Before you begin your web project there are several factors you should consider when trying to establish a web business strategy. Questions with respect to applicability, your market, function, profitability are some important considerations. The following checklist goes through some basic questions that should get you thinking on how to best tackle your website.

There are four points you should take into consideration when assessing your website.

1. How useful is it?
2. How useful is your website to your customers? Does it contain exactly what they are looking for? No matter how good your site looks or how easy it is to navigate, it won’t be successful unless it is actually of use to your visitors.
3. How effective is it?
4. Is your site easy to navigate? Can users move around quickly and easily without encountering errors? Your site should allow visitors to find their way around and locate whatever it is they are looking for simply and effectively.
5. How easy is it to learn?
6. Users of your website should be able to navigate their way around in the least possible amount of time, particularly on their second or third visit.
7. How do visitors perceive it?
8. Do visitors like your website? What are their perceptions and opinions of it?

How to carry out an assessment

1. Look at your website through the eyes of your visitors. Ask yourself how useful it is. Is it informative? If so, how much? Do you update the content regularly - should you aim to improve on this? Is the content basic - should you develop on this? Is your site easy to navigate? These are all questions you need to ask yourself and it's important to answer honestly from the point of view of a customer.
2. Do you track the results of your website? How many customer leads is it giving you? How do your latest results compare to past ones? This can give a good indicator on whether your website needs some work.
3. Is there valuable information on your website? This includes information on your contact details, your business, the products you sell, other online resources and any other relevant data relating to your products or services.
4. Do you promote services or products from third parties on your website? If so, is it easily visible? How does recent profit from it compare to earlier results? How often do you update the information and should it be done more often? Are these products or services actually beneficial to your clientele?
5. Do you use tracking software on your website to analyze your traffic? Does it provide detailed data on how visitors found your website and the type of information they are searching for?
6. Cast a critical eye over the entire look of your site. Does it appear professional, complex, modern, fun? What type of site do your competitors have and how does yours compare?
7. Do your competitors have any extra features included on their websites? Would this be beneficial for you, perhaps by increasing profit?