Written by Lorna Marty
| updated on
Are you struggling to organise your website content?
Planning your new website can be a overwhelming.
As you know your business so well, your head is often full of all the things you could include.
You may have looked at tonnes of other websites – your competitors, sites in your industry & more – and you are thinking there as so many design directions you could include.
And then there is creating the content and you are paralysed by perfection!
There’s just so much to think about.
Where do you start?
But don’t worry, we can help.
Over the past 20 years, we have helped 100s of clients through this process and we are sharing this list with you.
Below we have listed things you need to ask yourself when planning a new site.
For our comprehensive guide, download our FREE WORKBOOK which will totally help you organise your ideas.
START PLANNING YOUR NEW WEBSITE
Download your FREE WORKBOOK
to start creating your new website.
Download FREE today
Here’s how to plan your website:
1. New site or redesign?
First up, is this a brand new site or a redesign of your current website?
If it’s a new site, head to question 2.
If it’s a redesign, think about:
- Why are you getting a new website?
- Which parts of your existing site work?
- What needs to be reworked?
- What new features or functionality do you need?
2. What is the purpose of your site?
Your site needs to have an ultimate purpose.
- What’s the main purpose of your site (for example: to sell a product, to generate leads)?
- What are your site goals (for example: do you have sales targets or want to increase the number of enquiries you receive?)
3. Who is your ideal customer?
Knowing your target audience – your ideal customer – is vital.
- Who will be would be visiting your site?
- What problems do they have and how can you solve them?
- Why should they visit your site rather than your competitors’ websites?
4. What’s your style?
Think about the look and feel of your site.
- What do you want your site to say about your company?
- Write down some keywords to describe the look and feel of your new (for example: funky, arty, professional, accessible, modern).
- Try to think of some other sites that you like – why do you like them?
5. Knowing your site content
Think about your site pages – try and list them out, either in a list or a diagram.
(Nav tip: Try to keep the main menu to around 6 items and list the others as sub-pages).
- What kind of content will you need (for example: text, images, video, PDFs etc)?
- Who’ll be responsible for creating the content? Will you be creating your content or do you need an editor, professional copywriter or a photographer?
6. What other features do you need?
Now think about what features your site will need.
For example:
- Do you want a blog and social media integration?
- Do you want live chat or online bookings?
- Do you want online forms or email newsletter integration?
Look at other sites for inspiration and note down any features that would add value to your visitors or customers.
7. Marketing?
How you will promote your new site?
- Think about your target market – where do they hang out (for example, which social media platforms are they on)?
- How will you drive traffic to your site (for example, will you be able to create blog posts and fresh content on a regular basis)?
8. Your budget & deadline?
Finally, think about your budget and deadline. You might have $ but no time, or time and no $?!
- How much can you afford to spend on your new site?
- Do you have a deadline that you need to hit?
START PLANNING YOUR NEW WEBSITE
Download your FREE WORKBOOK
to start creating your new website.
Download FREE today
Put your plan into action?
Talk to us about getting a new website – download the WORKBOOK & we’ll chat about your ideas.