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Plan a Website

Value Proposition

Your website should exist to deliver value to your customers (not simply because you want to talk about your business). Put yourself in your customer's shoes and determine what your site will offer to make it worth your customer's time to visit.

Web Pages

Decide what web pages you want on your site. Your home page will count as one page. Some other standard pages are products/services, about the company, and contact. If you have a large amount of content, you may need to organize and break down detailed info into multiple pages. This will make it easier for your customers to digest your content.

Site Structure

If you have more than 5 pages, group similar pages and create a site structure. Try to keep your top level menu navigation to 5 items. If you have multiple products, "Products" will be the top level menu item and "Widget 1" and "Widget 2" will be the secondary menu items.

Example:

  • Products
    • Widget 1
    • Widget 2
  • About Us
    • Company Profile
    • Testimonials
    • Careers
  • Contact Us
    • General Inquiries
    • Locations

Side note: it's standard to use the logo as a link back to the home page and not usually necessary to include a "Home" link in the menu navigation. One exception may be if your customer base is less technologically-savvy and not familiar with using the logo as a link to return to the home page.

Content & Images

Begin gathering content and images for your site. Images include your logo, product photos, and any other pertinent graphics or photos. If you are hiring a web designer, they may be able to help you search for stock photography to add visual interest to your site (stock photos are typically purchased at additional cost).

Website Goals

Determine what the goals of your website are, whether it's for the customer to submit a contact form, call you, download a file, or even just spend time on a particular page. Every page of your site should drive the user towards completion of a goal.

Summary

Every good website requires planning. You may have several drafts of refinement and may want to share them with others for suggestions and improvements. With some thoughtful preparation, you'll be on the right track towards a successful website.

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