The Questions to ask your clients before starting their project
We cannot start any project until we know exactly what’s needed and what the client’s objective is. Here, I will discuss the communication process with the client. Below are some questions you should ask your prospective clients before you get started on their project.Why you need a website (or have your current site redesigned)?
It is important to understand why your prospective clients want a website. Some clients have some unrealistic goals. If you know your client’s motivation for a website, you can guide them in better way what they should include in their site and many more.
What’s your business/organization all about?
It is important to know what type of business your client owns before you start designing the website for him. Ask them to sum up their business in a brief. Try to find out what their key values are, their level of experience in the industry, and their vision of the future, as well as their size, location, and background.Do you currently have a website? If so, what is/isn’t working for you?
Find out what CMS they are using, how long they’ve had it, and how easy it is to update. By spending some time reviewing the current website, you can learn more about your client’s likes and dislikes, as well as learn from any mistakes they made last time.What are your goals for this project?
You need to know a bit more so you can produce a site that’s truly helpful to others. At this point, you should take a step back and use your expertise to find out your client’s motivations. Ask for your client’s definition of success. Do they want to increase the number of visitors, increase the average order, or boost the users on their web forum? Perhaps they want to encourage greater engagement via their blog, increase their brand visibility, or encourage people to sign up for their email newsletter/free trial/white paper, etc.Who is your target audience?
Design is subjective and beauty is very much in the eye of the spectator. It’s important that you have a good idea about who your client’s customers are. It affects not only the look and feel of the site, but may also affect usability and accessibility issues.What do you want visitors to do on your site?
Different websites have different goals. Some sites encourage visitors to purchase something. Some others provide information. Still, others are there to get someone to request more information or sign up for a free trial. Before you can create an effective website, you need to know what your client wants visitors to do on their site.
What is your budget?
you want to know how much money they’ve put aside for their website. Some clients do not have any idea how much a website generally costs, so you may need to guide them by giving them some examples. Don’t automatically discredit someone who doesn’t yet have a budget in mind, as long as they’re willing to talk frankly about money with you prior to receiving a proposal.By what date do you need the site completed?
A lot of people don’t have a realistic idea of how much time a website takes to be completed. Usually, it’s because they don’t know how much designing and development work lies behind a completed website. Discuss with your client about the timing and fix the deadline.What are your long-term plans for your site?
Many clients may come to you and say they just want a simple website with a few pages about their products and some photos. They don’t have a big budget and they want something done quickly. And they tell you they’ll just have you make updates to the site, rather than doing it themselves. What they don’t tell you is that they want to set up a full e-commerce site next year when they release some new products. They don’t tell you they want a social network for their clients, or a bunch of employee blogs for outreach and marketing purposes. And, unfortunately, their entire site will have to be rebuilt from scratch when they decide to go ahead with any of their plans. If you know what they want to do in the future with their site, you can make allowances in the design and coding now. It saves them time and money in the future, and makes them happier with you, since you were looking out for their interests.Who will be responsible for updating your site?
This is another important question to ask your client. The client may say they want you to do updates, and if that’s the case you’ll want to include a maintenance agreement in your contract. Make sure your client knows your policy about how many hours you include in your maintenance plan each month and whether you’re willing to carry over unused time.
