Agency7's full architectural guide — from AI lead generation to autonomous financial operations.
The Web Design Questionnaire Template Edmonton Businesses Should Actually Use
When an Edmonton business hires a web agency, both sides often skip the hardest part: the discovery questionnaire. The result is predictable — unclear scope, content gaps, miscommunication, and a site that launches okay but doesn't deliver business outcomes.
A good questionnaire asks the questions that surface what you actually need. Here's the template we use with our own Edmonton clients, adapted so you can copy-paste it and fill it out whether you're hiring us or anyone else.
Copy what's useful. Skip what doesn't apply. The answers make the difference between a $10K website that earns its keep and a $10K website that sits there.
Section 1: Business context
1.1 What does your business do?
Plain language. As if you're explaining to a friend. Not the marketing tagline — the actual thing you do.
1.2 How long have you been in business? Where are you located?
Exact years and Edmonton-area location (or full address). This affects local SEO strategy.
1.3 How many employees do you have?
Solo, small team (2-10), medium (10-50), larger (50+). Affects what kind of site makes sense.
1.4 What's your annual revenue range?
You don't have to share exact numbers. Ranges are fine: under $100K, $100-500K, $500K-2M, $2M-10M, $10M+. Determines realistic budget and ROI expectations.
1.5 Who are your top 3 competitors (Edmonton and beyond)?
Names + websites. Agency will audit these in discovery.
1.6 What do you do that's better or different from competitors?
Even if you've never articulated it, try now. "We respond faster," "our prices are lower," "we specialize in [niche]." This becomes the backbone of your site's positioning.
Section 2: Customers and audience
2.1 Who is your primary customer?
Specific. Not "businesses" or "homeowners." More like "Edmonton homeowners aged 40-65 with homes over 20 years old" or "Alberta-based mid-size law firms with 5-20 lawyers."
2.2 What problem are you solving for them?
Their problem in their language. Not "we provide X service" but "our customers are dealing with [specific problem] and we [specific solution]."
2.3 How do customers typically find you now?
Referrals, Google Ads, organic search, social media, Google Maps, networking events, industry directories. Rough percentages if you know them.
2.4 What's your current customer acquisition cost?
Even ballpark. Determines how much a better website is worth to you.
2.5 What's your average customer lifetime value?
Single transaction, recurring revenue, long-term relationship. Affects what kinds of conversion mechanisms matter.
2.6 What objections do customers raise before buying from you?
The real objections. Price? Trust? Uncertainty about outcomes? Comparison to DIY alternatives? The website should address these directly.
2.7 What questions do you get asked over and over?
These become FAQ content (also good for AI search visibility — see E-E-A-T signals for AI).
Section 3: Current website situation
3.1 Current URL and platform
If you have one. Note the platform (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, custom, etc.).
3.2 How old is your current site?
If you can guess. Sites over 3 years old are usually due for serious attention.
3.3 What do you like about your current site?
Sometimes the answer is "nothing." That's useful too.
3.4 What do you dislike?
Specific complaints. "It's slow," "the photos are outdated," "I can't update it myself," "mobile looks bad."
3.5 Current monthly visitors (if you know)?
Even rough Google Analytics numbers. Determines traffic baseline for measuring improvement.
3.6 How many leads per month does your current site generate?
Form submissions, phone calls, chat conversations — whatever you can track. Establishes the current conversion baseline.
3.7 Google Search Console connected?
If you've set up GSC, agency can pull your current ranking data. If not, that's fine but worth setting up during the project.
3.8 Any current technical issues?
Site going down, security warnings, slow loading, mobile usability issues. These inform whether a rebuild or upgrade fits better.
Section 4: Goals and success metrics
4.1 What are you hoping the new site does that your current one doesn't?
Top 3 things. Not "look better" — what should it do for your business?
4.2 How will you know the project succeeded?
Specific, measurable. "20% more leads per month," "we stop losing customers who find our site unprofessional," "we rank for 'Edmonton [category]' queries in AI engines." Vague answers lead to vague outcomes.
4.3 What's your budget range?
Honest ranges, not games. Budget determines scope. Agencies don't pad quotes based on stated budget if they're operating honestly.
