Where Do I start when Planning to Build a Website?
The time has come – you’ve decided it’s time for your business to launch a website. While this is an exciting move, it can also feel overwhelming and you can be left wondering ‘Where do I start?’ Don’t worry, it doesn’t need to be daunting. We’ve created this list of 8 essential steps to show you where to get started when planning to build a website.
1. Get to know your users
When it comes to planning a website, many businesses forget that their website should be designed for their customers. That’s where customer research comes in. Each business will have its own unique way of getting to know its audience but some tried and tested methods include: email surveys and questionnaires, customer feedback and social media interactions.
The key with this step is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Why are they visiting your website? What are they hoping to get out of that visit? You need to make sure you understand your customer’s expectations, behaviours, needs and motivations. Then you can make sure your website will benefit users.
2. What is the purpose of your website?
The purpose of almost all websites is to sell. Even if you want to engage, inform and educate visitors to your website, the ultimate end goal is to turn visitors into leads and leads into customers. It’s important to keep this in mind as you plan your website. Try to avoid getting bogged down in worrying about design features, lengthy text descriptions and boatloads of content. Your website will grow over time, it’s an investment and will change as your business changes. So no need to get stressed about getting it exactly right the first time!
3. Look at what your competitors are doing
Researching your competitors can be a great source of inspiration while also helping you to identify gaps in your market. Take a look at the websites of your competitors and note down what they do well, what they could do better, and what else you can learn. By following their user journey through the eyes of your customers you’ll be able to identify aspects of the customer journey you can improve on with your own website.
4. Decide on an SEO strategy
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) should be something that’s on your radar early on. There’s nothing worse than finishing a website and then having to go back and ‘do’ SEO on a site that hasn’t been built with search engines in mind. It’ll be much easier, faster and cost-effective in the long run to start early on. Keyword research will allow you to plan your content and website layout in a Google-friendly way.
If you need help with SEO take a look at our blog post What is SEO?
5. Content Planning
This is basically a master list of all the content you want to include on your website. The information you include will depend on your business but, as standard, you may want to include the following to make your website easier to organise:
Page title
Description of page content: who is it for, what is it about
The author of the content: who will be in charge of writing/updating content on this page?
We suggest making a spreadsheet to make the information easy to access and view.
6. Allocate your resources
This can be an overlooked part of the planning process but it is essential to make your website planning process as seamless as possible. For example, how long will the design of the website take? What is the deadline for launching the website? What is the budget for each stage of development?
Planning these factors early on will ensure that your website isn’t delayed and that any potential hold-ups are anticipated and cleared before they become a problem.
7. Consider your Call To Action
The Call To Action (CTA) is one of the most important parts of your site. Before you jump into creating your website you should make sure you have a strong, consistent CTA. Think about what you want your visitors to do when they come to your site, request a quote, book a consultation, buy a product…
Once you have your CTA make sure that it is front and centre of the user journey and that it is quick and easy for your customers to do what you want them to do.
8. Pick a Content Management System
The Content Management System (CMS) is the structure your website is built on and powers the back end of your site. WordPress and Squarespace are two Content Management Systems you may have heard of, although there are dozens of options. The CMS that’s right for you will depend on both your business and what type of website you are building.
At Finch Design company we will be able to recommend the best CMS for your needs and get you up and running with a website that works for you. Whether that’s an e-commerce store for your small business or a portfolio website for your company. We can guide you through all aspects of the website-building process from design and development to CMS and SEO. If you need help with your web development, don’t hesitate to contact us.
You’re now ready to embark on the design and development of a website that makes sense, addresses your customers needs and converts them into customers. Enjoy!
