How to plan the content of your website
June 01, 2021
Whether you are a budding entrepreneur, blogger, or small business owner, having a website is a must in today's society. Particularly in these times when more and more customers are turning to online services.
But walking blindly in the world of website building can be a bit daunting. Luckily, we've got you covered with a detailed list of things to do to plan a website before you create it yourself, without the help of any professional.
Use this course as a guide that describes exactly how to prepare and launch your new website.
Identify the goal of your website
Before you start building a website, you need to know why you are creating it.
- What is your main goal?
- What do you want your website to accomplish for your business?
- Is it strictly informational or are you selling products?
- Are you looking to increase engagement with customers through your site?
- Is your goal to leverage your website to increase your profits?
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you create a plan that is strategically linked to your business goals. It is therefore important to always start from square one: the goal of your website.
Start thinking about the overall purpose of your website
The purpose of your website is the reason you want to create it. It's what you think a website can do for you. You might think the goal is to:
- Attract traffic and increase your audience
- Show your products
- Share what you know
- Advertise your business
- Entertain your readers
While these are great reasons to have a website, they won't necessarily help you do something specific, which is why you need to turn the general goal into a concrete goal.
Turn your goal into a concrete goal
The goal is the real, concrete reason why you want (and need) a website. This is what you want to achieve by having a website.
To find your concrete goal, start with the goal that seems obvious and keep asking yourself "why" until you reach the real goal. Some examples:
- General objective --> Concrete objective
- Attract traffic and increase your audience --> Sell an eBook to your audience
- Show your products --> Sell more products
- Share what you know --> Build your authority and get conference invitations
- Advertise your business --> Ask customers to sign up for a consultation
- Entertain your readers --> Create a subscriber base for your newsletter
As you can see from the examples, this exercise reduces your focus so that you can see what you actually want your website to do. You can see the conversion or action you want to trigger on your website.
Decide what your website needs to help you reach your goal.
Understanding the goal of the website (the action you want to trigger) allows you to start designing a strategy that leads to that conversion.
When planning a website, take a look at your goal and determine what your site needs to help you reach that goal.
For example, if your goal is to:
- Sell an eBook to Your Audience - You need to direct users to your eBook product pages and give them a way to make their purchases.
- Build Your Authority and Get Conference Invitations - You need to showcase your expertise through blog posts and drive users to your contact page.
- Build your newsletter subscriber base - You need to create interesting and engaging lead magnets and add membership forms to your site. You will find the definition and examples of lead magnets in this article.
Exercise
- Identify your main goal, what you want your website to accomplish for your business.
- Turn your main goal into a concrete goal. For this, start with the goal that seems obvious and keep asking yourself "why" until you reach the real goal.
- Break down your goal and determine what elements you need on your site (such as membership forms, sales pages, etc.) to achieve that goal. Also, design your site in a way that prompts audiences to take the action you want them to take.
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