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25 Questions You Should Be Able to Answer Before You Write a Website Development RFP

It’s time for a website redesign. Which means it’s time to write a website development RFP to submit to potential vendors so you can select the best team for the job.

But wait! Before you come up with a lengthy list of questions for prospective suitors to respond to, you’ll need to ask yourself (and your company) some questions of your own. In order to effectively screen and accurately select the right crew to design your website, you first need to clarify your goals amongst yourselves.

Here, then, is a list of Top 25 questions you must ask yourselves (and be able to answer!) before you write a website development RFP:

1. Describe your company — give us your best elevator pitch.
2. Describe the project — what are we doing?
3. Describe your website as it stands now — what do you love about it? What do you hate?
4. What is your budget for your website project?
5. Is your project commensurate with your budget? Are the items on your ‘wish list’ realistic for the amount you want to spend on the redesign?
6. If not, what are the absolute must-have, non-negotiables for the website?
7. What is your timing on the redesign? Do you have any hard deadlines?
8. What is the most important criteria when it comes to selecting a vendor? Price? Creativity? Quickest delivery?
9. Who is your target audience and how tech-savvy is the typical visitor to your website?
10. What percentage of your visitors access your website on mobile?
11. What is the main purpose your website will serve?
12. What functionality is an absolute must? (ie ecommerce, blog, calendar, etc.)
13. Look and feel of the website — any particular color scheme we need to work with? Images? Style?
14. Your logo — happy with it or time for a logo redesign?
15. Name 3 websites that you love.
16. Name 3 websites that you hate!
17. Content for the website development — do you have existing copy that you are happy with, or will the new site require new or additional content?
18. What kinds of content do you have, or want? (ie text, video, audio, photos, etc.)
19. How often will the website need to be updated?
20. Do you need the ability to update the website internally?
21. Are you happy with your domain name or is it time to change it up?
22. Do you have CMS requirements for the new website?
23. Do you rely on any 3rd party services for things like newsletters, inventory management, etc. that will need to be integrated?
24. Do you use or want forms on the website to collect data from visitors?
25. Once your new website is ready, what kind of support will you need? Do you need blog content developed for you? Will you need help driving traffic to the site through SEO and social media?

and one more for good measure:

26. Are YOU ready? If you are just window shopping at this point, the website development RFP is more likely to waste your time (and the potential vendors’ time). Writing an RFP for a website redesign means you are set to sign on the bottom line.

So there you have it. Before you spend your time and energy writing a website development RFP, not to mention the time and energy of the vendors tasked with responding to it, you need to genuinely figure out — and make sure you agree upon — where you want to go. Only then will you be ready to determine who will best be able to get you there.

Tagged as Elevator Pitch, how to Write a RFP, RFP Template, target audience, Website Development RFP, website redesign