7 Essential Things to Consider Before Building a Website

Building a website involves much more than publishing a design you like. Poorly planned projects may lead to mobile usability issues, slow pages, broken forms, unclear licensing terms and changes that continually incur extra charges. That is why the key considerations when commissioning a website begin long before you choose a design.

A website suited to your business should reach the right customers, make visitors' tasks easier and remain manageable for your team over time. Drawing on Alanya-based Pro Yazılım's experience with corporate websites and industry-specific web software, this guide brings together the questions to ask before commissioning a website, the technical checks to perform and the contract terms to clarify in seven sections.

In short: Define the site's purpose first; then review mobile usability, speed, the SEO foundation, security and the content management panel. Compare proposals against the same scope, and put domain ownership and software usage rights in writing. Do not start a project without agreeing on launch and support conditions.

1. Define Your Website's Purpose and Target Audience

Good design becomes valuable when the problem it solves is clear. A corporate information website and an online ordering site do not need the same features. First, write down the action you want visitors to take: make a phone call, request a quote, book a reservation or purchase a product.

Make your goals measurable

This table is not an industry statistic; it is an example framework for assessing requirements. Your own business may use different success measures. For example, clicking a WhatsApp link does not, by itself, mean a sale has been made. Track completed actions whenever possible.

Plan your audience, languages and pages

Identify whom you serve, which questions customers ask and which devices they will use to access your website. Multilingual content may be necessary for tourism or real estate companies targeting international customers in Alanya, but not every business automatically needs four languages.

Plan essential sections such as Home, Services, About Us, Projects and Contact according to your needs. Separate service pages are useful only when they answer genuinely different questions. Do not duplicate content by changing nothing but a city or service name.

For a broader look at the value of an online presence for businesses, read Why Does Your Business Need a Website?

A sample project brief you can give an agency

“We need a mobile-friendly corporate website for our business in Alanya, with service and project pages and the ability to manage content in Turkish and English. The main visitor goal is to submit a quotation request form. We must be able to edit blog posts and SEO titles through the management panel. At handover, mobile layouts, forms, performance and access permissions should be tested.”

This is not an actual customer order. It is an example requirements brief that can help make proposals comparable.

2. Prioritize Mobile-Friendly, User-Friendly Design

Simply fitting a website onto a phone screen is not enough. Menus, text, forms, visuals and contact buttons must also be easy to use on small screens. Under Google's mobile-first indexing approach, the content of a page's mobile version matters, so hiding essential information on mobile is not advisable.

Try these tasks on a real device

• Can you open a service page on your phone and find the information you need?
• Can you tap menus and buttons without accidentally selecting another link?
• Can you complete the quotation form without zooming or scrolling horizontally?
• Do phone, location and WhatsApp links open the correct destinations?
• After submitting a form, does the user see a clear success or error message?
• Is the text readable, is contrast sufficient and are images sized correctly?

Focus less on rigid rules such as visitors having to reach information in exactly “three clicks” and more on whether they can complete essential tasks without difficulty. For accessibility, avoid communicating meaning through color alone and provide useful alternative text for images.

Acceptance criterion: Ask for confirmation that important pages have been checked on small and large phones, tablets and desktop screens, and that the forms and contact journeys have actually been tested.

Source: Google – Mobile-First Indexing.

3. Make Speed and Performance Measurable Delivery Requirements

Slow pages can make it harder for visitors to complete tasks. However, the claim that a website must score 100 on PageSpeed to rank first on Google is incorrect. What matters is that pages work comfortably on real devices and that performance problems are measured and addressed.

Target values for Core Web Vitals

These targets are based on Google's Core Web Vitals guidance. Evaluation should consider not only laboratory tests but also real-user data where available. Good scores do not guarantee any particular position in search results.

Source: Google Search Central – Core Web Vitals.

Common causes of slow pages and ways to address them

Oversized cover images, unnecessary scripts, too many third-party services, inefficient database queries and incorrect caching can slow down a site. Serving appropriately sized images in suitable formats, reducing nonessential JavaScript, improving server response times and prioritizing critical content are worthwhile steps for many projects.

Question to ask the agency: “Which pages will receive mobile PageSpeed tests before launch, how will issues be reported and what results will be recorded in the handover document?”

