Website Discovery

The only way to avoid this problem is by working with a web design company with a rock-solid discovery process. The initial discovery phase of a project is where the developer gains an understanding of the client's key objectives.

Critical Discovery Information

Your web design company needs much more than a superficial understanding of your business and industry to create a high-impact website. A thorough discovery process includes discussion of the following:

• Detailed company history, including key developments and when they occurred
• Contact information specifics, including addresses and phone numbers of all locations
• Strategic objectives of the new website, prioritized as clearly as possible
• Major dislikes about the current website, in terms of color, content, message and functionality
• Major likes about the current website, in terms of color, content, message and functionality
• Why major likes and dislikes matter (to help the client and web design company sort out real issues versus ones merely a matter of personal preference)
• How products and services are organized for customers (product groups, service categories, etc.)
• The priority of products and services in terms of profitability
• The priority of products and services in terms of popularity
• The positioning of products and services: specialty items, commodities, one-time purchases, repeat purchases, etc.
• Where and how the company fits in the distribution chain
• A complete description of customer segments, including geographic location, age, gender, company role (for B2B), etc. for each
• Details about key buying motivators for each segment
• Details about key buying obstacles for each segment
• Detailed description of the sales cycle
• Detailed information about the sales process, including how leads are generated, how products are pitched, etc.
• Details about company/product/service credibility, including testimonials, recognizable customers, certifications, awards, customer retention rate, etc.
• Information about major competitors, their relative strengths and weaknesses, and how the company is positioned against them
• Preferences for website design, including color, imagery style, communication style, mobile experience, key content segments, key messaging points, etc.
• Examples of other websites that company leadership views as benchmarks for quality — and why
• Technical information, including DNS hosting, contact information, domain names pointing to the website, what tracking code will be implemented, etc.

Without this information, the web design company's creative and development team are forced to guess about which product benefits to highlight, how best to capture products and product benefits in imagery, which credibility points carry weight with prospects, and a hundred other website elements that make the difference between a website that attracts business and one that puts prospects to sleep.