Start Here: Planning Out Your Website

Plan Your Website The Right Way

• Have you ever wasted time trying to adjust something on a website?

• Have you ever spent way too much time building out a website?

• Have you ever built a website only to discover that you wished you would have done it a different way?

I can’t tell you how many times I meet people who can say yes to all of these question and more!  Websites are such a simple thing, but yet so complex in so many ways.  Websites are deceptively difficult projects, but perhaps one of the most important projects a brand will ever need to focus on.  

Here’s why they are deceptively difficult

• There are infinite ways to build a website.  While there are a few core ways, the possibilities are truly endless.
• They are technical.  Yes, websites have nice dashboards that most people can navigate around, they really are just a ton of code in the background like they’ve always been.  
• They are strategic.  Websites work for you 24/7!  You can have a simple website that does the basics, OR you can have a website that leads people to do specific actions even when you aren’t paying attention.  The copy on your website and design are really important for this!

Don’t feel too discouraged, though! Now that we have an understanding that a website deserves your attention and can’t just be ‘slapped’ together, you’ll build out a really amazing website.  The point is, you need to take your site seriously.  Once you approach a project with that kind of perspective, you will plan your website with strategy and attention.  

A Few Questions To Think Through:

1. What actions do I want people to take on my website?  Are you selling things?  Do you want people to sign up for something?  Do you want them to interact with specific content?  Do you want them to follow a specific trail of web pages on your site?  What do you want them to do and what pieces of information need to be in place to get them to do that?  
2. What keywords are key for my business?  Have we done keyword studies to know what words or phrases we are going after?  Those words need to be incorporated from the beginning?
3. What key informational nuggets do people need to know about us and our brand?  What services do we want to highlight?  What values need to be reflected?  What products do we offer?  What pain points and problems do we solve?  Answering these questions will help you know what pages of information need to be reflected on your site.
4. Do we have the photography needed to support a site?  Do we need to purchase or have photos taken to reflect the messages we are sending on the site?
5. What is our timeline?  Will we design out and launch content on our site in phases?  Remember, a website doesn’t have to be perfect, nor will it ever truly be perfect.  A minimally viable website is better than a website left in draft mode forever.  
6. Who will provide this information?  Who in the company can provide the insider information needed to produce the website copy, photos, sales pages, etc.?  A copywriter and designer can only do so much.  You WILL need to provide information to help these professionals provide you the best service possible.  

Many people think a website is something you can blink and it’s there.  However, most of the work actually happens BEFORE any code is put in place.  If you have your website planned out, the actual construction of the site can be much more strategic and effective for your goals.  

Building or re-doing a website?  Grab our free Website Launch Guide here FREE!