Web Design Questions To Ask Client – Top 7

web design questions to ask client
One of the biggest problems of designing a website for a client is not clearly knowing his or her needs. Most clients are not aware of all the components that go into building a site. For instance they might think a one page business site is sufficient but don’t realize having an about us page and a contact form will benefit them. They also may not be thinking about how to market their website. Your job as a professional web designer is to educate them about how a professional website design will benefit their business.

The Top 7 Web Design Questions To Ask Your Client

1. What’s the purpose of your website?

This is to determine if the client needs an informational website to convey information or an e-commerce website for selling products and/or services.

2. What type of products or services will you be offering?

One time I signed up a client to build an e-commerce store and found out later on she wanted to sell pornographic products. Asking this question ahead of time will save you a lot of headaches and give you a better idea how long the site will take to build.

3. How many pages will you need?

This gives you an opportunity to walk through the structure of the website and get them to think of what’s needed. For instance if they only need a few pages such as home, about us, contact, site map then a static site would be sufficient. On the other hand if they want to sell hundreds of products or add hundreds of content pages a content management system such as WordPress would suit them better.

4. How many navigation links will you need?

This will give you some idea of the size of the website they want to build and how to lay out the structure.

5. Do you have the content/images ready to go for the site?

Most clients haven’t thought about what content to place on the website. They may think that it is your job to do that in which case you can charge them accordingly or they may have all the ideas still in their mind but haven’t got them down on paper yet. Having the content ready to go will cut down on the time it takes to build the site.

6. Does any of your content require a database or scripting?

They may not know what you mean by asking this question so provide some examples such as contact forms, shopping cart, newsletters. Creating a database or installing and configuring a script often takes more work than designing web pages.

7. Will you be accepting payments online?

New clients may think it is too complicated to accept payments online however if you point out it can be done relatively easy by using the PayPal shopping cart they may change their minds.

8. Will you need Web Hosting?

Some clients don’t know what web hosting means. Explain to them every website needs a home on the Net and that your web hosting service provides this for them. Mention you offer several web hosting plans so you can add this expense to the development of the website.

When a client already has a web hosting provider I say “I prefer to host your website on my server.” then list the reasons why you prefer them to switch ie

  • Unresponsive technical support
  • Lack of technical knowlege ie installing scripts
  • No daily backups of website files
  • Server downtime ie website goes offline

9. Do you need a professional email address?

Clients usually think that their Yahoo or Gmail email address is sufficient for their website without realizing it doesn’t present a professional image. This gives you an opportunity to educate them on the benefits of using a professional address for their business.

10. Have you registered a domain name or have suggestions for one?

If you offer a domain name registration service you can check the availability of multiple domain names then offer to register one for them. Make sure you add the cost to your proposal.

Gathering all the answers to these top 7 questions will save you a ton of time because half of your design battle will be resolved. Assure your client you’ll be in constant communication with them during the development of their website and look forward to working with them.

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Need a professional website designed for your business?
Visit: Business Web Design Maryland

Comments

  1. Hi great article thanks for sharing. What are the most active and respected web discussion forums/groups for interior design and decoration issues?

  2. Tim…enter “interior design+forums” in Google. You can do the same to find for blogs, groups, etc.

  3. Great article. I’ve been combing the internet for that same question you asked in #8. If they do not already have a domain or web host what is the most common way of hosting multiple domains from different businesses? Is there a bulk hosting for web designers use to host all of their clients?

    • Monty…I’ve been using this reseller company for the last 10 years.
      Their customer support is outstanding (extremely responsive), provide regular backups of your accounts
      and have all the features you ever need to host multiple accounts. Let them know I referred you if
      you decide to go with them.

  4. Ah found it on your site once again. If I read it correctly I would need a reseller hosting option? Any recommendations?

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