Before you build a website… plan it!!!

This will save you time and frustration as well as help you build a website that not only attracts your ideal client, but converts them into leads and customers.

It’s kind of like building a house, you would never just start building a house without a blueprint.

So how do you build a blueprint for your website?

Start by answering these questions:

1. WHAT problem do you solve for others? People search the internet when they have a problem that they need solved. Usually they are looking for something specific, an answer to a specific question or help with a specific problem. Make sure you are clear on the PROBLEM YOU SOLVE.
2. WHO can benefit from the problem you solve? And WHO typically has this problem? Try to be as detailed as possible. 
3. WHO is your website for? Is it directed to people that have never heard of you before? Or someone who knows a lot about you? Typically, what are the characteristics of the person who will be visiting your website?
4. How is the person feeling when they come to your website? What emotions are they experiencing?  What pain are they feeling? 
5. What have they tried in the past that didn’t work? Why are they searching for answers now?
6. Why are you the solution to their problem? What do you offer that will specifically help them? How are you unique from everyone else? 
7. How will they feel AFTER you help them? What success will they find if they use your product or service? And, what would happen if they didn’t use your product or service?
8. What should someone DO when they get to your page? Ultimately, what do you want them to DO? Schedule a call with you? Download a freebie and get on your email list? Hint: most websites are NOT just informative. You are a business–someone that comes to your website should be asked to DO something. (This is called a Call to Action: CTA).
9. Ask yourself, what is the purpose of my website? Is it get leads? To get sales? To let people know more about me and look professional? 
10. What services do you offer and how do those benefit my client? Not just the features of each service, but what are the BENEFITS to them? This should be in bite-sized categories. No more than your top 3. What is your “ultimate offer”? 

(Note: if you want a worksheet you can download to start working on these questions… CLICK HERE).

Once you have the above questions answered, then you can get down to the nitty-gritty and start more serious planning.

Additional questions to answer:

1. What pages do you want on your website? Most websites should include: Home, About, Contact, Work With Me or Services Offered, Privacy Policy (this is required by law)). Additional items could be a blog page and blog articles, landing pages for lead-magnets, and pop-ups.
2. What consistent branding will you use? Do you have a logo? Pull the colors and fonts from your logo and use those throughout your website and be consistent. Use brand colors and fonts that will appeal to your target audience. Example, you will often see health brands and websites use greens and yellows. Websites that appeal to women often pinks, purples, pastels, teal, and warm colors while more masculine websites use black, red, and orange. 
3. Do you have a theme or something that goes with your business? For example, a lighthouse, flower, mountains, climbing theme, children, etc. What are ways you can bring this theme into your website?
4. What images portray your client as being successful? Start gathering possible images for your website. (Royalty free, legal for commercial use download sites include unsplash, pexels, pixabay.)
5. Is this a personal brand? You will need images of yourself. I highly recommend getting professional shots taken of you “doing what you do”. Not just a “professional head shot” but several images of you in various settings. You want to show others who you are visually and why they can trust you. You want to look friendly, safe, inviting, helpful, trusting, successful, etc.  But make sure they are real and show your true personality. If you don’t normally hang out all day at the beach, don’t use images of you at the beach. Be real, People can tell when its not authentic.
6. What is your story? How did you get here? How did you get to the point you were ready to help people and what skills do you have? This should not be a resume, but your story that others would want to hear. Pretend you are talking to someone for the first time, you have made a connection with her, trust her and are telling your story. What would you say?
7. Do you have a tagline? Or a phrase that identifies your business? What does it mean in simple words? If someone has never heard of you or your tagline, explain it to them. Examples “Find Your Fight” or “Live Your Dreams” or “Start Your Spiritual Journey”. What does that mean. Don’t assume those that read your website will understand it. How would you explain it them?
8. Do you have social media links or an online scheduling calendar? What are those links?
9. Take a look at other websites in your niche. What do you like about them? What stands out to you? What do you like about their layout? Colors? Fonts? What pages do they include on their site? Start writing down things you like.
10. What websites have you seen that you don’t like? What is it that you don’t like? What “turned you off” about those website? What was it that made you say to yourself, “no, I wouldn’t hire that person?” What did their website say about them?

Finally, once you have gone through the questions, put everything together in a Google drive folder. 

Include: links to your social media, branding colors, fonts, your logo, mages, brainstorm ideas, this worksheet, all your logins and passwords. Make a folder to keep everything together so when you go to build your site you can easily access everything in one place.

Often the biggest mistake people make when starting a website is not doing the needed prep work ahead of time.

Then, they stare at a blank screen and throw anything up there because they don’t know what to write. Answering the questions above will help you with that! It will help you actually speak to your ideal client and most importantly, connect with them and the problem they need help with. 

Often the first encounter people will have with your business is your website. 

How often do you tell someone what you do and they say, “Wow, that’s great. Do you have a website I can look at?”

Or how often do you want to “check out” a business before spending money with them? What do you do first… visit their website.

Make sure your website speaks to your ideal client and reflects how you run your business.

Your website reflects YOU. It reflects YOUR BUSINESS and the caliber of your business. If you have a haphazard website, potential customers will think this is how you run your business. 

So take the time to do the prep work. Write out your blueprint before building! 

Once you have gone through the mental exercise of answering all the questions and really understanding your audience and the problem you help them solve, then you can start to build… but not before.

I promise this will save you hours of work and frustration later.

It will help you truly connect with those you can help and get clear on the purpose of your website so your business can grow and be successful.

DOWNLOAD THE WEBSITE PLANNING WORKSHEET and get started today!

Ready to build you website, but need a little guidance? Register for the next Done Right Website Academy where you build a high converting website AND connect it to “all the things:” lead magnet, email automation, online scheduling calendar. PLUS, get live coaching from me as you go along to answer any questions you have along the way. REGISTER TODAY!