The 10 Most Important Questions to Ask Before You Build a New Website in 2026
Estimated Read Time: 8 minutes
TL;DR
Building a website is about far more than choosing colours or finding a designer. Before you invest, make sure you understand your website’s purpose, your branding, the features you’ll need, your budget, accessibility requirements, SEO, AI readiness, and who will maintain it after launch. Answering these ten questions first will save you time, money, and costly redesigns later.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Purpose of Your Website?
- Is Your Branding Ready for a Modern Website?
- Who Will Update Your Website After Launch?
- What Features Will Your Website Need?
- What Is Your Budget and How Much Will It Cost?
- What Makes Your Business Different?
- Will Replacing Your Website Affect Your Search Rankings?
- Does Your Website Meet Accessibility Standards?
- Will Your Website Be Cited by AI?
- Are You Choosing the Right Web Designer?
- Website Planning Checklist
- Final Thoughts
1. What Is the Purpose of Your Website?
Know what success looks like before you build.
Your website can do a lot of different jobs, but it cannot be everything to everyone. Start by listing everything you want your website to accomplish, then rank those goals in order of importance. Knowing what success looks like will help you stay focused throughout the project.
Long gone are the days when you can simply say, “I just need a website.” You need to know what your website is designed to achieve, or you risk losing visitors and potential customers.
Some common website goals include:
- Sell products
- Generate leads
- Book appointments
- Build trust
- Showcase your work
- Educate customers
- Provide business information
- Support existing customers
- Build brand awareness
- Promote events
- Serve as a business hub
- Validate your business
Xanthic Tip
If everything is important, nothing is important.
Many business owners want their website to do everything at once. In reality, the most successful websites have one primary goal—whether that’s generating enquiries, selling products, or booking appointments. Every page should support that goal.
2. Is Your Branding Ready for a Modern Website?
Your branding needs to work online, not just on a business card.
You may already have a logo, but websites require a few very specific branding assets to perform well.
Logo
Does your logo include multiple versions that work across different sizes and applications?
Be sure to read “5 and a Half Ways to Test if you Have a Strong Logo”
Your logo will likely appear in a website header that’s around 100 pixels high. When reduced to that size, is it still easy to read? Do you have a version that works at just 16 × 16 pixels as a browser favicon?
Also consider whether your logo only works on a white background. If it does, it may be time to develop more flexible versions.
Colours
Hopefully you already have your brand colours and the hex colour codes (for example, #FFFFFF) for each.
Just as importantly, do your colours meet accessibility standards? Test your foreground and background combinations against WCAG AA contrast requirements to help ensure your website is readable for everyone.
Imagery
Professional photography, illustrations, and graphics make a tremendous difference to the quality of your website.
If you already have these assets, great. If not, consider setting aside part of your budget to invest in them. High-quality visuals improve not only your website, but every piece of marketing your business produces.
Xanthic Tip
A logo that looks great on a business card doesn’t always work on a website.
One of the first things we test is how a logo performs at small sizes, on dark and light backgrounds, and as a favicon. A few small adjustments can dramatically improve how professional your website feels.
3. Who Will Update Your Website After Launch?
Plan for long-term maintenance before your website goes live.
If you’re working with a limited budget or don’t expect to update your website very often, you may decide to manage it yourself. Your decision will depend largely on the platform you choose, as some website builders are much easier to maintain than others.
If you’re planning to update the website yourself, choose a platform that matches your technical skill level.
Also consider the impact on your business if your website stops working. Would you have the time and confidence to troubleshoot an issue or restore your site from a backup?
If your business relies on ecommerce or online bookings, understanding how your website works becomes even more important.
Ultimately, the decision between managing your website yourself and hiring someone comes down to your time, budget, and confidence.
Xanthic Tip
Don’t confuse editing content with maintaining a website.
Changing a photo or updating your opening hours is only one part of website ownership. Behind the scenes, your website also needs software updates, security patches, backups, and routine maintenance to keep it running smoothly.
4. What Features Will Your Website Need?
Choose features based on your goals, not trends.
Once you’ve identified your website’s goals, determining the required functionality becomes much easier.
Common website features include:
- Ecommerce shop
- Online booking system
- Live chat
- AI chatbot
- Contact forms
- Event calendar
- Newsletter signup
- Blog
- Portfolio or image gallery
- Downloadable resources
- Pricing tables
- Client portal
- Members-only area
- Careers or job postings
- Analytics
- Accessibility enhancements
Not every website needs every feature. Start with the essentials and expand as your business grows.
Xanthic Tip
Every feature should solve a real problem.
Before adding a booking system, chatbot, popup, or e-commerce store, ask yourself one question: Will this make life easier for my customers or help my business achieve its goals? If not, it may be adding unnecessary complexity.
5. What Is Your Budget and How Much Will a New Website Cost?
Plan for both launch costs and ongoing ownership.
Knowing the features you’d like your website to include will help you receive accurate quotes from designers.
If your budget is limited, consider building the website in phases. Launch with the essentials, then add more advanced features over time.
If you’re bootstrapping your business, there are many affordable website builders that allow you to launch a site yourself using drag-and-drop editors and pre-built templates.
While these tools have become much easier to use, they still require time, patience, and a willingness to learn.
Xanthic Tip
You don’t have to build your dream website all at once.
Many of our clients launch with the essentials first, then add features like blogs, online booking, ecommerce, or AI chatbots as their business grows. Building in phases often produces a better return on investment.
6. What Makes Your Business Different?
Your website should highlight what sets you apart.
Before designing your website, spend some time defining your brand positioning.
