Accès & Onboarding # What information do we need to start your web project? 5 min de lecture ## Why do we need this information? Starting a web project without a complete brief is like building a house without a plan. The more precise information we have from the start, the better we can offer you a tailored solution, frame the budget realistically, and avoid costly back-and-forths in time. This document summarizes all the information we will ask you during our first contact or our kick-off meeting. ## 1. Project Context ### Creation or Redesign? The first important distinction is whether your project is: - **A creation**: you do not yet have a website, or you want to start from scratch. - **A redesign**: you have an existing site and want to evolve it (design, technology, content, or all at once). In the case of a redesign, we will need the address of the current site and, if possible, an administrator access to audit what exists. ### Who are you? - Company / entity name - Industry - Size of the structure (micro-enterprise, SME, association, freelancer…) - Geographical location and catchment area (local, national, international?) ## 2. Project Objectives This is the most important question. A website must meet one or more specific objectives. Examples: - Present the company and its services (showcase site) - Generate leads / contact requests - Sell products online (e-commerce) - Schedule appointments online - Inform or retain a community (blog, newsletter) - Offer a customer area / private portal To specify: what is the main objective? What are the secondary objectives? ## 3. The Message and Positioning The site must convey a clear message to your visitors. For this, we need to understand: - **Your value proposition**: what differentiates you from your competitors? - **The desired tone**: serious and institutional, warm and human, modern and dynamic, minimalist… - **Your target**: who are your ideal visitors? (age, profession, technical level, needs) - **Websites you appreciate**: 2 or 3 examples of websites whose design or atmosphere you like (even outside your sector) - **Websites you do not like**: to understand what to avoid ## 4. Visual Identity ### You already have a graphic charter Share with us: - Your **logo** (preferably in vector format SVG or AI, otherwise high-resolution PNG) - Your **color palette** (hex codes if possible, e.g.: #1A2B3C) - Your **typographies** (fonts used) - Any existing graphic charter document (PDF, Figma, etc.) ### You do not yet have a graphic charter Indicate your preferences: - Colors that inspire you or that correspond to your universe - A general style: clean/minimalist, colorful/dynamic, dark/premium, natural/organic… - Visual references (sites, photos, Pinterest images…) In this case, we can assist you in creating the visual identity before the site. ## 5. Content Content (texts, images, videos) is often the point that slows down projects the most. Clarify with us: - **Who writes the texts?** You, your team, or do you want us to help you? - **The photos**: do you have professional visuals? Do you want to use stock images? - **The languages**: will the site be multilingual? If so, who manages the translations? - **The site map**: what pages do you want? (Home, About, Services, Blog, Contact…) ## 6. Specific Features List the features you need. Here are the most common: - Contact form - Online appointment scheduling - Blog / news - E-commerce (selling products or services) - Customer area / extranet - Multilingual - Integration of an existing CRM or ERP tool - Online chat / chatbot - Newsletters / emailing - Photo gallery or portfolio - Interactive map - Configurator or calculator The more precise you are about your functional needs, the more accurate our quote will be. ## 7. Hosting and Domain ### Domain Name - Do you already have a domain name? If yes, where is it registered (Infomaniak, OVH, Gandi…)? - Do you want to buy a new one? ### Hosting - Do you already have hosting? If yes, with which provider? - Do you want Mermio to manage the hosting for you? (We are partners with Infomaniak and prefer Swiss or European solutions.) ### Email Addresses - Do you need to create or migrate professional email addresses related to the domain? ## 8. Budget and Timeline These two elements allow us to calibrate our proposal: - **Indicative budget**: we do not ask for an exact figure, but a range allows you to obtain a realistic offer tailored to your means. - **Desired launch date**: do you have a timeline constraint (event, product launch, end of current contract…)? - **Particular constraints**: holiday periods, internal validation deadlines, multiple stakeholders to involve… ## 9. Existing Access (if redesign) If you have an existing site, we will likely need the following accesses: - Access to the CMS back-office (WordPress, Drupal, etc.) - FTP/SSH access to the server - Access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics - Access to the host and/or domain registrar We have dedicated articles for each of these accesses in our knowledge base. ## The Next Steps Once this information is collected, we will organize a **kick-off** meeting to align everyone on the objectives, validate the scope, and establish a timeline. If you have any questions before this meeting, feel free to contact us at **hello@mermio.ch**. [Contact us](http://www.mermio.ch/en/contact) ## Related Articles [ Accès & Onboarding ### How to clear my browser cache? After an update to your site, your browser may continue to display the old version. Here’s why, and how to clear the cache depending on your browser. ](http://www.mermio.ch/en/base-de-connaissances/how-to-clear-my-browser-cache) [ Accès & Onboarding ### Why do we need FTP/SSH access to your server? To intervene on your server, we need FTP/SFTP or SSH access. Here’s what it means, why it’s necessary, and how to configure it securely. ](http://www.mermio.ch/en/base-de-connaissances/why-do-we-need-ftpssh-access-to-your-server)