Record the test date, URL examined and device profile used. A test score may vary between devices and network conditions. For more technical information about website architecture, see our PHP Web Development Guide.

4. Treat SEO as Part of the Project, Not an Add-On

An SEO-friendly website does not automatically rank at the top of Google. A sound technical setup helps search engines discover and understand pages and helps visitors find the information they need. Rankings also depend on content, competition, credibility and many other factors.

Technical SEO checks before launch

• Every page should have a unique SEO title (title) that describes its subject and a meaningful main heading.
• Use H1–H2–H3 headings to reflect the content hierarchy. A single H1 can be a sensible organizational choice, but Google does not impose a mandatory number of H1s per page.
• Provide a page-specific meta description, while recognizing that Google may display a different description in search results.
• Keep URLs clear and consistent, and make important pages accessible through crawlable internal links.
• Apply canonical, indexing and redirect rules correctly where relevant; do not accidentally block valuable pages with noindex.
• Consider an XML sitemap to support discovery, particularly on large or complex sites, but do not treat it as a guarantee of indexing.
• Use relevant image alternative text, appropriate file dimensions and descriptive surrounding text.
• Verify the website in Google Search Console and monitor the indexing status and technical issues of important pages.

For detailed recommendations, consult Google's SEO Starter Guide.

Check that internal links actually work

For example, a link to a PHP guide should not accidentally generate a repeated path such as /blog/blog/ on the same domain. Having link text is not enough; you must also test that the destination opens the correct article. Recheck important links after updating content.

Local SEO and content strategy

If you serve a specific area such as Alanya, keep your actual service area, contact details and Google Business Profile, where applicable, up to date. Rather than creating near-duplicate pages that merely swap location names, publish content answering customers' questions specific to each area.

Instead of forcing a keyword into every paragraph, clearly answer real questions such as “What should I ask before commissioning a website?”, “What determines website pricing?” and “Who should own the domain?” No agency can realistically guarantee a first-place ranking.

5. Evaluate Security, Backups and Turkish Data Protection Compliance Together

HTTPS is a basic website requirement, but having an SSL/TLS certificate does not mean a website is protected against every attack. Security also depends on application code, user permissions, server configuration and ongoing maintenance.

What technical security measures should you request?

• Server-side validation and file type and size checks for forms and upload fields.
• Properly implemented parameterized database queries, such as PDO prepared statements.
• Strong authentication, role management and permission checks in the administration panel.
• CSRF protection, output validation and rate limiting where required.
• A maintenance plan for software and dependencies, with clear ownership of security updates.
• Regular backups and testing that data can actually be restored from a backup.

Neither PDO nor HTTPS guarantees security on its own. What matters is implementing complementary safeguards. For more on encrypted connections, see What Is an SSL Certificate?

KVKK: Do not confuse privacy notices with explicit consent

If you process personal data through contact forms, accounts, orders or analytics tools, assess the purposes of processing, the applicable legal basis and your obligation to provide privacy notices. Automatically adding an explicit-consent checkbox to every form is not a sound approach. Obtain explicit consent only when the legal basis for the specific processing activity requires it, and do not combine it with the privacy notice.

The Turkish Personal Data Protection Board's principle decision No. 2026/347 of February 18, 2026 specifically emphasizes this distinction. Cookies likewise require assessment based on their type and intended use. Instead of copying generic legal templates without review, prepare materials suited to your business's data processing practices. This section is for general information and is not a substitute for tailored legal advice.

Source: KVKK – Principle Decision on Separating Explicit Consent and Privacy Notices.

6. Choose a System That Is Easy to Manage and Can Grow with You

After launch, you will want to update product prices, announcements, gallery images or SEO descriptions. Having to contact a developer for every change can increase both turnaround time and maintenance costs.

Request a live demo of the administration panel

Try updating text, an image and a page's SEO title in the sample panel shown by the agency. Ask what a content editor is allowed to change, which fields require developer access and how user roles work.

Acceptance criterion: The agency should deliver administration panel access, an explanation of permissions, basic user training and, when needed, a short user guide.

Off-the-shelf platform or custom software?

WordPress is itself built with PHP, so “PHP versus WordPress” may misleadingly suggest that they are equivalent alternatives. The real decision is whether to use an existing content management system or develop custom functionality. For a broader comparison, read PHP or WordPress?

