Start With A Web Design Checklist (What You Need To Know Before Hiring Any Freelancer or Agency)

1.  Have A Goal For Your Website

The choice of whether the website design is a winner or a looser is up to you. The key to website greatness or failure is having a goal. This must be clear not only for the site in general, but for every page.  I have seen to many websites where the site has no focus and asks nothing of the people visiting.

So whether it is to sign up people to your news letter to getting them to buy a product. You need a goal. The rest of the process is how to make that goal real.

2.  Do You Have A Web Hosting Company?

Your web host can make or break you site.  Pick the wrong hosting plan and you may cripple your site before you start. Some of the hosting companies which we recommend are Blue Host, Hostgator and If you need help we can set it up for you.

For a speedy website, we recommend cloud hosting providers such as Digital Ocean, Vultr or Linode.

3.  Have you picked out a Site Name?

A good domain name can help immensely with how well your website is seen online.  It is the first thing that they see when finding you on the internet.  Even before they get to your site. Obviously a .com would be the primary choice, but plenty new choices such as .us .co .net are available now, in case your .com is taken.

4.  Do You Have A Buyers Profile?

You should know who is your customer is. How they talk. What problem they have which you can solve. Where in the sales cycle are they. That way you can bring them to the solution. This is your niche buyer persona, once you have it update it according to your business changes.

5.  Who Are Your Primary Contacts?

We will need a list of who will be contacted and their phone and email if you want them reached.  This will help give your site authority.  People love to know that there is a human behind the web site. We also need to know who really is making the decisions. Sometimes working through others makes the job much harder.

6.  When Do You Want The Site Launched?

Do you want it fast, great, or inexpensive.  Choose 2! The amount of resources we apply to the project is mostly our own time.  If you want the website fast we will need to get good help.  If you want it to be a Great Website, we will spend extra time tuning everything to optimize it. If you want it inexpensive it will take longer since we will fit it in with our other projects as we can.

7.  How Much Do You Want To Spend?

A good website cost. If you are wanting a great website at a low low price it will be from a template with the basics put in.  You pay for Quality. From conversion optimization to SEO, the additional work cost.  If you want to change things all the time it will cost more.

First remember that your website should be a integral part of your marketing effort and often the first impression for your customer.

8.  Do You Have A Solution To Your Customers Problem?

This should be your ultimate goal.  Whatever it is, that is what should shape the entire website.  If you solve the problem they will use you.

9. What Are Your Primary Short Term And Long Term Objectives.

Whether it is to generate calls, gather emails or selling product/services, these objectives will help guide the sales optimization funnel. Let us know what your secondary objectives are also.

10.   Do You Have Any Other Marketing Efforts That May Connect To The Site?

If you are planning any marketing efforts that could bring people to you website, let us know.  Every product or feed needs a landing page to fully address them.  Never have them land on the home page unless it is designed as a landing page.

11.  Do You Plan To Generate Revenue On The Site?

Are you selling product, service, subscription service or membership? Let us know so we can set up the site to funnel people to you conversion. Is it a E-Commerce site.  All thing that are easy to set up and easier to screw up if you do not know what you are doing.

12.  Can You Describe How You Want The Site To Look Like?

Use Adjective to help us get what color-scheme look and feel for the site. That way we can get consistency across all the pages.

13.  How Do You Stand Apart From Your Competitors?

There is always competition in any business.  There must be something that makes you stand out from the crowd.  From your great customer service to you witty banter or even your latest equipment.  The customer wants to be served  by the best he can afford.  How do you make them special.

14.  What special software do you want to connect  with?

Whether it is a Customer Resource Management, Accounting or whatever software that you need to connect to, let us know.  It is much easier to do it from the start then to come in after and put it in.

15.  Are there any special features you want to be included on your site?

If you have a document depository or other special feature you want set up.  Tell us now.

16.  How do people currently find out about you?

Do you currently have a website? Do you want us to migrate the new site there or let both stay running.  Any other way people find about you?

17.  Do You Have Your Own Artwork Or Content?

We can supply you with both content and graphic design. Let us know now instead of later.  These do take considerable amount of time to create.

18.  Are you Planning on using online marketing or advertising?

We can help with social media marketing, content marketing and pay per click advertising.  So if you need to run Google Adwords or content marketing we will be right there for you.

 

So What to do Next.

You can email us with answers to the questions or call us and we can get your questions answered.  We will then work up a proposal for your site.

Contact Us To Get A Web Design Proposal

Or call (559) 900-2649