Building a new website is one of the most exciting projects a business can undertake. It’s a chance to craft your digital first impression, create a powerful sales engine, and connect with customers on a global scale. But it’s also one of the most dangerous. Too many website projects fail, not because of bad code or ugly design, but because of a complete lack of strategy from the very beginning.
Business owners often rush into the visual aspects—focusing on colors, fonts, and flashy animations—without first asking the fundamental questions that actually drive results. They build a beautiful, empty shell that does nothing for their bottom line.
This guide is designed to prevent that. This isn’t just a checklist for your web developer; it’s a strategic blueprint for you, the business owner. By taking the time to work through these 25 questions, you will move from a place of uncertainty to one of absolute clarity. You won’t just be prepared to hire a developer; you’ll have a crystal-clear vision for a website that serves as a powerful, tireless engine for your business’s growth.
Part 1: The ‘Why’ – Defining Your Core Purpose & Strategy (Questions 1-8)
Everything starts with why. If you don’t know the core purpose of your website, you can’t possibly measure its success.
1. Why do you want a new website?
- Why This Question Matters: This is the most important question of all. Your answer must be more specific than “to look more modern” or “because my competitor has one.” A strong answer defines measurable business goals. Are you trying to generate 50 new leads per month? Increase online sales by 30%? Reduce customer support calls by providing better information? Defining success upfront will guide every subsequent decision.
- Actionable Insight: Write down 3-5 specific, measurable goals for your new website. For example: “To capture at least 100 email subscribers in the first three months.”
2. What will happen if you don’t have a new website?
- Why This Question Matters: This question defines the urgency and the cost of inaction. Is your current site broken on modern browsers? Are you losing sales because you can’t process payments? Is your brand credibility suffering? Understanding the pain points your new site needs to solve will help prioritize features and justify the investment.
- Actionable Insight: List the top 3 business problems your current online presence is causing. This is the “before” picture your new site will fix.
3. Please describe your business in a few sentences.
- Why This Question Matters: This is your mission statement or elevator pitch. It should be clear, concise, and customer-focused. This statement is the guiding star for your website’s copy, especially on the homepage. It’s not just about what you do, but why it matters to your customer.
- Actionable Insight: Craft a single sentence that answers: “We help [target audience] to [solve a problem] by [providing a solution].”
4. What sets you apart for a special (niche) group of potential customers?
- Why This Question Matters: This is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). In a crowded market, being a generalist is a death sentence. Are you the fastest, the most affordable, the most luxurious, the most eco-friendly? What is the one thing you do better than anyone else for a specific group of people?
- Actionable Insight: Your website’s headline should scream this USP. Instead of “Financial Services,” try “Retirement Planning for Freelance Creatives.”
5. What problems does your potential client base have that your business solves?
- Why This Question Matters: Your website copy should be less about your company’s features and more about your customers’ problems. People buy solutions, not products. They don’t buy a drill; they buy a hole in the wall.
- Actionable Insight: Structure your service pages around customer pain points. Lead with “Are you struggling with…?” and then present your service as the clear, effective solution.
6. How can your particular background help potential clients?
- Why This Question Matters: This is about building trust and authority. What in your experience—your years in the industry, your unique training, your personal story—makes you the most credible choice? This is the core of your “About Us” page.
- Actionable Insight: Weave your unique story into your brand narrative. People connect with people, not faceless corporations.
7. Why should site visitors do business with you rather than a competitor?
- Why This Question Matters: The competition is just one click away. Your website must immediately answer this question. Is it your unparalleled customer service? Your lifetime warranty? Your award-winning results? You must make your case clearly and quickly.
- Actionable Insight: Create a “Why Choose Us” section on your homepage that lists 3-5 powerful differentiators with proof (e.g., testimonials, awards, data).
8. Do you have a slogan or tagline?
- Why This Question Matters: A great tagline is a short, memorable summary of your brand’s promise. Think Nike’s “Just Do It” or Apple’s “Think Different.” While not essential, a strong tagline can be a powerful branding asset to highlight throughout your site.
Part 2: The ‘Who’ – Understanding Your Audience & Competition (Questions 9, 14, 15)
You don’t design a website for yourself; you design it for your users. To do that, you need to know them inside and out.
9. Please describe your potential customers.
- Why This Question Matters: This goes beyond simple demographics (age, gender, income). You need to understand their psychographics: their goals, their frustrations, their technical savvy, and what they value.
- Actionable Insight: Create 1-3 detailed “user personas.” Give each persona a name, a backstory, and a set of goals. For example, “Meet ‘Marketing Manager Mary.’ She’s 35, overwhelmed with data, and needs a tool that provides clear, actionable reports.” Every design decision should be made with Mary in mind.
14. Please list five other sites that you like.
- Why This Question Matters: This isn’t about copying. It’s about identifying your aesthetic and functional preferences. When you analyze why you like a site, be specific. Is it the clean layout? The bold typography? The simple checkout process?
- Actionable Insight: Create a “mood board” of screenshots. Don’t just look at competitors; look at best-in-class websites from completely different industries for inspiration.
15. Have you researched your online competition?
- Why This Question Matters: A competitive analysis is crucial. You need to know what your competitors are doing well (so you can match it) and where they are failing (so you can exploit their weakness).
