How to build the perfect website for your business (step-by-step process)
If you are planning on redoing your website and you want it to really count, definitely don’t just jump in to your website platform and start moving things around, adding pages, or changing up the design scheme :)
To really make your investment count (time and/or money), you want to make sure all the components of the website will be working in harmony to tell the same story and attract the right type of client. Your website-building experience will also go MUCH faster if you first have a solid gameplan with all the important pieces on hand.
From my perspective as a web designer, there’s also a particular order in which it generally makes the most sense to plan and build the website (whether you’re DIYing or hiring out).
So, what are the steps behind the ultimate website redo?
One caveat though: If you are newer in business, it may be really hard for you to figure some of these things out.
That’s okay; you need time to test, learn, and evolve. It’s all part of the business journey! But if your business has been around for a few years and you’re ready to embrace the next level with confidence, I recommend thoroughly completing this process.
Let’s dive into each phase, why they’re important to the success of your website, and what bases to cover for each!
1. Brand strategy & positioning
Before creating any materials for your website, you need to get really clear on what your business is all about. If you don’t start with this foundation, you will have a much harder time making decisions later on like how your website should look and what to say. But more importantly, having this step nailed down will ensure that your choices for the website will actually benefit your business instead of just being based on your personal preference. You’ll want to define:
Your signature services
Your niche or specialty
What makes you a little different from your competitors
Your primary & secondary ideal client types
Your core values
Your mission
Your brand’s overall personality
The internal and external problem you solve for clients
Mood board to show the overall creative direction that visually represents the strategy
An amazing place to start with this is Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand. This is definitely the best business book I’ve ever read!
2. Brand identity design
Now you can create a visual representation of the brand strategy. What look & feel will attract the right clients and give off the correct vibe? Having a solid visual identity will make a huge difference in how your brand is perceived (a.k.a. amateur vs. professional). Getting this established before you create the website will help the web design process go SO MUCH EASIER. Just be sure to create a few mockups like social media graphics to make sure the elements actually work well together. Here are some things you might want to nail down for your brand identity:
Logos
Color palette
Fonts
Textures
Icons, illustrations, symbols, or patterns
If you are DIYing and need some help finding assets or logo kits, Creative Market is a great place to look!
3. On-brand photography
Photos absolutely make or break the website design, so having on-brand, high-quality photos will automatically make your website look so much more premium and make your business look more credible. All the images on your site should help communicate your brand strategy and visually complement the brand design. This applies whether you’re using:
Stock photos
A brand photoshoot
Portfolio images of your work
Here are 8 ways to make more impact with your website images, from selecting the right images to optimizing them for web.
4. Website strategy plan
Before you start building, you want to first think through the role your website will actually fulfill for your business and how to structure the site to serve that purpose. For example, is your ultimate goal to grow an email list so you can start selling a digital product at some point? Is it to sell your services while you sleep? Or is it more so just to help establish yourself as a trusted expert? Your goal may be something else entirely, or a combination. Whatever it is, get clear on it so you can have an idea of what each page on your website needs to do for you.
Your strategy should include:
The overall 1-4 business goals for the website
The pages you’ll need to create & which ones need to go in the main navigation
What keywords will you try to show up for in Google
What actions do you want visitors to take when on the site & how they should get in touch with you
Any tech integrations you’ll need like a shop, a newsletter form, an appointment booking calendar, a live chat box, etc.
To see more in-depth tips on this, check out my website “floorplan” for wedding pros.
5. Sales copywriting
Yes, having your content written in a standalone document before designing your website is critical! This will guide the layout of each page and determine how many sections you need to build, rather than trying to force the words to fit within a set page design. You’ll also be able to see how you need to break up the copy so that it’s skimmable and easy to digest, which is really important for increasing conversions. :) Here’s what to keep in mind when writing your copy:
Define your brand’s voice, using your brand strategy
Incorporate keywords throughout the copy that your audience might type into Google
Use headings and subheadings for each section
Keep paragraphs to 1-3 sentences
Use bulleted lists
Make sure your brand’s personality shines through!
Include calls-to-action that clearly state what the website visitor should do next
If you’re struggling with what to write on each page, my favorite copywriting resources are Donald Miller’s StoryBrand wireframe and Ashlyn Writes’ blog.
6. Website design & development
Now you have a solid plan and all your materials ready to be put to use, it’s finally time to pull everything together into an actual website! Some people like to first plan out the website design in a separate program such as Canva, Adobe XD, or Figma. Others prefer to go straight in to the website platform like Squarespace and play around until they find the right design. Totally up to you! You can do these steps in any order you prefer.
Choose a website builder
Purchase a domain name
Create the design for each page
Connect any tech, plug-ins or third-party extensions
Don’t forget your Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions
To get my secrets for an elevated web design, take a listen to this podcast episode!
7. Search engine optimization
Okay, so your website is built - but will anyone actually be able to find it? This is where additional SEO can help you actually show up in Google results for potential clients! Especially if your business is location-based. There are tons of ways to improve your search engine ranking, but here are some highlights:
Page titles & descriptions
Activate SSL & HSTS
Custom error page
Create a Google Business profile for Google Maps
Start creating targeted blog content as soon as possible
Read my blog post called the ultimate SEO guide for wedding pros.
I’ll say it again, you don’t have to do all these steps in this exact order, but the more you do, the better results you will see (a.k.a. dreamy clients landing in your inbox; haaaay).
Are there any of these areas that you feel are currently lacking on your website? Share a comment below if you learned something!
Next I’ll walk through the first 5 steps I do every single time I design a new website for my clients. (Hint: Exactly how to keep your design scheme organized, consistent, & efficient.)
Hey! Don’t leave without checking out these other helpful web design posts :)
