Is your company in dire need of a website? Are you looking to overhaul an existing website? No matter where you’re starting, the fact is that for most business owners, building a website can be quite intimidating. In this digital age, your website is the core of your business’ online presence. It should accurately reflect your brand, your personality, and what your company has to offer.
But, before you can create and launch a website, you need to have a solid plan in place. Keep reading to learn about website design planning and how to create a website that sells.
Guide to The Website Design Process
Research and Discover
A successful website is only possible if you spend time identifying goals and other key information. Who is your target market? What are you trying to achieve with your business’ website?
Write down your goals for the site, this will make the process tangible and actionable. During the discovery phase, ask questions such as:
- What does my business offer consumers?
- What sets my business apart from competitors?
- Who is my target audience?
- What is my budget?
Answering these questions will help navigate you throughout the website design planning process. You’ll be able to prioritize features you’ll need, discard or defer items that are not required, and focus your efforts and budget where they are most important.
Plan Your Website
The planning step is another key part of launching a successful website. Though it may be tempting to jump right into designing a website, proper research and planning will serve as a helpful guide later on down the road. Website design projects, like any other, can go off track, and a plan gives you a useful framework to determine when it has done so.
Planning your website is a wise investment, as it will ultimately save you time, money, and frustration. Three Aspects to Achieve During the Web Process
1. Create a Sitemap
First, create a sitemap. This identifies all of the pages your website will contain. This includes pages such as About Us, Contact, Product Information, and others. Knowing which pages are needed before you start developing makes the development process a lot less hectic.
This is especially true when it comes to planning your site’s navigation. It also gives you an idea of how much content you’ll need to write before launch.
- Content Creation and Review
Next, you’ll want to develop and review content. Create content that is catchy and informative. But also needs to be to your brand. Simply rehashing content that your competitors are using isn’t likely to do much good.
Take the time to generate content that speaks to your brand and incorporates your business’ personality and vision. This is what will ultimately drive and keep traffic coming to your site.
- Search Engine Optimization
Lastly, create a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. This determines if and how your website will get noticed and ranked by search engines. There are countless SEO options, including:
- Using certain keywords and keyphrases
- Designing with user experience in mind
- Having a logical site and URL structure
SEO is important because it’s what ultimately decides the quality and quantity of traffic that your site receives.
Choose Us for Trusted Web Design Services
Need help with web design? The experts at Fat Guy Media are here to help. Our team knows the ins and outs of designing websites that drive traffic and sell whatever it is your business is offering.
Contact us and let us help with the website design planning and design process!
