So You Want a Website

A guide to helping client build a website.

Webhost

• Do you have a current webhost?
• Can they support Wordpress?
• Can they support Node.js?

DNS

• Where your DNS is controlled?

CMS

• Do you have a current content management system?
• Do you find it easy to use?
• What areas are difficult to manage?
• How comfortable are you with your CMS?
• Can you easily upload images, create posts, update content?

Traffic

• How many monthly views does your site get?

Content

• Do you have text content you want to transfer?
• Do you have image content you want to transfer?
• Do you have other structured data you want to transfer?

Features

• Is there anything on the current website that needs to be removed entirely?
• Is there anything on the current website that must absolutely stay?
• Do you have URLs you need to preserve?
• Do you have content you need to preserve in the same location?

Password Protected

• Do you need any password protected areas?
• What kind of content will be put behind password protected areas?

Forms

• How many web forms does your new site need?
• What is the purpose of each?

Accessibility

• Will web visitors have any special needs? (eyesight, language, mobility, reading level?)

Tracking

• Do you have a Google Analytics account?
• Do you have an AdWords account?
• Do you have a Google Webmaster Tools or Bing Webmaster Tools account?

Newsletter

• Do you have a newsletter subscription
• Do you have:
  • a MailChimp Account
  • a Constant Contact account

E-commerce

• Do you want to process payments?
• Do you have:
  • an Authorize.net account
  • an Stripe account

Ads

• Do you have ads on your site?

Internationalization/Localization

• Do you have content in multiple languages?

Social

• Do you want to integrate a social feed?
• Do you have:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Yelp
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Other

Webfonts

• Do you have brand specific fonts?
• Do you have:
  • a Typekit account
  • a Typography.com account

Mobile

• Do you have any specific mobile requirements?

Bigger picture

• What websites do you like?
• What websites (in general) make you happy?
• When looking at these websites, what particularly makes you happy on each one?
• What do your current competitors’ websites have that you wish to have?
• What types of things do you see on other websites that you really hate?

What's new

• What is the most important factor of your new website?
• What visual elements are needed within the new website?
• What functional requirements are needed within the new website?
• What features are you looking to include/add?
  • A shopping cart
  • Social media implementation
  • Email collection and email marketing capability
  • Auto-responders for nurturing
  • A blog or news feed
  • Photo galleries
  • Onsite videos
  • A slider banner
  • A mobile site
  • A responsive site
  • A blog or news page
  • The ability for people to leave comments
  • A quick contact form, quote request or booking form

Sitemap

• Do you have a proposed sitemap prepared?

Objectives

• What would be a success for this website?

Timing

• What is you desired date for go-live?