- Actionable Insight: Analyze 3-5 competitor websites. What keywords are they ranking for? What is their main call to action? How is their pricing structured? What do their customer reviews say? This intelligence is marketing gold.
Part 3: The ‘How’ – Logistics, Budget & Team (Questions 10-13, 17)
A great idea without a practical plan is just a dream. This section covers the project management essentials.
10. What is your budget for this project?
- Why This Question Matters: Your budget determines the scope of the project. But think beyond the initial design and build costs. The “true cost” of a website includes ongoing expenses like hosting, domain registration, premium plugin licenses, security maintenance, and backups.
- Actionable Insight: Allocate your budget into two columns: one-time setup costs and recurring annual costs. This provides a realistic financial picture.
11. Who are the decision-makers on this project?
- Why This Question Matters: “Design by committee” is a project killer. While multiple stakeholders will have input, there must be one designated point person with the final authority to make decisions. This prevents endless feedback loops and keeps the project on track.
12. What staff members will be involved?
- Why This Question Matters: Defining roles and responsibilities from the start avoids confusion. Who is responsible for providing content? Who will approve the design? Who will be trained to update the site post-launch?
13. What is your deadline for completing the site?
- Why This Question Matters: Deadlines create focus and a sense of urgency. However, be realistic. The most common cause of project delays is the client’s inability to provide content in a timely manner. A typical small business website takes 6-12 weeks, contingent on client feedback and content delivery.
17. Where is the website content coming from?
- Why This Question Matters: This is the single biggest bottleneck in most web design projects. Do not assume you can “write it later.” A website is its content. The design must be built around the final text and images, not the other way around.
- Actionable Insight: Implement a “content-first” strategy. Write all of your core page copy before the design phase begins. If you can’t, hire a copywriter to work in parallel with your designer.
Part 4: The ‘What’ – Features, Functionality & Design (Questions 16, 18-21)
Now we get to the specifics of what your site will actually do.
16. What do you NOT want on your site?
- Why This Question Matters: Knowing what you don’t want is as important as knowing what you do. Do you hate sliders? Do you find video backgrounds distracting? Do you want to avoid stock photos of people in suits shaking hands? Creating an “anti-inspiration” list can be incredibly helpful for a designer.
18. Do you have a logo?
- Why This Question Matters: Your logo is the visual anchor of your brand. It influences the entire color scheme and style of the site. It needs to be provided in a high-resolution, scalable vector format (like .AI, .EPS, or .SVG) for best results.
19. Are you planning to do online sales?
- Why This Question Matters: “E-commerce” is a broad term. You need to be specific. Are you selling physical products with shipping? Digital downloads? Appointments for services? Subscriptions? Event tickets? Each of these requires different functionality, payment gateways, and user flows.
20. If you’re planning to sell online, are you set up to accept credit cards?
- Why This Question Matters: Setting up a payment gateway (like Stripe or PayPal) and a merchant account can take time. This process should be started early in the project, as it’s essential for testing the checkout process.
21. How much time will you be able to spend responding to inquiries?
- Why This Question Matters: A website can generate a lot of leads, but a lead is useless if it’s ignored. You need a system. If someone fills out your contact form, what happens next? They should receive an immediate auto-responder email, and your team should have a clear process for following up within a set timeframe (e.g., 24 hours).
Part 5: The ‘Next’ – Launch, Marketing & Growth (Questions 22-25)
A website launch isn’t the finish line; it’s the starting line.
22. If you were using a search engine, what words or phrases would you use to find your site?
- Why This Question Matters: This is the foundation of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You need to think like your customers. These “seed keywords” will inform the structure of your site, the topics of your blog, and the copy on your pages.
- Actionable Insight: List 5-10 core phrases your customers would search for. Then, use a tool like Google Keyword Planner to see the search volume and find related terms.
23. Other than search engines, what methods will you use to spread the word?
- Why This Question Matters: In the old days, just having a website was newsworthy. Not anymore. You need a promotional plan. Will you be using social media marketing? Email newsletters? Paid ads? Content marketing? Your website should be designed to support these channels (e.g., with social sharing buttons and email signup forms).
24. Once completed, how long before you bring in significant business from the website?
- Why This Question Matters: This is the reality-check question. SEO takes time—often 6-12 months to show significant results. Paid ads can bring traffic immediately, but require ongoing investment. Setting realistic expectations prevents disappointment and helps you stay committed to your long-term strategy.
25. How do you plan to encourage repeat visitors and referrals?
- Why This Question Matters: A website shouldn’t be a static piece of granite. You need a plan to keep it fresh and give people a reason to come back. This is where content marketing shines. A regularly updated blog, a valuable email newsletter, a library of resources, or a free tool can turn your site into an indispensable resource in your industry, encouraging both repeat visits and valuable referrals.
A successful website is never an accident. It is the end result of a deliberate, strategic process that begins long before the first line of code is written. By working through this 25-point blueprint, you have moved beyond the role of a client simply waiting for a design. You have become the architect of your own digital success, armed with a clear vision, defined goals, and a deep understanding of your business and your customers. This clarity is the single most valuable asset you can bring to a web design project, ensuring the final product is not just a pretty picture, but a powerful engine for growth.
