Planning Your Website
Build Twice, Launch Once
The biggest mistake people make with websites isn't choosing the wrong platform or picking ugly colors. It's starting to build before they've planned what they're building.
Twenty minutes of planning saves hours of rework. This chapter helps you define your purpose, audience, structure, and content — so when you open a website builder, you know exactly what goes where.
Define Your Purpose
Every website exists to accomplish something. What's yours?
Credibility and presence. "I need a professional online home so people can find me and take me seriously." This is the most common purpose. A clean site with your story, your work, and a way to contact you.
Lead generation. "I need to attract potential customers and get them to reach out." This requires clear messaging about your services, strong calls to action, and possibly a form or booking system.
E-commerce. "I need to sell products online." This requires a shopping cart, payment processing, product pages, and shipping logistics.
Content and audience building. "I need to publish articles, videos, or resources and build an audience." This requires a blog or content management system, email signup, and possibly a newsletter integration.
Portfolio showcase. "I need to display my work." This requires galleries, case studies, or project pages that let your work speak for itself.
Community or organization. "I need to share information about our group, cause, or event." This requires clear information architecture, possibly event listings, and donation or membership functionality.
Most websites serve one primary purpose and one or two secondary ones. A freelancer's site might primarily be a portfolio (showcase) with secondary lead generation (contact form) and credibility (about page, testimonials).
AI Prompt: Define Your Website Purpose
Help me define the purpose and goals for my website.
About me/my business:
- What I do: [describe your work, business, or project]
- Target audience: [who do you want visiting your site]
- What I want visitors to do: [contact me, buy something, read content, hire me]
- Current online presence: [social media, existing site, nothing]
- Competitors or sites I admire: [list 2-3 if you have them]
Please help me:
1. Define my primary website purpose
2. Identify secondary purposes
3. List the essential pages I need
4. Suggest what makes my site different from competitors
5. Define success — what does a "working" website look like for me?
Know Your Audience
Your website isn't for you. It's for the people visiting it. Everything — the language, the design, the structure — should be optimized for them.
Questions to Answer
Who are they? (Demographics, profession, interests) What problem are they trying to solve when they land on your site? What do they need to know before they'll take the action you want? How tech-savvy are they? (Affects design complexity) Are they visiting on mobile or desktop? (Usually 60%+ mobile) What would make them leave immediately? (Slow loading, confusing navigation, irrelevant content)
AI Prompt: Audience Research
Help me understand my website audience.
My business/project: [describe]
My ideal customer/visitor: [describe as specifically as you can]
What I offer them: [products, services, content]
Where they currently find me: [social media, word of mouth, search]
Please create:
1. A detailed audience persona (demographics, goals, pain points, behavior)
2. What they're looking for when they visit a site like mine
3. Questions they need answered before they'll take action
4. Common objections or concerns I should address
5. The language and tone that will resonate with them
Map Your Site Structure
Before designing pages, plan the architecture. A site map is simply a list of all pages and how they connect.
Common Site Structures
Simple business/personal site (5–7 pages): Home → About → Services/Work → Testimonials → Blog → Contact
Portfolio site (5–8 pages): Home → Portfolio/Projects (with subpages for each project) → About → Resume/CV → Contact
E-commerce site (varies): Home → Shop (with categories) → Product Pages → About → FAQ → Contact → Cart/Checkout
Content/blog site: Home → Blog (with categories) → About → Resources → Newsletter Signup → Contact
Navigation Principles
Keep it shallow. Users should reach any page in two clicks or fewer from the homepage. Deep nesting buries content.
Limit main navigation to 5–7 items. More than that creates decision paralysis. Group related pages under dropdowns if needed.
Use clear labels. "Services" is better than "Solutions." "About" is better than "Our Story" (unless your story is your brand). Say what the page is, not what sounds clever.
Include a call to action. Your navigation should include a prominent button for the action you most want visitors to take: "Get in Touch," "Shop Now," "Book a Call."
AI Prompt: Site Map Generator
Help me create a site map for my website.
Website purpose: [primary purpose]
Type of site: [business, portfolio, e-commerce, blog, organization]
Essential pages I know I need: [list any you're sure about]
Content I want to include: [describe what you want to show/share]
Primary action I want visitors to take: [contact, buy, subscribe, etc.]
Secondary actions: [any others]
Please create:
1. A complete site map with all recommended pages
2. The main navigation structure (what goes in the top menu)
3. Footer navigation suggestions
4. How pages should link to each other
5. Which pages are most important for my goals
Plan Your Content
For each page, outline what content goes on it before you start building. This saves enormous time because you're not staring at empty templates trying to figure out what to write while also figuring out how to use the platform.
Homepage Content Blocks
The homepage is your most important page. Most effective homepages follow a pattern:
Hero section: A clear headline explaining what you do and who you do it for. A subheadline adding detail. A call-to-action button. A strong image or visual.
Social proof: Logos of clients, testimonials, press mentions, or numbers ("500+ clients served"). This builds trust immediately.
What you offer: Brief overview of your services, products, or content — with links to dedicated pages for each.
How it works: 3–4 steps explaining the process. "1. Book a call. 2. We create a plan. 3. You get results." Simple and clear.
More social proof: Detailed testimonials or case studies.
Final CTA: Another call to action before the footer. Don't make visitors scroll back up.
Other Page Planning
About page: Your story, your mission, your team. Make it human. Include a photo. People want to know who they're dealing with.
Services/Products: One section per offering. Clear descriptions, pricing (if applicable), and how to get started.
Contact: Multiple contact methods. A form is essential. Include email, phone if applicable, location if relevant, and business hours.
Blog: Plan your first 3–5 posts before launching. An empty blog looks worse than no blog at all.
AI Prompt: Content Outline
Create a content outline for every page of my website.
My business: [describe]
My audience: [describe]
My site map: [list pages]
My brand voice: [professional, casual, warm, authoritative, playful, etc.]
Key messages I want to convey: [list 2-3 core messages]
For each page, please outline:
1. The headline
2. Key content sections (what goes on the page, in order)
3. Any calls to action
4. Images or visuals needed
5. Approximate word count
Gather Your Assets
Before building, collect everything you'll need:
Text content: Even rough drafts. AI will help you polish, but having raw material speeds things up.
Images: Photos of you, your team, your products, your work. High-quality phone photos are fine. Stock photos fill gaps but original content is always better.
Logo: If you have one. If not, Chapter 5 covers creating one with AI.
Brand colors: If you have established ones. If not, Chapter 5 helps you choose.
Testimonials: Collect quotes from clients, customers, or collaborators. Get permission to use names and photos.
Legal content: Privacy policy, terms of service. AI can draft these, but have a professional review them for your jurisdiction.
With your purpose defined, audience understood, structure mapped, and content outlined, you're ready to choose the platform that will bring it all to life.