Questions I ask before starting a project

Before we talk about your website there are a few things I always want to know first.

Most people come to me with a Pinterest board and a color palette. Sometimes they come with a competitor's site they've pulled up on their phone. Occasionally they've already named fonts.

That's fine. It's where most people start. But it's not where I start.

Before any of that, I want to understand your business. Specifically, what you're trying to make happen, and for whom. The visual stuff is actually the easier (and funner) part.

But if the thinking underneath it is wrong, not even the prettiest site in the world will do what you need it to.

Here's what I actually want to know before we begin.

What does your website need to do for you?

You might be tempted to say "look professional." or "tell my story." And while those might be true, they're not specific enough to build anything useful from.

What I'm listening for is something more like: I want people to read about my program and book a discovery call. Or: I need my work to speak for itself so I'm not having to explain my credentials every time. Or: I want consultancy clients to find me credible enough to reach out, even if they've never heard of me.

That specificity is key and makes it clear what goes on the homepage, how information is ordered, what gets a button and what gets buried in the footer. It's the difference between a site that works for you and one that just sitting looking pretty.

Who's actually checking you out?

For coaches, consultants, academics, your audiences tend to be people who are thoughtful, maybe a bit skeptical, and are likely doing their research before they commit. That changes how a site needs to be written and structured.

A corporate buyer doing due diligence is different from an individual who's been following you for six months and is finally ready. So, I want to understand the audience you're actually trying to reach is, not the theoretical 'everyone'. That way, when a potential client lands on your page, they feel seen and like they've found exactly what they were looking for.

What do you want them to do when they get there?

And right after that: what would you be happy with, if the main thing doesn't happen right away?

Not everyone that visits your site is going to be ready to act. Some people are just looking or comparing options. Some might even come back three or four times before they make a decision or reach out.

And that's okay.

Knowing what you want them to do, and what you'd be fine with if that doesn't happen, means we can design for the full range of visitors, not just the ones who are already convinced.

What do you actually have?

Content is where most projects fall apart, and it's much better to know where you stand with this sooner than later.

Good photography, finished copy, a clear sense of what you offer and how you talk about it is a very different starting point from "I know what I want to say, I just haven't written it yet." Or worse, "I dunno, I'll just ask AI to come up with something".

Both can be accomplished.

While writing copy is not my wheelhouse, I'm happy to refer clients to copywriting colleagues whose work I trust. I also have a copywriting checklist if you'd like to take a first pass on your own.

What matters is that we know where you stand from the beginning, not three weeks in when we're both frustrated.

Who else is doing what you do, and what do you think of how they present themselves?

This one tells me a lot, and not for the reasons you might think. I'm not looking to copy anyone, it's more that how you talk about the people in your space reveals how you see yourself relative to them, and that tells me a lot about how your site should be positioned.

The question I find most useful is this: what should your site say that theirs doesn't? Identifying that gap is usually where the real work, and the real opportunity is.

What's your budget?

I ask this straight up, and I understand why it can feel uncomfortable. There's a real vulnerability in naming a number, and a fear that doing so just means that's what you'll be charged.

What actually happens is the opposite: knowing your budget means I can be straight with you about what's achievable, where to start, and what can wait.

For the kinds of clients I work with, the scope can vary a lot. A site one-service for a new wellness coach with only one service is a very different project from a full site for a speaking and training business with courses, a podcast and multiple audiences.

Both can be done.

And the budget is just the fastest way to work out which conversation we're having, so neither of us wastes time.

What happens after we're done?

Will you be updating things yourself, or would you rather have someone handle that?

Are you likely to add services, change your offers, or expand the site over time?

Will anything need to be kept in sync like a newsletter, a booking tool, a course platform?

These questions matter more than people expect, because they affect technical decisions that are made early. Knowing how hands-on you'll be after launch affects how I set things up. It determines how the pages are structured, whether I walk you through managing it yourself, or whether it makes more sense for me to handle updates for you.

Getting this clear at the start saves a lot of frustration later.

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None of this is groundwork for the sake of it. A website that genuinely works for you has to start with understanding your business. And that's more important than just how you'd like it to look.

These questions are how I make sure that what we build together is actually built for you and with your audience in mind.

If you're a coach, consultant, or small service business wondering whether we might be a good fit, the best place to start is the project enquiry form. It covers most of the above, and it means my first response to you can actually be useful.