Website Planning 101

Website Planning 101: What to Do Before You Design a Single Page

Designing a website can be an exciting process—but diving straight into colours, fonts, and layouts without a solid plan is a common mistake. Before you design a single page, there’s some important groundwork to lay. Proper website planning not only saves time and money but also ensures your site is fit for purpose from day one.

In this post, we’ll walk through the key steps to take before you open up your design software or call your developer. Whether you’re working with a professional designer or going the DIY route, this guide will help you create a site that works hard for your business.

1. Clarify Your Website’s Purpose

Let’s start with the big question: Why are you building this website?

Your site might serve several functions, but it’s vital to know your primary goal. Is it to:

Generate leads?
Sell products or services?
Build trust and credibility?
Educate your audience?
Grow an email list?

Write it down. Your main goal will shape every decision you make—from the structure and features to the content and design style.

Pro tip: If you have multiple goals, prioritise them. A clear hierarchy of goals makes your site easier to navigate and more effective for users.

2. Know Your Audience

You’re not building this site for everyone—you’re building it for your people.

Take time to define your target audience. Consider:

Their age, profession, and location
What they need help with
How tech-savvy they are
What questions they might ask
How they prefer to consume information (text, video, visuals)

If you already have customers or clients, tap into what you know about them. Look through emails, reviews, or social media comments. If you’re just starting out, imagine your ideal client or customer and create a simple profile for them.

This step is crucial. A website that speaks clearly to a specific audience builds trust and encourages action.

3. Set Clear Goals for Each Page

Every page on your site should have a job to do. Don’t just think about having a home page, about page, and contact page—ask yourself what you want people to do on each one.

For example:

On your home page, you might want visitors to explore your services.
On your about page, you may want to build trust and direct people to a consultation.
On a blog post, you could aim for newsletter sign-ups or product discovery.

When you give each page a goal, you create a more intentional and results-driven website.

4. Map the User Journey

Now that you know your audience and your goals, it’s time to plan how people will move through your site.

Ask yourself:

What’s the first thing a visitor will see?
Where should they go next?
How many steps will it take to reach the end goal (e.g. a booking, a sale, an enquiry)?

Think of your website like a shop. You want people to feel welcomed, clearly see what’s on offer, and know where to go for what they need. A confusing layout will cause people to click away.

Create a rough user journey map or flow diagram. It doesn’t need to be fancy—a simple sketch is fine. This will help you create a logical and user-friendly site structure.

5. Plan Your Sitemap

With the user journey in mind, sketch out a sitemap—a high-level view of all the pages your website will have and how they link together.

Most websites include:

Home
About
Services or Products
Blog or Resources
Contact

You may also need:

FAQ
Testimonials
Portfolio or Case Studies
Legal pages (Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions)

Don’t add pages just for the sake of it. Keep your sitemap lean and purposeful.

6. Gather and Plan Your Content

Website content is often the biggest bottleneck in the design process. Start early by planning what content you’ll need and who will write it.

Each page will likely need:

Headlines and subheadings
Body copy
Images or graphics
Calls to action (buttons or links)
Social proof (e.g. testimonials, reviews, logos)

If writing isn’t your strength, consider hiring a copywriter—or at least getting a second pair of eyes to edit your words.

Also, think about SEO. What keywords do your ideal clients search for? Use those naturally in your copy, especially in headings and page titles.

7. Think Mobile-First

More than half of website traffic now comes from mobile devices. Your site must work seamlessly on smaller screens. That means:

Easy-to-read text
Touch-friendly buttons
Clear, vertical layouts
Fast-loading images

As you plan your layout, always ask: How will this look on a phone? Many successful sites are now designed mobile-first, with desktop layouts built afterwards.

8. Sketch Wireframes (Even Rough Ones)

A wireframe is a simple outline of each page’s layout. Think of it like the blueprint of your website—boxes for text, buttons, images, etc.

You don’t need to be a designer to sketch wireframes. Just draw boxes and labels to show where each element will go. Focus on:

Content hierarchy (what comes first?)
Visual flow (is it easy to scan?)
Key call-to-action areas (are they obvious?)

Wireframing helps you spot problems early and avoids costly revisions down the line.

9. Consider SEO and Technical Foundations

Even if you’re not an SEO expert, keep a few basics in mind:

Use keywords relevant to your audience and services
Structure your pages with proper heading tags (H1, H2, etc.)
Optimise images for web use
Make your URLs clean and readable (e.g. /services/website-design)
Include metadata like titles and descriptions

Also, choose a secure and reliable hosting provider and consider adding Google Analytics and Search Console from day one. These tools give you valuable insight into how your site is performing.

10. Get Professional Input If You Need It

You don’t have to do it all alone. A good web designer or digital strategist can guide you through this process and help you avoid costly mistakes.

If you’re based in the UK and want to work with someone who understands both the creative and technical sides of web design, it’s worth finding a professional who can lead the process, especially if you’re juggling other parts of your business.

Final Thoughts

Website planning may not be as glamorous as picking fonts or colours, but it’s where the magic happens. A well-planned website creates a better user experience, performs better in search engines, and actually helps you achieve your goals.

So take your time. Ask the right questions. Map things out. And remember: don’t design a single page until you’ve got the plan in place.

Want help planning your new site? Let’s chat—because the best websites always start with a solid foundation.

Review Case Studies

Share the Post:

Free 5 Step Report

Want a Better Website Without a Rebuild?

5 simple fixes you can make today—in under an hour.