# 19 Website Features Non-Technical Business Owners Often Forget to Ask Web Design Companies About

Canonical URL: https://oneflash.hk/en/blog/website-design-forgotten-features-hong-kong
Language: en-HK
Last updated: 2026-07-02
Author: oneflash

## Direct Answer

When choosing a web design company, non-technical business owners should not only ask about price, design, and page count. They should ask whether the website can support SEO, AI search, advertising, analytics, speed, security, old-site migration, and future AI agent workflows.

The commonly missed functions include Google Schema, editable meta title and description, robots.txt, sitemap.xml, IndexNow, 301 redirects, llms.txt, per-page Markdown, GA4, Microsoft Clarity, a backend analytics dashboard, Meta Pixel, Google Ads tag, mobile PageSpeed, automatic image compression and WebP, MCP, Cloudflare / WAF, backup / restore, and uptime monitoring.

Not every business needs all 19 items on day one. The practical goal is to know which functions are supported, which are included, which cost extra, which can be added later, and which are unnecessary at the current stage.

## How to Use This Checklist

A business owner can send this checklist to a web design supplier and ask:

I may not need all 19 items immediately, but I want to know which are supported, which are included, which cost extra, which can be phase two, and which you think I do not need yet.

A good supplier should be able to explain the trade-offs in plain language. A vague answer such as "SEO is included" or "we can handle it later" is not enough.

## The 19 Website Features

| # | Feature | Importance | Question to ask |
|---|---|---:|---|
| 1 | Google Schema / JSON-LD | 4/5 | Can you set Google Schema for each page type? |
| 2 | Meta title / description | 5/5 | Can each page's meta title and description be edited in the backend? |
| 3 | Robots.txt | 3/5 | Can robots.txt be managed properly through the backend or deployment process? |
| 4 | Sitemap.xml | 4/5 | Will the sitemap update automatically when pages or blog posts are added? |
| 5 | IndexNow | 3/5 | Can important updates notify search engines that support IndexNow? |
| 6 | 301 Redirect management | 5/5 | If I have an old website, will you map old URLs to new URLs with 301 redirects? |
| 7 | llms.txt | 4/5 | Can the website manage an llms.txt file? |
| 8 | Per-page Markdown .md | 4/5 | Can important pages have clean Markdown versions? |
| 9 | GA4 | 5/5 | Will you set up GA4 and key events? |
| 10 | Microsoft Clarity | 4/5 | Will you install Clarity and verify that it collects data properly? |
| 11 | Backend Analytics Dashboard | 4/5 | Does the backend show basic website performance data? |
| 12 | Meta Pixel | 4/5 | Is Meta Pixel included or easy to add later? |
| 13 | Google Ads tag | 4/5 | Can Google Ads tag and conversion tracking be set up? |
| 14 | PageSpeed / mobile performance > 60 | 5/5 | Is there a basic mobile PageSpeed target, such as above 60? |
| 15 | Automatic image compression / WebP | 4/5 | Will uploaded images be compressed and converted to WebP automatically? |
| 16 | MCP | 5/5 | If we later want AI agents, does the backend have an MCP foundation? |
| 17 | Cloudflare / WAF | 4/5 | Does the website include Cloudflare and WAF protection? |
| 18 | Backup / Restore | 5/5 | Do you run regular backups, and can the website be restored when something goes wrong? |
| 19 | Uptime Monitoring | 4/5 | Is there uptime monitoring and notification when the website goes down? |

## SEO Backend

Google Schema / JSON-LD helps search engines understand the type and meaning of a page. It does not guarantee ranking, but it makes content more explicit.

Meta title and description should be editable per page. Even if Google rewrites snippets, a website should still provide clear metadata.

Robots.txt controls crawling, not privacy. A supplier should understand the difference between crawling control, indexing control, and security.

Sitemap.xml helps search engines discover important URLs and should update automatically when public pages or blog posts are added.

IndexNow notifies participating search engines such as Bing when URLs are added, updated, or deleted. It does not mean instant Google indexing.

## If You Have an Old Website

301 redirect management should be discussed as its own section during a website revamp. Old URLs may already have Google visibility, bookmarked traffic, social shares, ad links, WhatsApp links, and external references. If those URLs become 404 after launch, the business may lose traffic and create a poor user experience.

