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!

Something that I struggle with is too much time in front of a PC. I have what’s otherwise known as a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). For me, this means that both of my arms hurt when I use a PC for longer than about 14 hours a week. Something that’s entirely incompatible with being a software developer or web developer.

However, to solve this problem, I have been looking to partner up with a skilled web developer in return for a large share of profits from my ideas. I know my ideas will work, it’s just a matter of getting them implemented. However, I never thought it would be easy finding a business partner, but I’m finding it impossible so far!

I put up a request for business partners (on a couple of forums), but get people who respond who haven’t read my requirements. This is what I’ve been getting:

• offers from people with a wildly different skill set (i.e. .NET/SQLServer when I want PHP/MySQL).
• offers from people who have no time, but they are looking for a web developer. erm, I have no time, that’s why the advert is up! Basically offers of the opposite of what I’m after.
• offers from people wanting me to use their web development services. A big requirement is for a partner, because I don’t have the startup capital. Therefore by partnering, I keep costs low, profits high. If I wanted a web developer, I’m spoilt for choice. There are around 150 in my post code area alone!

To their credit, I have made some good contacts on the back of my adverts, and they’ve been people who’ve made offers in one of the categories above. So they weren’t people I was looking for, but I took the opportunity to network.

However, I have been contacted by 2 people who were really keen to strike up a deal. We exchanged a few emails and things were going well, but I haven’t heard from either in a few days now. Interestingly, a deal with someone who contacted me is going ahead and seems to be going fine so far.

I’d love to know what I’m doing wrong. I seem to be scaring off potential partners! I would have thought that a few websites that make money without too much effort would be desirable?

Perhaps there are so few people who share my commitment and drive to implement my ideas, that I’m struggling to find them? Looks like I’ll be flying solo for a while, despite my efforts.