk to us about a web project, make sure to ask these questions, and give me a dose of my own medicine!