Infographic: 4 Key Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Talk to an Agency about your New Website

Your old website just isn’t getting the job done anymore. Maybe it’s not generating or converting leads. Perhaps you’ve rebranded. It could be that your business has just evolved. Whatever the reason, you need a new website. You’ve decided to skip the RFP (good choice since they are a waste of time) and meet a few hand-selected agencies. Because you want to get the most out of your first meeting you need to come prepared. The infographic 4 Key Questions to Ask Yourself Before you Talk to an Agency about your New Website is your guide to prepping for a killer first meeting.

Before you Talk to an Agency about Your New Website, You’ll Need to do Some Digging

The questions aren’t gimmes. You’ll need to do some digging. First of all, you’ll have to think about how your new website fits into your sales and marketing efforts. You’ll also need to dig into some areas that aren’t strictly “web development.” Areas such as SEO/SEM, web analytics, social/content marketing and digital advertising all impact how you will build, maintain and operate your site. Finally, the questions force you to look forward and think about how you plan to leverage your website ongoing and what sort of capabilities it requires. The answers you get will help set the tone for a productive meeting. Your prep work will pay off in a meeting that focuses on identifying areas for action, examining possible approaches and defining scope.

What is the Cost of Not Preparing Before you Talk to an Agency about your New Website?

The short answer is time. The longer answer is time, money and momentum. Your first meeting with and an agency isn’t just an opportunity for the agency to dazzle you with their vision. It’s your shot to communicate your priorities. It’s your chance to inform them about your brand. Also, the right time to define how your website fits in your communications universe. If you don’t do the prep work, the scope the agency comes up with may be way off the mark. Their initial design concepts will likely be flawed or at least not tailored to your needs. And, most of all, your project will risk repeated adjustments and revisions driving potential delays and cost overruns because you haven’t given the agency an accurate roadmap to follow.

By answering the 4 questions in the infographic before you talk to an agency about your new website you are giving yourself and your agency the best chance to shine. The result is a classic win/win.