What questions should I ask a client before ...

1. what industry is he in?

2. what language or languages would it have?

3. what is the main purpose of the site?

4. what is the demographics of its audiences?

5. is it strictly  graphic design or also system design?

6. does he have all the contents figured out and written?

7. going deeper into likes and dislikes: show 3 web sites you like from any industry. show 3 you really hate.

8. same as 7 but for your own industry.

9. do you have a company graphic language set? which colors and fonts does this language include? (if there is no graphic language - no collateral or letterehead and business cards at all - check what his anticipations are in this area, since the  site and the rest of the communications should speak the same language).

There are lots of questions you need to ask a client and I always suggest building a questionnaire and making sure all pertinent contacts with the client complete it.

I like to make sure both the client and I have a clear understanding of who the target audience(s) is/are for a project before starting. Knowing the audience(s) helps you make smarter decisions about site structure, design theme and can help the client think through what they want to accomplish with their web site.

I also like to distill a purpose and goal for the site based on what it is for: is it a direct money-maker like an e-commerce site or primarily information driven, or something else entirely.

Also, make sure you get feedback from the client on how often they intend to update content and how they'd like to do it. Content management is always an ongoing concern and it is best to get it right from the start than have to fix it later.