_planning your website
The Website Brief
Good planning is the key to a successful website. If created and promoted properly, a website can be a useful tool to sell your products and services. It can be simple or elaborate, but if you want it to be successful, then you should make it easy for your customers to navigate through it and find what they're looking for. It should also contain great content and be branded with your business' message. This planner is designed to help you get started. |
The Checklist
Providing the following information in your design brief will make the most of your project. Please answer as many questions as you can:
Providing the following information in your design brief will make the most of your project. Please answer as many questions as you can:
Contact Information
1. Who will be the main contact person for this project? Please include phone number, e-mail address and mailing address. 2. Who else will be involved in the decision-making process? Please include their contact information. General Information 1. Describe your business/organization. 2. Describe your website’s target audience. 3. Do you have an existing website? If so, please list the web address. 4. Who are your competitors or similar service providers? Please also include their website addresses. 5. What do you like and dislike about your competitors’ websites? 6. If you need your current website re-designed, what do you like and dislike about your existing site? 7. If you already have a website, are visitor statistics available for review? If so, please include instructions on accessing those statistics. 8. Do you already have a domain name? Please list your domain name. 9. Do you already have hosting for your website? Please list your hosting provider. Scope & Features 1. What key actions do you want visitors to perform while at your website? Example actions include reading your content, purchasing products, signing up to a mailing list, filling out a contact form. 2. What other features does your website require. Examples include contact forms, shopping cart, payment processing, discussion boards, visitor statistics, audio/video clips, mailing list manager, password-protected areas, etc. 3. How many pages do you envision your site having? 4. What are these pages? Please be as specific as possible. For example: Home, About Us, 10 Product pages, Contact Page. Content 1. Will you be writing your own content for the website? 2. Do you need copywriting or copy editing? 3. Will you be providing photos and/or illustrations for your website in digital format? |
Maintenance & Advertising
1. Will you be maintaining your website in-house? If so, what specific skills, content management tools and applicable software tools is your website administrator familiar with? 2. Do you need a content management system? Please specify what features you require. Timeframe & Budget 1. When do you hope to have your website completed? 2. What are the reasons for this timeframe? 3. What is your budget? Please note: a rough estimate is necessary for us to create a proposal that realistically pairs your expectations with appropriate solutions. 4. If your budget or timeframe is constrained, is it possible to divide the project into phases? If so, what features are a must-have for a first phase? Additional Information 1. Does your project require branding? Examples include logo design, stationary package, or print materials such as brochures. 2. How will you determine whether your new website is a success? 3. Are there any other details, concerns or requirements we should know about? 4. Finally, Please include any other comments or questions you would like addressed: Thanks for taking the time to fill out the Website Planner as completely as possible. |