What to ask when building a website?

Answer

There are a few questions to keep in mind when building a website.

Make sure it works well with the web - search engine friendly, works with all the browsers and in all resolutions

make sure it is easy to update, and control, to make a successful website you will need to modify and improve it all the time, so make sure to ask "how easy it update?"

Do I really need a site? Does it help or hinder what i'm trying to do? Does it make sense to have a site? Maybe you don't need a site or maybe it just doesn't make sense. Ask this first to save yourself time and money!

What is the purpose of the site? If it's a business site, it needs information about products and services. If it's hobby site, the requirements are less stringent.

Who will the target audience be? You want to make sure the the group you're targeting will be able to find and use your site as easily as possible without turning off those who might not be your target audience.

What information does my site need? Many businesses and people have sites simply because they can but they do not add any actual value. You want a website that will be just as informational as talking to a person face to face and if there is specific information that cannot be relayed in this format, people should be able to contact you. Information about you, your group or your business including staff, profits, partners, contact info, history et cetera may all be required.

What tools does my site need? Information is not the only thing many sites need, however. If you want to run an online shop, you need to have a way for customers to view, select and pay for goods as services as well as provide a way for them to have a receipt and send their shipping information to you. Most of this is covered in a script called a shopping cart. Others tools such as scripts and software may be required for your site to function as smoothly as possible.

What can be left out? While you don't want to err on the side of too little, don't tell us your life story if it's not relevant.

Does my site have a nice as well as functional design? Your site should be easy on the eyes and easy to use.

How often does the site need to be updated, if at all? And who should do that? Having a stagnant site becomes obvious. You don't want your information or products to be out-dated but if you hire the job out to someone, you may not know how to update your website when the time comes.

Can I build the website myself or do I need someone else to do it? You may run a great business but website building isn't for everyone. Sometimes you need to hire someone else. Feel free to shop around for the best prices and for a person or company who can help build what it is you envision. You'll probably have a close working relationship with this person so you should pick someone with whom you work well.

What do I need to access? Even if you hire someone to build and design your website, you may need to still access and use certain tools and areas of the site so you need to be sure that you're able to do that without depending upon someone else.

Does this website represent myself (my company or my group) in the best possible way? Are we sending the right message? A sloppy website that appears more as an afterthought probably doesn't send the message you want potential clients to hear. Treat your website as part of your group or company, as part of your sales, media or advertising team not as a separate entity - a mistake which many people and companies do.

First answer by ID3391166600. Last edit by Thor10014. Contributor trust: 0 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 21 [recommend question]