Who are your ideal customers?
Who are your competitors?
Why should someone choose you instead?
A simple positioning matrix can help identify where your business fits within your market and what your strongest differentiators are.
Knowing what makes your business unique will influence everything from your messaging and photography to your design style and calls to action.
Xanthic Tip
Features tell. Benefits sell.
Instead of simply listing what you offer, explain how those services improve your customers’ lives or solve their problems. That’s the difference people remember.
7. Will Replacing Your Website Affect Your Search Rankings?
A new website should improve your SEO, not erase it.
The answer depends largely on how well your current website performs.
A strategically designed website with strong content, mobile responsiveness, and modern SEO best practices can improve your rankings over time.
However, launching a poorly planned website can negatively impact your search visibility.
If you’re replacing an existing website, make sure every important page still exists. If page URLs change for example:
yoursite.com/contactus/
becomes
yoursite.com/contact/
be sure to create a 301 redirect so both visitors and search engines are directed to the correct page.
Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are excellent resources for monitoring your website after launch.
Xanthic Tip
Never delete your old pages without a plan.
One of the easiest ways to lose search rankings is by launching a new website without redirecting your old URLs. A few properly configured 301 redirects can preserve years of SEO value.
8. Does Your Website Meet Accessibility Standards?
A more accessible website creates a better experience for everyone.
Your web designer should understand modern accessibility standards and how to implement them.
Some important considerations include:
- Legible text with sufficient colour contrast.
- Readable font sizes and spacing.
- Keyboard navigation for menus, forms, and buttons.
- Meaningful alternative text for images.
- Proper heading hierarchy using one H1 followed by H2 and H3 headings.
- Clear button and link states.
- Videos that can be paused, with captions where appropriate.
Accessibility benefits all visitors, not just those with disabilities.
Xanthic Tip
Accessibility isn’t just about compliance, it’s about good design.
High colour contrast, readable typography, and clear navigation make your website easier for everyone to use, not just visitors with disabilities.
9. Will Your Website Be Cited by AI?
Helpful, trustworthy content is more likely to be referenced by AI-powered search.
As AI search becomes more common, websites that provide clear, original, and well-structured information have a better chance of being referenced.
Here are a few ways to improve your chances:
- Create an llms.txt file to help guide supported AI systems.
- Write factual articles that answer real customer questions.
- Publish original case studies, guides, and insights rather than generic AI-generated content.
- Include TL;DR summaries at the beginning of long articles.
- Implement structured data using Schema.org.
- Earn quality backlinks, reviews, and citations.
- Maintain strong technical SEO.
- Keep your content current and accurate.
While no method guarantees AI citations, these practices also strengthen your traditional SEO and improve the overall quality of your website.
Xanthic Tip
Write for people first, AI second.
AI systems are far more likely to reference clear, well-structured content that genuinely answers customer questions than pages stuffed with keywords. Focus on being helpful, and both traditional search engines and AI tools will reward you over time.
10. Are You Choosing the Right Web Designer?
The right designer should be a partner, not just someone who builds pages.
Before hiring a web designer, make sure you’ve done your homework.
A good fit should include:
- Clear project goals and expectations.
- A realistic budget.
- Relevant examples of previous work.
- Strong testimonials and recommendations.
- A detailed project scope, timeline, and estimate.
- A written contract that protects both parties.
- Clear communication throughout the process.
- Someone who understands your vision and can explain complex topics in plain language.
Choosing the right designer is one of the biggest factors in the success of your website.
Xanthic Tip
A website is rarely a one-time purchase.
The relationship you have with your web designer after launch is often just as important as the design itself. Choose someone who will still be there when you need updates, advice, or support.
Website Planning Checklist
Before starting your next website project, see how many of these boxes you can check.
Goals & Strategy
☐ I know the primary purpose of my website.
☐ I know who my ideal customers are.
☐ I understand what makes my business different.
☐ I know what actions I want visitors to take.
Branding
☐ I have a professional logo with responsive versions.
☐ I have my brand colours and hex codes.
☐ My colours meet accessibility standards.
☐ I have quality photography, graphics, or illustrations.
Content
☐ I have planned the pages my website needs.
☐ I have written (or started writing) my website copy.
☐ I have customer testimonials or reviews.
Functionality
☐ I know what features my website requires.
☐ I understand who will maintain the website.
Budget & Planning
☐ I have a realistic project budget.
☐ I understand ongoing hosting and maintenance costs.
☐ I have a target launch timeline.
SEO & Accessibility
☐ I understand the basics of SEO.
☐ I know how my search rankings will be protected.
☐ My new website will meet accessibility standards.
AI Readiness
☐ My content answers real customer questions.
☐ My website uses structured data.
☐ My content is original and regularly updated.
☐ I have considered adding an llms.txt file.
Choosing a Designer
☐ I’ve reviewed their portfolio.
☐ I’ve read their testimonials.
☐ I understand the project scope.
☐ I’ve received a written proposal or contract.
☐ I trust them to support my website after launch.
Final Thoughts
A successful website doesn’t begin with choosing a template or hiring a designer—it begins with asking the right questions.
Taking the time to define your goals, understand your audience, prepare your branding, and plan for the future will lead to a website that works harder for your business for years to come. You’ll spend less time fixing problems after launch and more time attracting customers, building trust, and growing your business.
If you’re still unsure where to start, don’t worry. An experienced web designer should help guide you through these decisions before a single page is designed. The more prepared you are before your project begins, the smoother the entire process will be.
If you have any questions before moving forward with your website project, shoot us a message and we’ll help aim you in the right direction.
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