4.4 What's your timeline?
Hard deadline or flexible? Product launch, event, fiscal year, just wanting it done? Timeline affects scope and pricing.
4.5 What would make this project a disaster?
"We launch 6 months late," "we spend double the budget," "the site looks unprofessional," "we can't update it without paying the agency each time." Discussing failure modes upfront prevents them.
Section 5: Scope
5.1 How many pages do you need?
Estimate. Typical SMB sites: Home, About, Services (maybe broken into separate pages per service), Portfolio/Case Studies, Blog, Contact, Privacy/Terms. That's 10-15 pages baseline.
5.2 Do you need a blog?
If yes, how often will you publish? Who writes? Agency-written blogs are common at $200-$800/post.
5.3 Do you need e-commerce?
Even simple product sales. Adds 1-3 weeks of build time and $2-10K to cost.
5.4 Do you need a booking or scheduling system?
Calendar integration (Calendly, Acuity, etc.) or custom booking flow. Custom flows add $2-15K depending on complexity.
5.5 Do you need user accounts / login?
Client portals, membership areas, gated content. Significant scope addition — usually $5-25K extra.
5.6 Do you need multiple languages?
French content for Edmonton is rarely necessary (different in Montreal). If you serve specific immigrant communities, consider.
5.7 Do you need any custom functionality?
Calculators, configurators, quote generators, custom forms, integrations with other tools. Be specific.
5.8 Do you need AI features?
AI chatbot, AI voice agent, AI content generation — all increasingly common in 2026. Scope these explicitly.
5.9 Third-party integrations needed?
CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.), email marketing (Mailchimp, ConvertKit), booking (Calendly, Acuity), payment (Stripe, Square), analytics (GA4, Plausible), chat (Intercom, Tidio). List everything.
Section 6: Content
6.1 Do you have existing content to use?
Words, images, videos, brand assets. What's ready vs. what needs creation.
6.2 Who will write new content?
You, agency, freelance writer, AI-drafted + reviewed. Affects timeline and cost.
6.3 Do you need new photography?
Professional headshots, product photography, location photography, drone footage. Separate budget item ($500-$5,000).
6.4 Do you need video?
Brand video, explainer videos, product demos. Another separate budget item.
6.5 Do you have brand guidelines?
Logo files, fonts, color palette, tone/voice guide. If yes, provide. If no, agency may need to develop some.
Section 7: Design
7.1 Show 3-5 websites you love (any industry)
With notes on what specifically you like. Design direction starts here.
7.2 Show 3-5 websites you hate (especially competitors)
With notes on what specifically you hate. Avoids the same mistakes.
7.3 Overall tone — corporate, friendly, luxurious, playful, minimal?
Pick 2-3 descriptors. Extra points for clarity: "Professional but warm" vs. "clinical and sterile."
7.4 Any design constraints?
Existing brand guidelines, corporate color palette, mandated logo placement, regulatory disclaimers, accessibility requirements beyond baseline.
Section 8: SEO and AI visibility
8.1 What 10-20 search terms do you want to rank for?
Be specific to Edmonton. "Emergency plumber Edmonton" not "plumber."
8.2 What's your current ranking position for these?
Google it from an incognito window. Note roughly where you appear (or if you don't).
8.3 Do you want to rank in AI engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity)?
Yes for almost everyone in 2026. But requires specific schema + llms.txt + content work. See our GEO practical guide.
8.4 Do you have a Google Business Profile?
Claimed and verified, with photos and reviews? Critical for local AI citations. See our guide on how AI cites local Edmonton businesses.
8.5 Any specific pages or content that should rank for specific queries?
Sometimes you have a service page that should rank for a specific term but doesn't. Note these.
Section 9: Technical and maintenance
9.1 Who will maintain the site after launch?
You, your team, the agency on retainer, a freelancer. Affects platform choice.
9.2 How often will you update content?
Daily, weekly, monthly, rarely. Informs CMS choice.
9.3 What's your hosting preference?
Agency-recommended, existing provider you want to keep, specific requirement (Canadian hosting for privacy reasons, etc.).
9.4 Any compliance or regulatory requirements?
Healthcare (PHIA, PIPEDA), legal (LSAPI), financial, education, accessibility (AODA in Ontario, WCAG AA baseline). Different for Edmonton businesses than US — make sure agency knows Canadian frameworks.
