Article Outline
- 1. What goals do you want to achieve with the website?
- 2. Are you building a new site or redesigning an existing one?
- 3. Who are the users, and in what context will they use the site?
- 4. What information and functions should the site include?
- 5. Do you have reference websites you like?
- 6. Do you have a corporate identity (CIS) to follow?
- 7. How do you want to divide the work with the agency?
- Conclusion
When looking for a web agency, the biggest concern is often high communication and development costs, yet still ending up with results that don’t fit your needs. Professional website development covers many areas—from visual design and UX/UI to responsive front-end coding, back-end databases, role permissions, and security—so it can feel overwhelming.
In this article, we will walk you through how to clarify your needs step by step, and what materials to prepare before the meeting. This ensures the agency can understand your expectations more clearly.
1. What goals do you want to achieve with the website?
Every website has business goals. Common ones include:
- Strengthening brand image
- Communicating service value
- Increasing visitor traffic
- Improving conversion rates
- Offering online self-service
- Sharing ESG achievements
Each goal affects design direction and shapes the project outcome.
2. Are you building a new site or redesigning an existing one?
New site: Agencies start from business goals, then discuss positioning, visual strategy, browsing experience, and front-/back-end system planning.
Redesign: Similar to renovating an old house. The agency identifies existing UX issues, defines redesign goals with you, and decides whether to add new features or adjust the CMS/back end.
A new build focuses on creating from 0 to 1, while a redesign builds on existing foundations—so the discussion process differs.
3. Who are the users, and in what context will they use the site?
User profiles—such as age, gender, behaviors, and preferences—directly affect website planning. Also consider when and why target audiences would use the site, and what tasks they want to complete.
These insights help shape UI/UX design and validate direction during discussions, avoiding unnecessary costs. With this input, the agency can design more precise strategies.
4. What information and functions should the site include?
Before the meeting, draft a list of required information (e.g., company intro, product pages, advantages, case studies). You can also add advanced features (e.g., approval workflows, e-learning video modules).
Creating a simple site map or mind map of the structure helps agencies estimate scope and schedule, improving communication efficiency.
5. Do you have reference websites you like?
Prepare examples of designs you like, covering two aspects:
- Features/experiences you want to reference
- Visuals/styles you prefer
It also helps to note designs you dislike or want to avoid, so the agency better understands your preferences.
6. Do you have a corporate identity (CIS) to follow?
A CIS defines your brand’s logo, typography, colors, and overall design system. If available, share both the current CIS and its design philosophy. This helps the agency align the website with your brand identity.
7. How do you want to divide the work with the agency?
A complete website project includes many steps: UX planning, UI design, front-end coding, feature development, CMS setup, and cloud integration. Custom agencies offer flexible division of work, so it’s helpful to define your preferred scope of collaboration beforehand.
Conclusion
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’re ready to start looking for the right agency. Collect potential partners, review their portfolios, and check whether they have experience with similar websites. Study their design approaches and results to judge if they are a good fit.
At Goons Design, we aim to create work that meets both user expectations and client goals. We emphasize the balance of product strategy × experience design × technical execution, making us one of the few teams proficient in both UX/UI and front-end development. With extensive design experience and market insight, we help top clients build websites that deliver quality, performance, and impact.
