The questions the web designers will ask you?
Below are some of questions that you will be typically asked when dealing with ourselves, or another web design company. The questions are intended to extract as much information as possible about your company in order to help form the basis for a successful working relationship, and, to assist the development of an effective web project.
It would be worth your while preparing your answers to these questions, with all colleagues involved in the web site project, before contacting ourselves, or another company. There are two reasons for this:
- It will allow you to communicate your requirements clearly, knowing that what you say has been discussed and agreed by all parties.
- It will save you time in the short term, and help to avoid disputes, internal or external, later on.
Questions for the client
Who is in charge of the project?
Who makes the decisions?
Less is better here. Decisions made by commitee usually take longer to appear, and throw up more changes. More changes add to the length of a project, and therefore, it's cost!
Who will be attending meeting(s)?
How many other people/departments are involved?!
Will any other EXTERNAL parties be involved? If so, In what capacity?!
If consultants, logistics companies, photographers, copywriters etc are involved, their input will need managing to make sure that deadlines are not compromised.
What does your company do?
Research is great, but you cannot beat hearing it direct from the client
What services do you want your web site to provide? What are the main aims of the web site?
Here is a whole page explaining the usual replies!
How will you measure success?
Who are your clients?
This is important for targetting the site towards the right audience
What types of visitors do you want the site to attract?!
Sex, age band, income level, corporate only, everyone?
How do you see your visitors benefiting from the site?!
or.. How will you answer the primary visitor question of "What's in it for me?"
Where will content come from?
Content being the information you want people to see. Does it exist? Where is it? Who has it? Is it under copyright?
How often will you want to add new content?
Who will update the content?!
If we do it, we would negotiate a cost for the work. If you do it in-house, will you need to train staff? Do you have the software, time, resources? Either way, there will be associated costs to consider
What are your current marketing efforts and will the site be used to reinforce your current marketing strategy?
If visual, tv ads, poster campaigns etc, does the site need to follow an establish advertising theme?
What is your corporate image and market position?!
You say you are number one, but what do your peers say?
What off-line site promotion will you be undertaking?
Will there be T.V. and radio ads, posters, newpaper ads, flyers etc. - Online promotion can only take it so far
Do you have existing branding elements? eg logos, custom fonts, branding artwork.!
Again, is it under copyright? Do you have the electronic files, or original artwork?
What is driving the project?!
What are your long-term plans for the site?!
If you are planning to grow the site over time, the structure and navigation will need to take this into account
What is the time frame for the project?!
be realistic, it takes time and effort
What is the site design & hosting budget?!
If its tight, the scope will need to be crystal clear with minimum leeway
What is the maintenance budget?!
Always allow an amount for this, its very important for maximum exposure
Who else is bidding on the project?!
Designers are just plain nosey. Ahem
How did you hear about us?!
Feedback is always welcome
Obviously, you don't have to answer the more sensitive questions if you don't want to. For example, you may not have set a budget until you've seen some prices, so just prepare what you can, to help the discussions run smoothly.
| - : Site Map : - |
 |
Knowledge is power |
Know what to expect, and know how to deal with the unexpected. These quick-form information pages will bring you up to 'Internet Savvy' status, very quickly! |
Be confident |
This new knowledge will do wonders for your negotiating skills, and allow you to lead discussions rather than follow them. |
D.I.Y |
There are some things you can do for yourself, so don't feel obliged to accept everything that you're told 'you need'. For sites on a low budget, basic online promotion of a well constructed, engine friendly site, can easily be done by the client. It's just time consuming, so would you want to do it, or would you prefer to farm it out? |
