Too many companies create an online presence without really understanding what it is that their customer wants. They have an “if we build it they will come” attitude, and then they’re disappointed when customers don’t flock to their site.

The problem, of course, is inadequate planning.  Among the questions they don’t ask themselves:

•    What customer need are we attempting to meet online?

•    How are we going to make money?

•    How are we going to promote our website so our customers (and potential customers) know what’s available?

•    What strategic advantages do we have over our competitors?  How do we leverage those advantages to increase sales?

•    With a limited budget, how do we prioritize our work to get the greatest return-on-investment (ROI)?

With so many questions, and without a structured framework to think about solutions, many of our clients end up in either analysis paralysis, or get frustrated and jump right in with a half-baked solution. Either way, nothing good can come of that.

So we’ve created a website questionnaire designed to gather information every web team needs to consider. Our goal is to give folks some structure for website planning and analysis. This tool focuses the discussion on the customer and away from internal politics or personal opinions.  After all, your website is about what the user/customer wants, right? Once that’s identified, creating a customer-friendly solution that meets the underlying business needs is an easier, happier process for everyone.

Download the FREE
Normal Modes Website Questionnaire

These questions apply to every single business endeavor online. (And, to a large extent, non-business endeavors, too.)  Some of the questions are basic, while others are targeted at identifying problems and prioritizing solutions. The list isn’t exhaustive – even though it is quite a long document.

Every question should have an answer.

Got a question that you can’t answer? Well, that’s an area that needs more structured consideration or the help of a specialist to resolve.

Please plan to spend at least 2 hours, and maybe an entire day, working through the questionnaire. This is a wonderful activity for web teams to complete together.

The Website Questionnaire is designed to be the first part of a two-part process.  If you’re a Normal Modes client, it will facilitate our work. We can work together on any questions that cannot be answered right now. If you like, we can even answer the questions together.  As always, all answers remain confidential.

If you are not one of our clients, you’re still welcome to use this free questionnaire as a guideline for evaluating your website endeavors. We hope that if you need assistance reaching your online goals, you’ll keep Normal Modes in mind.

Enjoy!