Building a website from a blank canvas can be a really overwhelming task. To create something new that doesn’t exist requires a lot of work. Since a website has so many moving parts, doing it without a plan might cause you to put hours on hours without making it to the finish line.
If you’re having someone else build your website, not having can also cause a lot of back and forth with designer and not getting what you truly want. A solid website plan will have the strategy that you need to end up with a website that is in line with your brand and your business goals. If you’re going to attempt to start creating without doing this background work, I encourage you to check out these reasons why you really need to have a plan. Here is why having a website plan is crucial to the success of your website.
Not all business goals are the same. The goal for your website may be completely different than mine. Are you trying to generate leads? Sell products? Build awareness? Offer information? These will change a lot of factors of your website including the structure, the look and feel, and much more.
I have had a lot of clients in the past that when asked for the goal of their website, they don’t have a clear answer. They commonly feel they need one because everyone else has one and haven’t sat down to think about how exactly they will use it. This isn’t the best way to go into a website project. This is when we sit down and figure it all out so the final product is fully ready to take on its purpose.
Since your website is a blank canvas, one of the biggest pieces you will need is content. We will need images, copy, headlines, etc. If you don’t know what you’ll need to create or gather to get the website to its first completed version, you might feel like more and more will be thrown at you. It can be a pretty daunting task to write a million product descriptions only to remember you need to write your bio and then a page of content on the benefits of your products and then to need to gather your testimonials. It can be a lot.
If you are writing your own content, you will need to gather a list of everything you need. Once you have a completed list, look at your website’s launch date and map out a content plan. Once you have a content plan and timeline, you will know exactly what you need to create and when to stay on track of your deadlines.
If you are hiring someone to create your content, you will need to know what to ask for. This will help you stay in budget and be able to also make sure content is being created at a good pace to not drag out the project.
Speaking of staying on budget, it might be difficult to do when you don’t have a clear plan of what your website will need. Once you have a clear vision of all of the tools, content creation and services you will need to complete your project, you will have a better idea of what your budget will need to look like.
This allows you to also make better decisions about how the project will be completed. For example, if you had a certain budget in mind and a number of features you want your website to have, you might have to adjust your plan. Maybe you’ll decide to write your own content or hold off on certain features for the future. It is very easy to underestimate the costs of projects as great as a website. There are many great tools and services that can make your website efficient and successful, but these truly start to add up.
If you are hiring someone else to build your website, it will be important to know your needs upfront so there are no surprise costs that come in during the process. This will help your designer give you a proper quote for your project.
If you are not comfortable with a large budget, I recommend you do as much as you can yourself in the beginning and hand off the project to a professional once you have hit your limitations. You can save a bit of money by creating your own content, gathering your own images and setting up your own tools. If you would like to set up your website by yourself, you can sign up for my free 5-day challenge that walks you through setting up your domain, reporting tools, hosting account, the theme for your website and more!
Big projects such as websites can reaaallllyy drag out easily. As a marketing director at a law firm, I have dealt with small and large digital agencies and I can tell you, they almost never make their deadlines despite getting back to them with feedback in good timing. There are many reasons for this, but I tell you this because when you’re building your own website, you can drag it out much longer without meaning to.
Not having a solid plan can really cause this.
I always recommend having a launch date. This helps you and I or your designer stay accountable for completing things in a timely manner. Without a launch date with deadlines in between, it is difficult to stay on track for such a big project.
Along with a launch date, you want to have mini goals in between that can help guide you to the launch date. If you get behind on your smaller deadlines, you will know right away if you are on track to your launch date or not early on, rather than later.
When going into the process of creating your website, it’s possible that you have a vision of what it might and look and function like. Without a plan in place, it’s possible your vision won’t happen due to the lack of details planned.
If you get the vision down and make a plan to get it, there will be a lot less back and forth with the designer to create what you really. For big projects with deadlines, this is super important!
With a million details to work out, it can be pretty easy to miss something important if you don’t make websites for a living. You don’t want to remember you wanted a client portal and you forgot to build your testimonials page a week before your launch date.
Now that you understand the importance of creating a plan for your website, it’s time to start making yours. If you are working towards building a new website, don’t hesitate to reach out for help or guidance.
If it’s time for you to create a plan for your website, sign up to receive my free training that will walk you through creating a plan for your website.
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