Whether you are hiring a designer/developer, using a theme, template or a website builder, without a plan in place, you WILL come to a crossroads where you’ll have to stop and go back to the beginning which means hours of wasted time, unexpected costs and loads of unnecessary stress.

And you don’t need that!

Let’s go over 5 things you need to clarify first so your web project runs smoothly and results in the successful website of your dreams.

When it comes to creating your brand, website or content of any kind for your business, the first place to start is always the same — with your audience.
So…

Number 1: Understand your dream client and know their deepest desire

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you don’t know who you are talking to and know how to speak their language, your message will be lost. And that means your viewer will be lost, which ultimately means a potential new client will be lost, right?
You’ve got to spend time uncovering your dream client’s deepest desire, so you can let them know you understand their problem and that you hold the key to the solution.

Number 2: Know how you can help your dream client

Your viewers are looking for an immediate answer to the question, “What’s in it for me?” This is the first thing they care about when they land on your page.

If it’s unclear or too complicated to figure out, they’ll click away in search of an easier path. So, you need to quickly and clearly state what you do and who you help.

Number 3: Finalize your services and your process

Most people think this one is obvious, but when it comes to listing your services on your website you need to be much more specific than you may think.

Imagine walking into a store with 42 doors. Each door has a lengthy description of what product is inside. It wouldn’t be easy to find what you are looking for and you certainly wouldn’t take the time to figure it out when you KNOW there is another store across the street that has only 1 door with the product you are looking for behind it.

The goal here is to avoid overwhelming your viewers with too many options and make it easy for them to find what they are searching for and know how they can work with you.

Number 4: Determine your call-to-action

Every page on your website should tell your ideal client what step they should take next. You may think you are being too pushy, but people actually need to be directed. If you don’t tell them what to do, they often won’t take action on their own.

This doesn’t mean each page needs to scream, “buy now!” The idea is that you should know the next step you want your viewers to take and tell them.

Number 5: Prepare your lead magnet

Your lead magnet is the freebie that you give away in exchange for your ideal client’s email address. You usually see these in the form of a guide, workbook, cheatsheet or a checklist.

It is important to have this piece ready to go before starting your website so you can start capturing emails and building an audience from the very start.

This way, you’ll have a way to continue the conversation even after they leave your site.

There it is — 5 key things you can have ready to go before beginning your website so you can keep your project moving along on-target and on-budget.
And we’ve just scratched the surface here!

Now that you’ve given some thought to your strategy, you may be wondering how you can keep your branding consistent as you start moving forward creating your site and other marketing materials. Click here to learn what brand personality is and how you can find yours.