I’m always surprised when I talk to people that want to “do a website” for their business and they haven’t thought through even a rudimentary strategy.  Some basic questions need to be considered:

Is the website part of our marketing plan?
What do we hope to achieve by having a website?

If we haven’t addressed these questions, we are only chipping away at the tip of the iceberg!

When that iceberg floats by, we quickly size it up and decide we want one too! We make gurgling sounds and say things like, “We need a website”, as if it’s just suddenly going to appear and make us successful.

Let’s take our eyes off the surface stuff and dive a little deeper below the surface!

Surface stuff
It looks pretty, I want one too!
I could see it a mile way, it must be easy to find!
I’ll bet I can attract new customers in no time flat!

Below the surface
How will I market my website?
What is my current customer demographic?
Do I plan to sell product online and will clients buy it there?
Does my competitor have a website?
Is my brand strong and consistent from web to brick and mortar?
How will I measure ROI?
What is a new customer worth to me?
What’s my messaging and will it resonate with prospects?
What do I want the user experience to be on my site?
How will I use images or video?
Do I plan to implement a social media strategy?
Do I plan to develop a email marketing strategy?
Do I have a domain name secured?
How will I update the site and maintain it so that it’s current and up to date?

Are you asking the tough questions? What else should you be considering?