Do What Works | Web Discovery Services

The Three Pillars

of a Website Discovery Service

Website Strategy

Make the right choices around the type of website you need, target audience, and website goals.

Content Strategy

Make informed decisions around what content needs to be created for the launch and future sprints.

Requirements

Prioritize business & technical requirements so it is clear what is in and out of scope for the initial launch of the website.

The Power of a Standalone Website Discovery Process

While website discovery is often integrated into the overall project, a significant challenge arises:

The discovery phase frequently leads to scope creep.

This happens as requirements become clearer, buyer personas are better understood, and content needs are defined.

To combat this, I have created a website discovery process that is completely independent of the main website project. This upfront investment yields several benefits:

Tighter Project Scope, Cost, and Timeline: A completed discovery phase allows for a more accurate definition of scope, leading to more precise cost estimates and a realistic timeline.
Informed Decision-Making for Marketing Managers: Clear requirements and a fixed-cost proposal empower marketing managers to be confident that the bid for the new website is accurate and meets the project goals.
Building a Strong Business Case: With detailed requirements and a firm budget in hand, it becomes easier to construct a compelling business case for senior management approval and buy-in to the project.

By separating the discovery phase, you gain a deeper understanding of your website's needs before diving into development, ultimately saving time, money, and frustration in the long run.

Website Discovery Services

This service is designed for:

1) Marketing Managers who are tired of unreliable bids, change orders, project delays and cost over runs and are struggling to create an accurate scope and requirements for your website redesign project.

2) Web Design Agencies: who understand the importance of thorough discovery phases and wants to collaborate with an independent partner who doesn't compete in the design and delivery stages, allowing them to focus on their core strength: creating exceptional websites.

Website Discovery Deliverables

Website Strategy: What kind of website is needed to achieve the business goals.
Detailed Buyer Personas: So the content and design teams know who to target.
Prioritized Goals for the Website: Identify the #1 problem the new website needs to fix
Page List: A list of every page that the new website needs to have at launch
Site Map: How the pages will be organized
Prioritized list of business and technical requirements to define what is in and out of scope for the website launch
Assistance in creating the scoping document for the content and design/build of the new website
Assistance in creating the Business Case (Cost, expected outcomes and ROI) for the Website Project.

Time

It usually takes 4-6 weeks to complete the Website Discovery Process. The actual timeline depends on the availability of personnel as well as the complexity of the current website.

Cost

The cost for an independent Website Discovery service runs between $15k to $25k, depending on the complexity of the existing website.

E-commerce sites typically run higher due to the data modeling work required to optimize the filtering and organization of the products.

B2B service or manufacturing websites typically cost less.

Why Do What Works

Web design and marketing experience
I ran a web design and marketing agency for 10 years.

I understand what writers and developers need to know to create a high-performance website.

My company no longer does web design or development, so there is no conflict of interest with web agencies.

Business consulting background
Gathering business requirements from key stakeholders is more than asking a canned list of questions.

You need to have a combination of business and technical expertise to ask probing and insightful questions to properly create a buyer persona, requirements document, and business case.

My experience with Deloitte and Toyota Motor Sales gave me the experience to run efficient requirement workshops with the business users and technical teams.

Independent
There is no conflict of interest - my company does not do web design or development.

My scope for this service is clearly defined: I serve as the customer advocate who helps define a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) website, gets firm fixed bids, and helps to get approval and funding for the website.

Make an informed decision

Launching a new website is a major project and investment.

Read these three articles so you can make an informed decision:

The REAL reason you need a website

How much does a website cost

How to run a Website Discovery Process

Schedule a call

Let's discuss your specific web design project and see if we can collaborate effectively.

This is a two-way street, and open communication is key.

You: need a partner who has the experience and expertise to manage and execute the discovery process.

Me: I want to make sure that I can deliver impactful results and I only take on clients where my expertise adds value.

Let’s find out together if we are a good fit.

Go Time!

Once the contract is signed and payment received, the first steps will be:

1) Work with the technical team to get access to website and analytics.

2) Perform an in depth audit of your existing website and digital assets so I can better understand the business.

3) Schedule interviews with Key Stakeholders to define the Website Strategy and Buyer Personas.

End scope creep and inaccurate bids

with a proven discovery process