This questionnaire is meant to gather background information that will facilitate us in understanding your objectives as well as in our identification of solutions to your needs. We believe that your completing this profiler will also aid you in identifying the scope of what you want achieved by the web project. (Even if you do not answer every question before returning the form to us, please use this as an ongoing guide as we work together on planning your web site.)

Organizational Background

Describe your business or organization. Include a summary of what it does.

What is your organization's mission statement? What is your organization's vision statement? How does the site relate to either?

Describe your competitors or field colleagues.

Describe your customers or clients.

Who in your organization will be involved with the web project?

Project background

Do you own or have ever owned a web site? What work has been done on the site?

Why are you seeking another contractor?

What how soon do you need the site to be completed? Are there any particular scheduling issues such as trade shows or conferences?

What are your plans for marketing the site?

Objective(s)

Web sites are often created for the following reasons: improve communications (with business associates and clients and within an organization); improve access to information; reinforce a brand or identity; sell a product or service, etc.

Please summarize the purpose of the web site.

Usually web sites are launched to either make or save money. Which is your aim?

Is the purpose of the site to do what you are doing now or to do something different? Please explain.

Will the web site reinforce an existing advertising or marketing campaign? Budget

What is the budget for this project? Keep in mind your overall marketing goals in relation to your web site budget.

( ) $1,000 - $5,000

( ) $5,000 - $20,000

( ) $20,000 - $50,000

( ) $50,000 -

Do you have a not to exceed amount? If so, what is it?

Have you planned for hosting and maintenance of the site? If so, what is your budget?

Site Usage

Who is your target audience? (existing and new user groups)

What are your goals for each group?

Do you want to the web site to attract repeat visitors? Please explain.

What services or products are involved?

What are your goals for each service/product?

Look-and-Feel

Describe your desired web site as if it had a personality?

Does this personality match your web site objectives?

Discuss any identity/branding assets (logos, other artwork, fonts) or issues.

What message do you want the web site to send about you?

Functionality

What functional requirements are there? (e-commerce, database, etc.)

What types of legacy systems/databases are involved?

Are there any security issues?

Other technical issues:

Content

Who will supply the content on the site? Will it be new or repurposed (reused), or both?

How often will new content need to be added?

Who will update the content?

Surfing the Web

If you haven't already done so, you will greatly benefit by doing some of your own research on what's out there on the Web. You can use the below categories to begin your investigation and let us know what you find. Please list per category one or more sites that pertain to your site in the following ways.

Similar...

Product:

Audience:

Marketing situation: (new or established product or company)

Desired...

Functionality:

Look-and-feel:

Publishing model: (currency, frequency, novelty of content, etc.)

Other features important to your project:

Your competitor's site:

Your favorite sites: (they don't have to relate to your own site)



*Thanks is owed to David Siegel who takes the guess work out of asking the right questions in Secrets of Successful Web Sites (1997). You can visit book site at www.secretsites.com.