Tips

2025-08-31

Checklist before designing (or redesigning) your website

You don't have to have everything planned down to the last detail. But a little preparation goes a long way.

Checklist avant de faire (ou refaire) son site web | What The Web

Better safe than sorry

Creating or redesigning a website isn't just about design or technology. It's a project in itself, and deserves a bit of forethought.
And no, you don't need a 20-page specification.

But to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth, annoying oversights or rushed decisions, here's our in-house checklist: simple, concrete and adapted to the SSE world.

Your objectives (clear, simple, assertive)

Start by answering this simple question:
Why are you (re)making this site?

  • To be more visible?

  • Centralize your tools and information?

  • Better explain what you do?

  • Facilitate registrations / donations / memberships?

  • Prepare a call for projects, a fundraiser, an audit?

You can check off several boxes, of course. But without a clear objective, there's no useful site.

Your audience (not "everyone")

Many structures want to talk to everyone... and end up talking to no one. Ask yourself:
Who is your priority audience?

  • Partners and funders?

  • Beneficiaries?

  • Potential volunteers?

  • Institutions?

  • General public?

This answer determines the tone, the words, the visuals, the itinerary. And therefore the site's effectiveness.

Your core content

Take stock of what you have, what's up to date, and what needs to be created.
Here are the blocks found on 95% of EHS sites:

  • presentation of your organization,

  • your actions / projects,

  • practical information (locations, contacts, opening hours),

  • calls for participation (volunteering, donations, memberships),

  • a gallery or testimonials,

  • legal notices and RGPD.

Bonus: get everything that's lying around on your Drive / Dropbox. And sort it by theme. It'll save us time.

Your available resources

Time, budget, team: it's time to be clear-headed. Who's going to follow the project? Is there a budget? Are there any important deadlines? Who will approve what?

At What The Web, we're flexible, but we need to know if we're talking to :

  • a single person in charge,

  • a collegial governance with chain validations,

  • an agile team that wants to move fast.

No right or wrong answer: just a clear framework.

The more you prepare, the faster (and better) it goes.

A good website isn't just a click away. But with a few clear answers, a minimum of forethought and a motivated team, you can work wonders. And we'll be there to guide you every step of the way. Need a helping hand to get started? Let's talk → Contact What The Web

What The Web

Continue exploring

Créer un site web quand on n’a ni budget ni équipe : mission impossible ? | What The Web

2025-07-08

Creating a website without a budget or a team: mission impossible?

Spoiler: no. But you have to choose the right allies, lay the right foundations, and dare to take the plunge. Here's our advice to SSE structures that think it's not for them.

Prix libre : comment budgétiser un site sans se planter ? | What The Web

2025-10-09

Free pricing: how to budget a site without crashing?

No hidden fees, no traps. But to make it work, you need to know what you're getting into.

5 erreurs qu’on voit tout le temps sur les sites de l’ESS (et comment les éviter) | What The Web

2025-07-23

5 mistakes we see all the time on SSE sites (and how to avoid them)

You don't need a perfect site. But avoiding these pitfalls can help you gain clarity, efficiency and credibility.

Refondre son site : par où commencer ? | What The Web

2025-09-10

Redesigning your website: where to start?

Before you change everything on the spur of the moment, we'd like to share with you the really good questions to ask yourself to get off to a good start.