Plan multilingual functionality from the start

Businesses targeting international customers need to consider separate language URLs, translated service pages, language-appropriate forms and hreflang mappings where relevant. A language selector in the menu is not enough on its own. Choose languages based on your actual customer audience.

Explore existing and customizable solutions on the Pro Yazılım software page.

7. Evaluate the Agency, Proposal Scope and Contract Together

An attractive portfolio is a good starting point, but it should not be your only criterion. Get written confirmation of what the agency will deliver, what tests it will perform, how long it will support different problems and what rights you will have to the software.

Real project example: Deniz Restaurant

Pro Yazılım's publicly available Deniz Restaurant project describes features such as a category-based menu, portion sizes and extras for products, a takeaway order form and email notifications. This example shows that a restaurant may need more than an attractive home page: product selection and the ordering journey can change the project's scope as well.

Limits of the evidence: The project page describes the system's features, but it does not publish verified growth in orders, a PageSpeed score or sales conversion figures. We therefore do not present it as proof of measured commercial success. Explore work in other industries on the Pro Yazılım projects page.

Compare quotations against the same scope

To compare two proposals fairly, each of the following items should be clearly specified:

The domain name should, wherever possible, be registered under the business's control with clear ownership rights. Hosting may be managed by the agency; what matters is that access, portability and data handover terms are clear in the contract.

If a proposal merely says “SEO included” or “fully secure,” ask for the specific tasks and tests in writing. If you need a price estimate, do not treat a single figure provided before you share your requirements as a final quote with a defined scope.

For more detail on agency comparisons, consult How to Choose a Web Design Agency?

What to include in the contract and handover record

The contract should clearly define project scope, timeline, payment milestones, revision limits, software and content rights, domain ownership, support arrangements and data handover if the engagement ends. At delivery, record which pages were tested and which customer access credentials were provided.

A 10-Point Checklist Before Launch

1. Have the website's purpose and primary conversion goal been defined?
2. Do the pages and modules match the agreed written scope?
3. Have menus, forms and buttons been tested on real phones?
4. Have mobile speed measurements been recorded for important pages?
5. Have page titles, heading structure, internal links and indexing been checked?
6. Have form data, permissions, HTTPS and security checks been reviewed?
7. Has responsibility for backups and restoration been assigned?
8. Have administration panel and domain access credentials been handed over?
9. Have KVKK privacy notices and explicit-consent processes, where applicable, been reviewed?
10. Are maintenance, support, licensing and transfer arrangements documented?

Use this checklist not only at launch but also when comparing agencies' offers. Instead of accepting verbal claims that something is “done,” ask for screenshots, test records or handover documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Commissioning a Website

What information should I prepare before commissioning a website?

Prepare your business goals, services, target audience, reference websites, logo and visual assets, contact details and the modules you need initially. If the content is not ready, specify in the agreement who will write and approve it.

How long does it take to build a website?

The number of pages, design approvals, content preparation and custom features all affect the timeline. Do not treat a firm deadline quoted without project details as a guarantee; request a phased delivery schedule.

What determines the cost of building a website?

Costs depend on the design, number of pages and languages, integrations, administration panel, content production, hosting and maintenance services. To compare proposals fairly, send the same requirements document to each provider.

Will an SEO-friendly website rank first on Google?

No. Technical SEO helps search engines crawl and understand your site; it does not guarantee rankings. You may also need ongoing content, measurement and improvements after launch.

Who should own the domain and source code?

Domain registration and renewal should be managed in a way that protects the business's rights. Ownership and usage rights for source code may vary according to the ready-made products, licenses and contract involved. Do not assume these rights; confirm them in writing.

Will a FAQ section receive a special appearance on Google?

A FAQ can help answer visitors' questions, but FAQ markup does not guarantee enhanced search appearances for most commercial websites. Prioritize genuinely helpful answers.

Conclusion: Choose the Right Solution for Your Business, Not Just a Website

When commissioning a website, the most important decision is not which colors the design uses but whether the site supports your business goals. Mobile usability, speed, search visibility, security, ease of management and contract terms are all parts of the same project.

If you want to define your project and obtain comparable proposals, explore Pro Yazılım services and completed projects. Specify the pages, languages and features you need, and request a quote through the contact page. This way, you can approach discussions with a clear scope of what will be delivered rather than asking about price alone.