If you’re thinking of starting any kind of website, or you’re working with a client to create a new website, here are some questions to ask to help discover the goals of the new site. These questions are intentionally probing, teasing out how the website should look, and how the website should focus on the visitors.

You are free to use these questions anywhere you like. If you do re-use them, please let me know, as I’m interested to know what they get used for.

Website Goals

• What do you want to say on your website?
• What do you perceive is the value of having a website?

Target Audience

• Who is your target market?
• Is your business or website targeted at a specific geographic area? If so, what areas?
• What do you want your visitors to do once they get to your website?
• Should your visitors be able to purchase something directly from your website?
• Why should your visitors come back to your website?

Competitors

• Why should visitors visit your website rather than a competitors?
• Who are your competitors?
• What do your competitors do better than you?
• What do you do better than your competitors?

Design and Usability Ideas

• List up to 5 websites that you like and what you like about them.
• List up to 5 websites that you really dislike and what it is about them that you dislike.

Content

• What information do people always ask you for?
• Who will provide the content for the website?
• What information do you think people will visit your website for?

Domain Name

• Do you have a domain name?
• Do you need a domain name that represents your company name?

Promotion

• How will you promote the website?
• What do you know about social media?

Any more?

If you have any more ideas of questions to ask when creating a new website, please add them via the comments below!