Thinking of re-designing your website to add new functionality? Here are tips to help you initiate your web project planning. Your web developer will likely ask you a few questions to get a feel for what you are seeking to accomplish. Typical questions include:

Rapid assessment:
. What is your current website address?
. Are you currently tracking your site’s performance and if so, how is the site working for you?
. What are strong website attributes that you would like to improve/maintain?
. What are website attributes that no longer serve you well?

Inspirational thinking:
. Have you seen websites (or apps) that you like?
. What are the URLs of the sites/apps that you like and what specifically do you like about those sites (for eg: layout, font, special feature, …)
. What are you trying to achieve (eg: generate more traffic, monetize content, improve your corporate image, …)
. What information would you like to capture from users and for what purpose?
. What content would you like to provide to users in exchage for the information they provide?
. Do you have a vision for what your site could look like? (eg: colour scheme, modern, artsy, …)

Features sought:
. What new features do you want implemented? (eg: blog, application database, eCommerce, …)
. Have you seen this feature well implemented in another site (url)?
. Have you done research regarding this new feature?
. . What are your expectations for this feature (eg: ROI, performance enhancement, …)
. Why do you believe this feature needed?
. How do you envision this feature being integrated in your website or app?
. Do you have an in-house IT department that should be involved in development? Do you have a strategy for ongoing maintenance?

Content Creation:
. Do you have in-house resources for content creation, writing/editing, marketing, testing, documentation, graphic design?
. What new content will need to be created, migrated? Do you have a Content Strategy?

Application Documentation:
. Do you have any documentation (eg: code, notes, white papers, …) for features that you would like to maintain?
. Where is your website currently hosted?
. Can you provide your hosting account login details (ftp access) so that developers can have a look “under the hood”

Targeted Audience:
. What audience (eg: gender, age, occupation, interests, …) are you trying to reach?

Who’s on Your Radar?
. List a few competitors. What are key offerings in their website or app?
. What makes (or would make) you better than the competition?

Budget and Deliverables:
. What is the range of your project budget?
. What is your project timeline?
. Are there priorities in the project development?

Key success factors:
. What does website/app success mean to you (user friendliness, site/app traffic, monetization, …)?

Plan you web project wisely for best results! Together, we will make it happen! :)