## AI Search Readiness

llms.txt is an emerging Markdown-based proposal for giving AI tools a useful guide to a website. It does not replace SEO or sitemap.xml and does not guarantee citation by AI answer engines.

Per-page Markdown gives important pages a clean text version in addition to HTML. This can help AI tools and agents read, compare, summarize, and improve content more reliably.

## Analytics and Advertising

GA4 should track not only page views but also meaningful actions such as form submissions, WhatsApp clicks, phone clicks, downloads, and main CTA clicks.

Microsoft Clarity helps reveal how visitors actually use a page through heatmaps and session recordings.

A backend analytics dashboard does not replace GA4, but it can make key performance data more visible to owners and teams.

Meta Pixel and Google Ads tags should be discussed before paid campaigns start, otherwise the business may spend money without reliable conversion tracking.

## Speed

A basic mobile PageSpeed target such as performance above 60 is not perfect, but it prevents a site from being delivered with unreasonably poor mobile performance and no accountability.

Automatic image compression and WebP conversion help keep a website fast after launch, especially when staff upload new images through the backend.

## MCP and Future AI Agents

MCP matters because it affects whether future AI agents can safely connect to the website backend and business data. With an MCP-ready backend, a company may later use Codex or an AI agent to update a service page draft, review website performance every week, analyze traffic and conversion data, suggest which content should be tuned, and submit changes for human approval before publishing.

This does not mean AI should freely change the website. The value is controlled access: what the agent can read, what it can prepare, what it can change, what needs human approval, and what must be recorded.

## Security and Stability

SSL is now a basic requirement for a commercial website, not a premium feature.

Cloudflare / WAF can provide CDN, DNS, performance, and basic protection features, depending on configuration and plan.

Backup / Restore should include backup frequency, retention period, files and database coverage, restore process, and preferably tested restore procedures.

Uptime monitoring helps the responsible person know when the website is down, slow, or returning errors before customers complain.

## Phase-One Priority Examples

| Situation | Priorities to ask about |
|---|---|
| Simple first company website | Meta, sitemap, GA4, speed, backup, uptime, SSL / basic protection |
| SEO or long-term blog content | Meta, Schema, sitemap, robots.txt, GA4, llms.txt, per-page Markdown |
| Website revamp | 301 redirects, sitemap, GA4, SEO settings, backup |
| Paid advertising | GA4, Meta Pixel, Google Ads tag, landing page speed, conversion tracking |
| Content-heavy website | Image compression, WebP, backend analytics, per-page Markdown, auto sitemap |
| Future AI agent use | MCP, permissions, approval, structured data, backend analytics, AI-readable content |
| Stability and security requirements | Cloudflare / WAF, backup / restore, uptime monitoring |

## FAQ

### Do I need all 19 items on day one?
No. The checklist helps you know what exists, what is included, what can be phase two, and what is unnecessary for your current stage.

### Does a non-technical owner need to understand every item?
No. You can copy the list and ask the supplier to explain each item. The clarity of their explanation is part of the evaluation.

### Does IndexNow mean Google will index my page immediately?
No. IndexNow is mainly a notification protocol for participating search engines and does not guarantee crawling, indexing, or ranking.

### Does llms.txt guarantee AI citations?
No. It can make a website easier for AI tools to read, but it does not guarantee citation by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or any other answer engine.

### Why is MCP scored 5/5?
Because it affects whether future AI agents can safely connect to the website backend, review performance, prepare updates, and tune content under permissions and human approval.

### Should SSL be listed as a main differentiating feature?
No. SSL should be treated as a basic requirement. The stronger operational questions are Cloudflare / WAF, backup / restore, and uptime monitoring.

### Is "SEO included" enough?
No. Ask whether meta fields, sitemap, schema, robots.txt, redirects, GA4, and content management are actually included.

## References

- Google Search Central: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
- Google Search Central: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/overview
- Google Search Central: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/intro
- IndexNow: https://www.indexnow.org/
- Bing Webmaster Tools: https://www.bing.com/indexnow/getstarted
- llms.txt proposal: https://llmstxt.org/