A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Your New Website
Creating a new website is an exciting venture, but it takes careful planning. Good planning will help you build a website that meets your business goals and serves your audience well. This guide will walk you through each step, from setting goals to maintaining your site after launch. By following these steps, you can create a website that’s both effective and easy to use.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Your New Website
Set Clear Goals for Your New Website
The first step in planning your new website is to set clear goals. Knowing what you want to achieve will help shape every decision, from design to content.
Common Goals for Websites
| Goal | Why It’s Important |
|---|---|
| Increase Brand Awareness | Build your presence so users can find and recognise you in a crowded market. |
| Generate Leads or Sales | Drive visitors to take action, like filling out a form or buying a product. |
| Provide Information | Useful for sharing knowledge in fields like education or healthcare. |
| Improve Customer Engagement | Allows users to interact with you, which builds trust and loyalty. |
Setting goals helps keep your project focused. Rather than aiming to “grow sales,” try to “increase product inquiries by 20% in six months.” These specific goals guide your design, functionality, and content choices, helping your website succeed.
Understand Your Audience
To create a website that people want to visit, you need to know who your visitors are and what they’re looking for. Understanding your audience means you can design a site that suits their needs.
How to Create User Personas
User personas are fictional profiles that represent your ideal users. Developing these personas can help you make decisions about your website.
| Persona Detail | Examples |
|---|---|
| Demographics | Age, job, location |
| Interests | Related hobbies or lifestyle habits |
| Challenges | Problems your website can help them solve |
| Motivations | Reasons they may visit your website |
For example, a fitness website might create personas like “Working Professional” and “Health Enthusiast.” These profiles help guide your content and design choices.
Understand Your Audience
Research Competitors
Understanding your competitors can help you see what works in your industry. Review their websites to identify strengths and weaknesses, which can help you decide how to build your own site.
Areas to Examine in Competitor Analysis:
- Design and Layout: Look at how they arrange content, use colours, and design navigation.
- Content Strategy: Note the types of content they create and how often they update it.
- User Experience (UX): Assess ease of navigation, mobile optimisation, and visual appeal.
- SEO and Traffic Sources: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyse keywords and traffic sources.
Competitor analysis helps you find ways to stand out and improve your website. For example, if competitors lack blog content, you could focus on publishing regular blog posts.
Plan Your Budget
Budgeting is crucial to any project, and a website is no exception. Breaking down costs can help you stay within budget.
Example Website Budget Breakdown
| Cost Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Domain Registration | Annual fee for reserving your web address. |
| Hosting Fees | Monthly or yearly fees for storing your website on a server. |
| Design and Development | Cost of creating and coding the website. |
| Content Creation | Writing, images, and multimedia costs. |
| Maintenance | Regular updates and security costs. |
| Marketing | Budget for SEO, ads, and other promotional efforts. |
Setting a clear budget will help you allocate funds effectively and avoid overspending.
Choose Your Domain and Hosting
Choosing a memorable domain name and reliable hosting provider is essential. A good domain name is simple, relevant, and easy to remember. For hosting, look for reliability, strong support, and scalability.
Tips for Choosing a Domain Name:
- Keep It Short and Simple: Aim for 2-3 words, easy to remember and spell.
- Avoid Special Characters: Symbols and numbers can make it hard to remember.
- Use Keywords: Relevant words can improve search visibility.
The right hosting provider will keep your website running smoothly. Reliable hosting providers offer secure servers, good customer support, and options to grow as your traffic increases.
Plan Your Content Strategy
Content is key to any website. Each page should have a clear purpose and provide value to visitors. A content strategy helps organise and optimise content for both users and search engines.
Steps to Build Your Content Strategy
- Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find relevant search terms.
- Create an Editorial Calendar: Schedule blog posts and updates for consistent engagement.
- Optimise for SEO: Include keywords naturally in headings, subheadings, and body text.
Core Website Pages:
| Page | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Home | Summarises your brand and offerings, encouraging users to explore further. |
| About | Provides background on your business, values, and team. |
| Products/Services | Lists and describes your offerings, showing why they’re valuable. |
| Blog/Resources | Shares helpful content that educates and engages users. |
| Contact | Encourages users to reach out, with contact details and a form. |
A well-structured content plan can make your website more engaging and help it rank higher in search results.
Organise Your Website Structure
A clear structure makes your website easy to use and helps search engines understand its layout. Start by designing a sitemap that shows all the main pages and their relationships.
Tips for Good Website Structure:
- Map User Journeys: Visualise paths users might take, like from the homepage to the products page, and finally to the contact form.
- Simplify Navigation: Keep navigation menus straightforward, with 5-7 main options.
- Use Breadcrumbs: These small guides at the top of a page show users where they are on the site.
Clear navigation and logical structure improve user experience, helping users find what they need quickly.
Organise Your Website Structure
Select the Right Tools
Choosing the right tools can save time and make your website easier to manage. Content management systems (CMS) like WordPress offer flexibility, while platforms like Shopify are excellent for eCommerce.
Factors to Consider:
- Ease of Use: The platform should be intuitive for both you and your team.
- Customisation Options: Look for themes and plugins that allow easy customisation.
- Support: A strong support network or community can help you troubleshoot issues.
Choosing suitable tools lets you build a website that’s both functional and flexible for future growth.
Implement SEO from the Start
SEO is vital for your website’s visibility. By following SEO best practices, you can help your site rank higher in search results, bringing in more visitors.
Key SEO Practices:
| SEO Element | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Keyword Optimisation | Using relevant keywords improves search visibility. |
| Site Speed Optimisation | Fast-loading sites provide a better user experience. |
| Mobile-Friendly Design | Mobile optimisation is crucial, as many users access sites from phones. |
| Internal Linking | Links between pages help users and search engines navigate your site. |
| Image Alt Text | Adding descriptions to images improves accessibility and SEO. |
SEO can help your website attract the right audience and increase organic traffic.
Test Your Website Before Launch
Testing is an essential step before launching your site. This ensures everything works smoothly and provides a good user experience.
What to Test:
- Functionality: Ensure that links, forms, and CTAs all work correctly.
- Usability: Check that navigation is easy and pages load quickly.
- Compatibility: Test on different devices and browsers to confirm a consistent experience.
Testing helps you spot and fix issues early, making the launch smoother and more successful.
Plan for Post-Launch Maintenance
Launching a website is just the beginning. To keep it effective, regular maintenance is essential.
Maintenance Tasks:
- Content Updates: Refresh content to keep it relevant and appealing.
- Security Checks: Regularly update software and back up data.
- User Feedback: Gather feedback to identify areas for improvement.
Regular updates keep your website running well, secure, and valuable for users.
Plan for Post-Launch Maintenance
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What’s the first step in planning a new website?
Start by setting clear goals and researching your audience’s needs.
Is SEO important from the start?
Yes, SEO is crucial from the beginning. It helps your site rank higher in search engines.
How do I create a content plan?
A content plan includes topics, keywords, and a publishing schedule, ensuring all content meets user needs and is optimised.
How do I choose a CMS?
Choose a CMS that’s easy to use, customisable, and suitable for your business’s growth plans.
What mistakes should I avoid when launching a website?
Don’t skip testing, and make sure you plan for ongoing maintenance after launch.
Conclusion
Creating a new website involves several steps, from defining your goals to regular maintenance after launch. By following these steps, you’ll set up a website that attracts visitors, provides a great experience, and supports your business goals. Good planning ensures your site works well from day one and grows with your business.
With over two decades of web design and development expertise, I craft bespoke WordPress solutions at FallingBrick, delivering visually striking, high-performing websites optimised for user experience and SEO.
