Running a business means wearing a lot of hats. We all know how overwhelming it can feel to balance growth, customer service, and marketing while also trying to keep your website up to date. That is why at Rising Sun Studio, we use a clear process to make things simpler. Before we design or launch anything, we ask clients to go through a website onboarding questionnaire.
Think of it as your website design checklist. It is not busywork. These questions uncover what really matters: your goals, your customers, and the way you want your business to be seen online. Whether you are looking for a quick turnaround with our Website in a Day service or a fully custom design, this intake form sets the foundation for a site that works as hard as you do.
Before we dive into the 21 questions, let’s make sure your brand identity is covered:
- Do you already have a logo that should be used on the site?
- What are your brand colors or preferred color scheme?
- Do you have specific font preferences or brand typography guidelines?
Purpose & Goals
Every website project starts with clarity, because without a clear sense of direction it is easy to waste time and money chasing design trends that do not actually serve your business. These questions are the kind of questions to ask before building a website, helping uncover urgency and opportunity, and giving us a roadmap for what matters most so the site we build is aligned with your immediate and long term goals.
- What is driving your need for a new website right now?
- What opportunities do you feel a new site could unlock for your business?
- What is the single most important message your site should communicate about your organization?
Differentiation & Brand
Your site should make you stand out in a crowded market, and the only way to do that is by clearly identifying what makes your business unique. This section works like a website intake form, helping us highlight your strengths, refine your messaging, and position you as the obvious choice for your customers compared to competitors who may be offering similar services but without your distinct value.
- What makes your business the obvious choice for your customers?
- What problems do your prospects have that your business solves?
- Do you have a slogan or tagline that clearly describes what you offer in terms of benefits or features?
- What do you like about your current site, if anything?
Audience & Customers
We design for your ideal visitor, not a generic profile, because the more we understand who you want to reach, the more effective your site will be at converting them. These questions ensure your site speaks directly to your audience, addressing their motivations and habits so that every page feels intentional and customer focused rather than generic. This is a key part of any website redesign checklist for small business owners who want their site to drive real results.
- Describe your ideal customer. What motivates them, and how do they typically find you?
- Please describe your potential customers in detail (interests, age range, buying habits, etc.).
- What is the number one action you want visitors to take on your site (call, book, buy, sign up)?
Design & Inspiration
Style matters, and inspiration helps us align with your taste so the final product feels like a natural extension of your brand. By looking at sites you admire and identifying what you do not want, we can create a design that feels modern, intentional, and aligned with your business identity instead of something that looks like a cookie cutter template. This is where a website design checklist becomes practical, because it helps us translate your preferences into a clear design direction.
- List two or three websites you really like the design of. What makes them appealing to you?
- Please list the names of five other sites that you like. Why are they attractive to you?
- What do you NOT want on your site in terms of text, content, or design?
Competition & SEO
Visibility is everything, because even the best design will not help if your site is buried on page three of search results. These answers shape your SEO strategy and help us position you above competitors, ensuring that your site is not only attractive but also discoverable by the people who are actively searching for what you offer. This is one of the most important questions to ask before building a website, because it determines how easily customers will find you.
- Have you researched your online competition so you know what you do and do not want on your site?
- If you were using a search engine, what words or phrases would you use to find your site? Which are most important?
Marketing & Growth
Your site should be a hub for growth, not just a digital brochure that sits idle. These questions ensure your site connects seamlessly with your marketing ecosystem, from social media to email campaigns, and they help us plan for ongoing updates so visitors return, engage, and refer others instead of visiting once and forgetting about you. A strong website redesign checklist for small business owners always includes marketing integration, because growth depends on visibility and repeat engagement.
- Other than search engines, what methods do you have in mind to spread the word about your website?
- Do you already have social media or email marketing channels we should integrate into your site?
- How will you keep your site fresh so visitors return and refer others?
Structure & Content
Clarity in structure makes your site easy to navigate, which is critical for keeping visitors engaged and guiding them toward the actions you want them to take. These questions help us plan your sitemap and content flow so that every page has a purpose, and so your site feels organized and professional rather than cluttered or confusing. This is where a website intake form helps us capture the details that make your site usable and effective.
- What pages are you hoping to have on the site? What pages are absolutely necessary?
- How many current pages do you have (not including blog posts)? What are those pages?
Hosting & Support
Every Rising Sun Studio site comes with hosting and ongoing support, because a website is not a one time project but an ongoing investment in your business. This section ensures your site stays fast, secure, and reliable long after launch, with updates, backups, and monitoring that protect your brand and keep your customers’ trust intact. Including hosting and support in your website design checklist means you never have to worry about technical issues slowing you down.
- What ongoing support needs do you anticipate (content updates, backups, performance monitoring)?
Download the Full Questionnaire
If you’re preparing for a new website, this website onboarding questionnaire is the best place to start. Download the full Rising Sun Studio design checklist PDF and work through it at your own pace. It will give you clarity, and it will give us the insight we need to build you a site that’s fast, professional, and ready to grow with your business.
Ready to Grow Your Business?
Answering these 21 questions will give you the clarity to plan your website with confidence and give us the insight to deliver a site that is fast, reliable, and built to support your long‑term growth.
