From “what’s our purpose?” to “how often should we update our content?”—and even a few “what are we doing with our lives?!” for good measure—we asked it all.

And, lucky for you, we’ve learned from experience which questions actually matter. So we’ve provided a list of those questions below. (Plus, ya know, the answers.)

What Is the Purpose of My Website?

The purpose of your website determines the design and functionality of the site—so it’s important to start here. For example, a website that advertises a business will look totally different from a blog. And a blog will look different from a site that sells products or services.

If you’re not sure what your purpose is yet, hit pause on building your website until you have it figured out. Once you know what you want to do, the rest will come.

Who Is My Target Audience?

Figuring out your target audience is not easy. That’s why we’ve written about this very topic time and time and time . . . and time again. Fortunately, you don’t need to have the answer to this question written out in excruciating detail, yet.

But you do need a general idea of who you are writing (and selling) to. With a few broad strokes, you can establish some baseline ideas.

For example, are you selling to other businesses or to consumers? What kinds of people, generally speaking, will find their way to your website? Having some broad answers to these questions will help you make important design and marketing decisions as you build your site.

What Content Will My Website Include?

Once you have a general idea of your purpose and target audience, you can start to think about your content. Ask yourself, what do I want my visitors to see when they land on my homepage? A photo? A funny story? An introductory video?

There is no wrong answer, really. But be sure to think about the fact that most visitors will spend only 52 seconds on the page before moving on. What do you want them to know about you at first glance? Once you have that figured out, you can begin to brainstorm additional topics you want to cover down the road.

How Often Will I Need to Update My Website?

Some websites require more frequent updates than others, depending on the type of content. For example, if you are running a blog, you will probably need to make updates on a weekly basis. If you’re just advertising your business, updates may only be necessary every few months.

Knowing how often you need to update your site will also make an impact on the type of site-building platform you use, so make sure to answer this question before you get going.

If you are going to be making changes every week or every few days, then you want to use a platform that will allow you to manage the site yourself. WordPress or Concrete are the go-to platforms we recommend. If you are not interested in making updates yourself, or if you want a site that is lightning-fast, then you should go the hard-coded or headless CMS route.