What to ask yourself when planning a website

For me to build the website of your dreams, there's some stuff I need to know. (Any developer worth their salt will ask you this). If you can think of this stuff up front, it'll make the design process simpler and usually cheaper too. Here’s a list of essential questions you should consider when planning a website:

• What is the primary purpose of the website? (e.g., business promotion, portfolio, blog, e-commerce, informational)

• What are the specific goals you want to achieve with this website? (e.g., increase brand awareness, generate leads, showcase products/services)

• Who is your target audience? (e.g., demographics, interests, behaviour)

• What types of content will the website feature? (e.g., text, images, videos, documents, forms)

• Do you have existing content that needs to be transferred to the new site? (e.g., text, images, blog posts)

• How many pages do you anticipate needing? (e.g., home, about, gallery, services, blog, contact)

• Do you have a sitemap or a rough structure in mind for the website? (e.g., navigation menus, hierarchy of pages)

• Do you have any specific design preferences or brand guidelines? (e.g., colour scheme, fonts, logo usage)

• Are there any websites you admire or want to use as inspiration? (e.g., specific features, layout, style)

• Is there a pre-made template for Google Sites you'd like to use?

• What specific features do you need on the website? (e.g., contact form, booking system, blog, social media integration)

• Do you require any third-party integrations? (e.g., Google Analytics, CRM, social media feeds)

• Do you need the website to be mobile-friendly or responsive? (Note: Google Sites is inherently responsive, but specific design considerations may be necessary.)

• Will you need any custom scripts or HTML embeds? (e.g., for Google maps, Google forms, videos or interactive elements)

• Do you have specific SEO (Search Engine Optimization) requirements or keywords you want to target?

• How do you plan to promote the website? (e.g., social media, email marketing, search engine marketing, business indexes)

• Do you have Google Analytics or other tracking tools set up, or would you like assistance with this?

• Who will be responsible for maintaining the website once it’s live? (e.g., client, your team, shared responsibility)

• How often do you anticipate needing updates or changes to the site?

• What is your desired timeline for the project? (e.g., project start and launch date)

• Do you have a budget in mind for this project? (This helps me tailor the scope and complexity of the site to your cost envelope.)

• Do you require any specific legal pages or disclaimers? (e.g., privacy policy, terms of service, cookie consent)

• Are there any accessibility requirements? (e.g., compliance with ADA or WCAG guidelines)

• Do you have a domain name already, or will you need assistance acquiring one?

• Are there any specific hosting requirements or concerns? (Note: Google Sites uses Google's infrastructure, so hosting is managed by Google.)

If you can answer some (or all) of these questions, why not fill in my quotation form for an accurate estimate of how long your project will take, and how much it will cost?