1. Clarify Your Purpose and Audience

Why are you building this website?
Start with the basics. Is your website meant to inform, sell products, generate leads, or simply establish an online presence? The purpose of your site will shape everything from layout to functionality.

Who are you trying to reach?
Knowing your target audience is crucial. Are they families, professionals, young adults, or seniors? Understanding their needs and behaviors helps in crafting user-friendly content and intuitive design.

What values should your website reflect?
Your website is an extension of your brand. Consider how your core values—like trust, innovation, or creativity—should be expressed visually and through your content.

What specific goals do you want to achieve?
Do you want to increase sales, grow your email list, book more appointments, or build brand awareness? Clear goals allow you to measure success and prioritize features.

What works (or doesn’t) on your current site?
If you’re redesigning, reflect on what’s been successful and where users tend to drop off. This insight helps identify opportunities for improvement.

2. Define Features and Functionality

Ensuring your site is mobile-friendly.
With so many users now browsing on their phones, developing your website to be mobile responsive is non-negotiable. Your site should look great and work smoothly on all screen sizes.

Do you need e-commerce capabilities?
If you’re selling products or services, think about what’s required: product pages, a shopping cart, secure payment gateways, and maybe even inventory management.

Do you want to be found on Google?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key to being found online. From your content keywords to alt-tags and back end metadata, SEO-ready design helps to boost searchable visibility.

Will it integrate with other tools?
Think beyond the site itself. Do you need to connect with a CRM, email marketing platform, booking software, or social media?

Do you want to update it yourself?
If you prefer hands-on control, a user-friendly CMS (Content Management System) will allow you to add or edit content without needing a developer.

3. Understand the Project Scope and Budget

What’s your budget and what does it include?
Clarify how much you’re investing and what that covers—design, development, content, SEO, and any extras like branding or photography.

What’s the timeline?
From planning to launch, a realistic project schedule keeps everything on track. Make sure there’s room for feedback, revisions, and testing.

How are payments structured?
Understand the payment schedule—is it milestone-based, monthly, or a flat fee? This avoids surprises later.

Will the designer research my business?
A great website reflects your unique story. Ask whether industry and competitor research is part of the process.

Are other services offered?
If you need help with copywriting, branding, marketing, or content creation, find out if these services are available.

4. Establish Client Involvement and Communication

How much input will you have?
Some clients want to be hands-on, others prefer to step back. Decide how involved you’d like to be throughout the whole process.

Who’s providing the content?
Be clear on who’s responsible for writing copy, providing images, or sourcing testimonials. This helps avoid delays and create role-clarity.

How will you communicate?
Set expectations for check-ins, feedback rounds, and preferred platforms (email, calls, Zoom, project management tools).

Who’s your main contact?
Working with a dedicated project manager or single point of contact ensures better communication and accountability.

5. Capture the Look and Feel

What style do you envision?
Is your brand sleek and modern, warm and approachable, or bold and artistic? Your visual style should match your target audience and brand tone.

Are there specific colors, fonts, or brand elements to include?
Create and provide a brand guideline to ensure consistency across your website and marketing materials.

What has inspired you?
Show examples of websites you admire—and explain why you like them. Is it the layout, colours, fonts, imagery, tone, or functionality?

What should your website feel like?
Should it feel professional, fun, exclusive, or friendly? Defining the emotional tone helps to connect with audience, and guide design choices and messaging.

Build With Intention

Your website is one of the most important investments in your business. By walking through these key questions before jumping into the design, you’ll not only create a better site—you’ll also gain clarity about your brand, audience, and goals.

Partner with a designer who will guide you through these steps, ask the right questions, and help bring your vision to life. Because a well-planned website isn’t just beautiful – it should be designed to deliver the results that are important to you.