How To Plan Out Your Website Before Starting To Build It Out

Starting your website and confused about where to even start? 

Here’s a rundown of what you can do to avoid wasting time redoing your site, wondering what pages to create, and even what features to use. Let’s get started!

First, understand the type of website you’ll be creating.

I know what you’re thinking, “Yasmine, I already know what kind of website I want…” And I totally believe you! But let’s dive in anyway.

Are you creating an e-commerce website?

This means you’re selling products. You’re all about the abandoned cart sequences, uploading tons of products, upselling, shipping, downloadables, etc.

Is your business website going to be featuring services?

Instead of a tangible product, you’re offering to do something for people. Whether you’re a cleaning company, a life coach, or social media strategist, your website will feature your skillset.

Are you thinking of creating a blogging website?

Did you know: my ultimate dream life is to be a content creator? Just vlogging about my life on a beach? A content site doesn’t need to be just about the beach life though. If you’re all about sharing your knowledge on a blogging platform, this is for you.

Is your website for courses?

Ok, you have a skillset and you want to teach people how to do it. Whether it’s showing them how to plan out their website or cook a turkey dinner, you’re the go-to professor.

Are you creating a membership site?

You’re the person who wants a connection with others interested in the same thing. Whether it’s industry leaders, backpackers, or foodies - you want a site that’s going to have a conversation.

Hold on, I can hear the last people in the back: “I’m creating a little bit of everything, Yasmine!”

Here’s a warning: when starting out, you can’t do #allthethings on your website. I mean, you can, you’ll just either need a team or a lot of time. Instead, choose the number 1 thing you’ll be known for or start with. Is that a course that is then followed by membership? Is it a service site that will sell courses later on? Knowing what your starting point is and what the end goal will be is crucial for choosing a platform and plan of action.

For example, if you’re a business coach who knows your plan is to have a service and in 2 years a course, you could go with one particular platform or choose a simpler one then shift over in 2 years. Make sense? If not, leave a comment or contact me.

Another reason why using your website to showcase everything when starting out in business?

You need to choose the user journey and you can’t do that when there’s too much going on. The user will be overwhelmed, just like when I go into a restaurant with too many options and end up getting the same cheap thing because #thatshowiroll.

Check out your direct and indirect competition.

You know you’re constantly checking in on your competitors late at night. You KNOW you’re a business owner when you order from them to do research on their projects.

Keep a running list of your direct competitors and what they’re doing. It doesn’t matter if they’re doing it right or wrong, keep it recorded. You want to know them so well that you could pass as an employee. Write down what will make you stand apart from them.

While direct competition is scary, business owners often forget to check in on their indirect competition. I.E. you’re a personal trainer and there’s a new app in town. The app isn’t another trainer or gym but it’s still an alternative that could be solving the same problem.

Create a list of desired features.

From the list of competition or just websites you like, make a note of the features you’d like. Then, organize them into 2 categories: must-haves and wants. This could be a chat feature, pop-ups, GIFs, etc. Take screenshots and keep links. You’ll need to know these to choose your platform. 

Keep a list of what you LOVE.

Have you heard of a thing called Pinterest? It’s my worse time-suck. I just like to pretend that I’ll cook all those gorgeous meals or make crafts with my kids when in reality it’s scrambled eggs and yelling at them about legos on the floor. But I digress.

Keep a board of things you believe represent your website’s brand and style. This could be tattoos, graphics, photos, beach scenes, anything. If you’d put it on a wall in your office, it’ll fit your brand. Then go ahead and add website screenshots from Pinterest that you love. 

With each pin, make sure that you’re thinking about what it is that drew you in. Was the only reason you chose the beach scene because of the blue in the water? This will help when creating your brand and website.

Create a navigation hierarchy for your website.

Creating a ladder of what pages are the most important is crucial to planning. Keep in mind though, these are pages that are important to your audience, NOT you. Why? You want to keep their goals in mind and help them become the center. For example, if you know your audience is coming to your water bottle e-commerce website, don’t bombard them with photos of your kids and help them get to their product asap.

Basic navigation hierarchy on an e-commerce website.

On this type of site, the goal is to get the person from point A to checkout. This means that your menu items at the top of the website should direct them to the categories on your website rather than forcing them to a SHOP tab that drops down. Worse if that dropdown has more than 4 options! #overwhelm

Instead, write out your top 5 categories. If you’re a woman’s clothing store, that will be something like: Tops, Bottoms, Dresses, Accessories, Sale with the most important money-making category towards the left (we read left to right, remember). Then, try a mega menu to support in making drop-downs feel less overwhelming. I.E. Under dresses, you could have Maxi-dresses, Prom, Summer Dresses, or The Red Collection.

Have an About, FAQ, or Contact pages? Perfect! Place them towards the bottom. The only exception is the Location or Contact page when you have an in-store pickup. People will want to know where they’re picking up.

Navigation on a service-based site.

Keep it simple. Choose your most important thing - the one thing people need to click on to hire you and place that to the left of the navigation bar. Keep in mind that the most important page depends on your business style. This page could be your about page or a services page. Check your analytics to be sure what people visit more. 

Your service-based site navigation could look something like this: About, Services, Blog, Contact

Why is contact at the end? Because that’s where people are used to seeing it and because you should have forms on your service page anyway.

Have multiple services? Choose your money-makers and give them their own pages.

Website menu ideas for bloggers.

If you’re blogging, combine the two above. Add your top categories then follow with the About and Contact pages. If you’re actively seeking media opportunities, place that page up at the top navigation as well. All other pages can be linked to at the bottom.

Pages needed for all sites.

Before this step is complete, make sure to write all the other pages you’ll need. This can be legal such as Privacy Policies or just an FAQ page. An example of some are Careers, Terms and Conditions, Meet The Team, Media, PR, Manifesto, Client Log-In, Social Media links (like Linktree but on your site), landing page for your freebie, Resources, Testimonials, and Portfolio. Again, not all will go on the top navigation. Rather, these would be placed on dropdowns or the footer.

Now create a page hierarchy for your website.

After you’ve written out your pages, you’ll want to take the most important ones and wire frame them. Don’t. Freak. Out. You can just sketch out the page on a napkin or scrap paper. It’s so that you know where things are located. You also don’t need to worry about it being set in stone. You can shift things around. This is just a quick and dirty way of getting your idea down before it leaves your head.

When doing this, keep in mind the journey you want website visitors to take. If you’re building up an email list (which you should be doing), you’ll insert more CTAs, aka calls-to-actions, aka buttons/links on a page.

A few notes:

The home page is a summary of all your awesome-ness. Sprinkle all the glitter you can.

Your about page is not about you or a resume. It’s about how your skills can make my life better or why your passion should matter to me. Unless you’re literally making a resume site, then place a downloadable resume, and STILL don’t just place a resume on the site.

Your service page(s) should only focus on getting me to contact you. Don’t insert buttons to read your bio or hop on a freebie.

Planning is the most crucial part of building a website because you don’t want to be recreating it over and over again.