Most businesses rush into a website project with a vague brief and a budget. Then six months after launch, they're underwhelmed - the site doesn't rank, doesn't convert, and needs a redesign already.
The problem almost always traces back to the beginning. Not the design. Not the developer. The lack of clarity before any work started. These 12 questions won't take long to answer - but getting them right will shape every decision in the project.
1 - What do you want visitors to do?
A website isn't a goal - it's a tool. Pick one primary action and design the entire site to drive visitors towards it. Call you? Book an appointment? Buy a product? A site with five equal priorities has no priority at all.
- Call or message you directly
- Fill in a contact form
- Book an appointment online
- Purchase a product
- Visit your physical location
2 - Who is your ideal customer - and what do they need to see?
Describe your best customer in detail. Age, location, language, what they're worried about before they buy. Then ask: what does that specific person need to see on your website to feel confident enough to contact you? That answer should directly shape your homepage structure and testimonial choices.
- Their age, location, and language
- Whether they browse on phone or desktop
- Their biggest worry before buying from you
- What would make them choose you over a competitor
3 - What makes you genuinely different?
Open three competitors' websites. They all say 'professional, reliable, quality service.' That's noise. Your website needs to answer 'why you and not the other five results on Google' within ten seconds of a visit. If it can't, you lose.
- Faster turnaround or delivery
- A specific niche or specialisation
- A process competitors don't follow
- A guarantee others won't offer
- Pricing transparency
4 - Do you need to update the content yourself?
Be honest. If you'll realistically be updating content, writing blog posts, or changing prices regularly - a CMS like WordPress makes sense. If the answer is 'probably not,' a static site is almost certainly the better choice. Don't pay for a CMS you'll never use properly.
- How often will content actually change?
- Who will make updates - you or an agency?
- Do you need a blog or online store?
- Will your team need access too?
5 - What pages do you actually need?
Start with the minimum. For most small businesses, five pages cover 90% of what visitors need. Resist the urge to add pages for the sake of it - every extra page is content that needs writing, designing, and maintaining.
- Home - who you are, what you do, why it matters
- Services / Products - what you offer and what it costs
- About - who is behind the business, why trust you
- Work / Portfolio - proof you deliver (if relevant)
- Contact - how to reach you, where you are
6 - What languages do you need?
If you're a Chiang Mai business serving both Thai locals and international visitors, a bilingual Thai/English website is a significant competitive advantage - not a nice-to-have. Google indexes Thai and English separately, so you're doubling your ranking opportunities.
- Who is your primary audience - Thai, expat, tourist, or all three?
- Will content be translated professionally or by you?
- Do you need a language toggle, or separate pages?
- Can you launch in one language and add the other later?
7 - Do you have real photography?
This is the question most business owners are least prepared for - and it matters more than almost any design decision. Stock photos signal that you couldn't be bothered to show your real business. Real photos build trust immediately and make your site look nothing like competitors.
- Photos of your space, team, or work
- Product photos if you sell anything
- A professional headshot if you're the face of the brand
- Budget for a photographer if you don't have any of the above
8 - What do your best clients say about you?
You need specific testimonials - not 'great service, would recommend.' The best ones describe what the client was worried about before hiring you, what you specifically did, and what changed as a result. Reach out to your three best clients before the project starts.
- Ask for a paragraph, not just a star rating
- Specific results beat generic praise every time
- Before-and-after framing is most persuasive
- A business name and location adds credibility
9 - How will people find your website?
A website no one finds is a brochure locked in a drawer. Before you build, you need a traffic plan. For most Chiang Mai businesses, Google Business Profile and basic on-page SEO are the highest-priority starting points - free, local, and targeting people already searching for you.
- Google Search - on-page SEO and target keywords
- Google Business Profile - essential for local search
- Social media - Instagram, Facebook, LINE
- Word of mouth and referrals from existing clients
- Paid ads - Google Ads or Facebook Ads
10 - What's your timeline - and is it realistic?
There are three variables: quality, speed, and cost - and you can only optimise two. The bottleneck in almost every web project isn't the developer - it's the client providing content, approving designs, and giving feedback. If you want a fast launch, you need to be fast to respond.
- When do you genuinely need it live, and why?
- How quickly can you gather content and photos?
- How fast will you respond to design proofs?
- Have you factored in revision rounds?
11 - What's your budget - and what are you actually paying for?
A clear budget lets your developer recommend the right solution. Don't treat the project quote as the finish line - factor in what happens after launch too.
- Design and development
- Domain registration - typically ฿300–600/year
- Hosting - free for static, ฿1,800/month for managed WordPress
- Photography if you don't have it
- Copywriting if you need help with content
- Ongoing edits and maintenance after launch
12 - How will you measure success?
Set a specific, measurable number before you launch - not 'more traffic' or 'more customers.' With a target, you'll know whether the site is working and what to adjust. Without one, you're guessing.
- 15 contact form submissions per month within 90 days
- Ranking page 1 for '[service] Chiang Mai' within 6 months
- 5 product sales per week within 60 days of launch
- Bounce rate below 60% within the first month
THE HONEST SUMMARY
A website project goes wrong in one of two ways: the brief was unclear, or the client and developer weren't aligned on expectations. These 12 questions fix both problems.
Time to answer all 12 questions honestly
Of web projects fail due to unclear briefs, not bad design
Better conversations with your developer when you come prepared