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Website Design Checklist

Website Design Checklist

Beginning a new website project can be a daunting and intimidating task. There are so many moving parts it is easy to overlook some of them. This doesn’t just go for the web designer; it goes for the client as well. In an effort to help make the process a little less frightening, here is Foster’s website project checklist for the client

  • Domain Names
    • Do you have a list of all relevant domain names?
    • Does your company own the domain(s) and have access to the domain registration info?
    • How many domains point to this website?
    • Would changing any of those domains impact other areas of your business such as company email?
  • Site Security
    • Does your website require an SSL?
    • Password protection?
    • Other?
  • Target Audience
    • What kind of audience will the site be developed for?
    • What kind of information are they looking for?
    • What kinds of actions should they be taking?
    • Is any usage or analytic data available for the web design team to review?
  • Keywords/SEO
    • Compile a list of keywords and key phrases you think your website should be targeting
    • Are these words the same as what your audience might use to search for your products or services? Be sure to put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
    • Be sure to consider this list when auditing and compiling your website content
  • Audit Existing Content
    • How much is staying?
    • How much is being removed?
    • How much needs just minor editing?
    • How much new content needs to be generated?
    • Don’t forget to include logos, images and videos in this process
  • Site Structure
    • Does the site already have a sitemap to follow?
    • How will changes in your content impact the way the site is organized?
  • Creating New Content
    • Are you developing the content internally?
    • Do you need to enlist a copywriter for partial or full copywriting assistance?
  • Existing Site Assets and Functionality
    • Is there any data or functionality that needs to be carried over?
    • Do you already have a web analytics solution in place that should be retained?
  • New Functional Requirements
    • Is there any new functionality the new site should be capable of?
    • Does the site need to communicate with any backend systems?
    • How will ecommerce transactions be handled and processed?
    • Who with your organization should receive web form submissions and notifications?
  • Technology Requirements
    • What technology requirements (if any) does the new site have? For instance, should the site be developed on the Microsoft .Net platform, or .PHP?
    • Do you need a printable version of the site?
    • A mobile version?
  • Content Management
    • How much of the site’s content will you need to edit on a regular basis?
    • How often does the content change?
    • What kind of content changes will you be making?
      • Product data, simple text updates, adding/removing whole pages, and images to a gallery, etc.?
    • Who within your organization will be responsible for these updates?
    • Does content need to be approved by other in your organization before it goes live?
  • Hosting
    • Where will the site be hosted?
    • If switching to a new host, does the new host support the technology the new site will use?
  • Deadline
    • When does the new site need to launch?
    • What is the plan in the event there are any delays?
  • Budget
    • What is the budget available for this project?
    • If there is not adequate budget for this project, can some of the features and functionality be phased in?
  • Social Media
    • What social media does your company participate in?
    • How will social media be integrated into the new website?
    • Do you own and have control over all the usernames and passwords for those accounts?
    • Do you need to create them from scratch?
  • Marketing
    • How will you promote the site to your existing users and customers?
    • How will you attract new users and customers?
  • Project Management
    • Who will be the main point of contact during the project for your organization?
    • Who has the power to make decisions and approve project milestones?
    • Have you assigned tasks to other team members from your organization to assist with the project?
    • Do they understand their roles and responsibilities?

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