Who is using this website?

What do you want the site to do? Do you want to be able to post pictures, publish a blog, or have a newsletter? Write up your dream list. You can scale it back later. I have often found that some features that clients think are expensive and involved are super easy.

What do you want your visitors to remember?

Could your offline marketing campaign be integrated with your online?

Which web sites do you admire, and why?

Budget.
How much do you have to spend on your web site? This is a good thing to know and share with your designer. It will help your designer scale to project to meet your needs. This way if what you want is more than your budget, your web consulting can provide you three quotes. One that matches the budget, one that will meet what the consultant thinks meets the balance between your budget and your needs and one that delivers the whole project and the kitchen sink.

Answering these questions will give you a solid idea of what you are looking for when you speak to a design firm.

In today’s marketplace businesses that are not found online are in real trouble. If your potential client’s cannot Google you, they can’t locate your office/store/restaurant, they can’t see your past offerings, they can’t read reviews of your services or products. You disappear. And as those same potential customers are searching for you, they are finding your competition.

So if your business does not yet have a web site, it’s time.