9.5 Data residency requirements?
For industries where data must stay in Canada. Affects hosting, CDN, and analytics choices.
Section 10: Team and process
10.1 Who's the primary decision-maker?
One person ideally. If it's a committee, name the tiebreaker.
10.2 Who else is involved in review/approval?
List all stakeholders. Agency plans communication accordingly.
10.3 Preferred communication method?
Email, Slack, Zoom, Asana, other project management tool. Weekly calls vs. async updates.
10.4 Any hard dates or blackout periods?
Vacations, industry events, quarterly closes, personal commitments. Agency plans around these.
10.5 How quickly can you review work?
Be honest. "I'll review within 24 hours" vs. "I get to things in 3-5 days" vs. "I need to route through 4 people." Timeline planning depends on this.
Section 11: Risks and concerns
11.1 What's your biggest concern about this project?
Budget overrun, timeline slip, unclear results, quality disappointment, being locked into a platform, not being able to update the site yourself, dependency on the agency. Naming it helps address it.
11.2 Have you had bad experiences with past web projects?
If yes, what went wrong? Helps agency avoid repeating the same pattern.
11.3 Is there anyone within your organization who might resist this project?
Internal politics affect project success. Acknowledging this upfront lets the agency help navigate it.
Using the questionnaire
If you're hiring us
Fill this out as much as you can before our first call. We'll ask follow-up questions and refine together. The more you've thought through before the kickoff, the more time we spend on strategic questions rather than foundational ones.
If you're hiring someone else
Fill it out anyway and share it with whatever agency or freelancer you're evaluating. Their response tells you a lot:
- Do they ask follow-up questions about your answers? (Good sign)
- Do they adjust their scope/pricing based on your answers? (Good sign)
- Do they give a generic proposal ignoring most of it? (Bad sign)
- Do they dismiss the questionnaire as "too long"? (Bad sign)
If you're DIY-ing
Fill it out for yourself. It forces clarity on what you're building and why. Most DIY projects fail because of unclear goals, not technical issues. This document solves that.
What good answers look like
Bad: "We want a nicer website."
Good: "Our current WordPress site is 4 years old, slow (LCP ~5s mobile), ranks poorly for 'Edmonton dental clinic recall' where we want to be visible, and generates 3-5 leads/month. We want to double leads to 8-10/month over 6 months through a modern, fast, AI-visible site that reinforces our specialty in dental recall automation for Edmonton clinics. Budget $15K-20K. Timeline 10 weeks."
The second version has: current state, specific goal, measurable outcome, budget, timeline, positioning. An agency can quote, scope, and deliver against that precisely.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to fill this out properly?
2-4 hours if you're thinking carefully. Don't rush it. The clearer this document, the better the project outcome.
Do agencies really read these?
Good ones do. If an agency ignores your questionnaire and sends a generic proposal, they'll approach your project the same way. Move on.
What if I don't know the answers to some questions?
That's fine. Write "I'm not sure" or "need agency input." The blanks themselves are useful — they reveal where strategy is needed.
Can I just book a discovery call instead?
A discovery call is necessary but not sufficient. The questionnaire captures information systematically; the call extracts nuance. Both add value.
What if my situation doesn't fit these questions?
Adapt. This template covers standard Edmonton SMB web projects. Complex projects (SaaS, e-commerce with custom requirements, multi-brand organizations) need additional depth.
Do bigger agencies use longer questionnaires?
Typically yes, but "longer" isn't the goal. Bigger agencies often have 80-100 question brand/design/technical questionnaires that are useful for enterprise work and overkill for most Edmonton SMBs. This template is calibrated for typical SMB scope.
Need help filling this out or turning it into a project brief? Send us your draft, or book a free consultation and we'll walk through it together. See our web development Edmonton service for what we actually build. Works best in combination with the cost of a website for small businesses in Edmonton for budget context.
Get the Autonomous Enterprise Blueprint
A 14-page architectural guide covering the Agency7 mandate, the fractured pipeline, agentic ledgers, and the generative engine optimization playbook — delivered as a PDF to your inbox.