How to Plan for Your New Website

Image Source: FreeImages‍ Creating a website is not an easy project, especially if you are new to it. However, with the right amount of preparation and planning, you can create an effective and user-friendly site that meets your needs. There are many things to consider when creating a website. From choosing a domain name and web host to making sure your website is mobile-friendly and includes the right keywords for search engines. Creating a successful website takes time and effort, but it’s not something you have to do alone. There are plenty of resources to help you every step of the way. There are also several simple steps that will help make planning your new website much easier. If you’re ready to get started on creating your new site, check out these helpful tips: Decide on a Website Platform There are two main types of website platforms: static and dynamic. If you decide to create a static site, you will be responsible for creating and uploading all of the content for your website. If you go with a dynamic platform, your website will be powered by a CMS (Content Management System). A CMS allows you to create and manage your content without having to know any code or have special computer programming skills. The main difference between static or dynamic websites is that static sites are usually built on either HTML or CSS, while dynamic sites are built on a programming language like PHP. With a static site, you'll need to update your website manually if you want to make changes. With a dynamic site, you'll need to make those changes through a CMS. Select a Domain Name Your domain name is your website’s address. It’s also one of the first elements of your new site that you’ll want to consider. Your domain name should be short, memorable, and most importantly, relevant to your brand. You may want to consider using your company’s name or a variation of it. It’s important to make sure the domain name you select is available, though. You can check domain name availability with a domain name search tool. It’s also a good idea to pick a domain name that’s relevant to your industry. That way, you’re more likely to attract potential customers who are actively looking for your product or service. If you plan to use a word in your domain name that’s relevant to your business, you may want to make sure that word is included in your title tag as well. This will ensure that your most important keyword appears in your website’s metadata and will help improve your SEO. Analyze Your Audience Creating a new website is the perfect opportunity to learn more about your audience. Who are these people and what are their needs? Make sure you take the time to look at your analytics to help you understand your audience better. With Google Analytics, you can track how many people visit your site each month. You can also see what pages they visit most often. This information can be helpful when deciding what information to include on your site and where to place it. But you don’t have to stop there. There are plenty of other ways to learn more about your audience. Consider surveying your customers to ask them about their needs and what brought them to your site in the first place. You can also talk to potential customers who have yet to make a purchase. This will allow you to get a better idea of what they are searching for and what they are hoping to find on your site. Decide on Content and Features It can be easy to get carried away when creating a new website. You may want to include a ton of different content and features. But it’s important to keep your site simple and straightforward. This will help make your website easy to navigate for your visitors. It will also help you focus on the most important content and features for your site. If you’re struggling to decide what content and features are most important, think about what your customers would find most helpful. You can also look at other sites in your industry to see what content is most common. Once you’ve decided what content and features to include on your site, you’ll want to make sure that everything ties together seamlessly. This will help your visitors feel like they are on a cohesive website and not a bunch of unrelated pages. Plan your Marketing Strategy The topics you decide to cover and the features you decide to include on your site are important factors when marketing your new website. The content you choose to include on your site will help determine your audience and who they are. It can also help you create a marketing strategy. You can use this strategy to help you decide what content you should post on your site and when you should publish it. You can also use this information to help you decide how to market your new website to your audience. If you want to create an effective marketing strategy for your new website, be sure to consider your website’s design. Your website design is one of the most important pieces of marketing for your site. Select the Right colors and fonts Your website design is an important part of marketing your site. Your design is part of your overall brand, so it’s important to make sure it’s aligned with your company’s image. Your design may also determine how effective your website is. Before you begin designing your site, make sure you know the best practices for designing websites. These include choosing appropriate font types, sizes, and colors and making sure your design is easy to read. These are all important factors in determining your website’s design. They will also help you determine which design elements are right for your website. Don’t forget about Security! Creating a new website is exciting, but it can also be a little scary. You may feel like there are a million things to think about when creating a new website. Don’t forget to consider security, though. Security is an important part of any website, but it’s especially important for new sites. Before launching your new site, make sure you’ve taken the proper steps to secure your website. This includes setting up a strong password and enabling two-factor authentication. It also includes making sure your website is hosted securely. Do you know a good web designer? If not, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to get the help you need. You can find a web designer on freelance websites like Upwork or even hire a student through services like Zerocracy. You can also find design inspiration and helpful tips on creating your new website by reading articles and blogs.