How to Plan a Website: Make or Break Steps for Building a New Website 

15 MINS
Allaine Joi Diapana

Planning is the first step toward creating a successful website. Without a plan, things can get a little chaotic. Whether you’re launching a new website or giving an old one a refresh, having a clear plan helps set you up for success. A well-planned website usually has a clear structure, seamless navigation, and easy-to-use features. Attributes that can increase customer satisfaction and enhance user experience. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to plan a website—step by step. You’ll learn how to structure your site, set your goals, and make sure it speaks to the right people. 

You’ll have a good grasp of the website planning web design process and be ready to dive into building your site. 

Why you need a website plan 

Planning your website isn’t just about setting aside resources or pondering user experience—it’s about plotting something that works for your goals and brand identity. Here’s why you should invest time and effort in the planning stages of your website project: 

  • Defines your website’s structure. Planning website creation ahead of time helps you map out your pages and features. By creating a systematic flow, you enhance user journey and create pages that align with your website goals and business objectives. 
  • Saves time and money. If you plan a website, you avoid wasting resources on unnecessary features like intrusive animation and irrelevant content. By knowing exactly what you need, you can avoid costly mistakes and focus on what web pages, tools, and services drive your business forward.  
  • Prepares for growth. Whether launching eCommerce sites or blogs, a plan sets you up for easy expansion down the line. With the right framework, you’ll be ready to scale as your business grows. 
  • Invites more website visitors. Planning ahead makes your site more appealing and user-friendly. This helps attract more website visitors. A clear website structure ensures your target audience can easily find what they need. Research shows that 42% of people tend to leave a site due to poor functionality.  To keep visitors coming back, make navigation simple and intuitive. Well-structured content also keeps them engaged and encourages repeat visits. 

Without a proper website plan, it’s easy to get lost in the details. But with a clear direction, you’ll have a roadmap that keeps your entire project management and website focused, efficient, and aligned with your business needs. 

8 essential steps to take when planning your website 

Now that you understand why planning is so important, here are the 9 essential steps to make sure your website is set up for success: 

  1. Define your website goals 
  1. Research competitors and industry standards 
  1. Map out your site with a wireframe 
  1. Consider purchasing your domain name 
  1. Choose Your Hosting Provider 
  1. Decide where to create your website 
  1. Create a content plan 
  1. Search engine optimization and analytics  

With these steps, you’ll have a clear plan that makes building your website easier when the time comes. 

1. Define your website’s purpose and goals  

Before diving into the specifics of your website creation, it’s important to clarify what you’re hoping to achieve. The purpose of your website sets the tone for everything from the web design to the content. 

Start by asking yourself these key questions: 

What is the main goal of your website? 

  • Will you sell products or services on ecommerce sites? 
  • Do you simply plan to showcase your portfolio or expertise? 
  • Is your goal to inform, entertain, or build a community? 

Who is your target audience? 

  • What are their needs, their pain points, and how can my website content meet them? 
  • What kind of language, imagery, and style will resonate best with them? 

What actions do you want visitors to take? 

Do you want them to make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, or contact you for services? Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have a better understanding of your website goals. This helps you decide: 

  • How many web pages will your new website need?  A single-page site might be fine for a small business with limited needs, but an eCommerce website will likely need more pages. 
  • How will you organize your website content? Keep the focus on your primary goal, but don’t forget any secondary goals you want to achieve. For example, if you’re running an eCommerce store, your main goal might be high sales, but you may also want to build trust through an About Us or Customer Testimonials page. 
  • How do you set the tone of your site? The language and imagery you choose should reflect your website’s structure and appeal to your target audience. A fun, casual tone works well for a lifestyle blog, while a professional tone is better for a business or portfolio site. 
  • What features or functions will your site need?  Think about the practical side of things. Do you need an online store, a contact form, or a booking system? Features like these should align with your website’s main purpose. 
  • How do you plan a website that offers an intuitive user journey?  Think about how your visitors will navigate the site. The goal is to make their experience smooth and engaging, guiding them towards the actions you want them to take. 

2. Research competitors and industry standards 

Before you start designing your own website, it’s a good idea to check out your competitors. Their websites can give you valuable insight into what works well and what you might want to avoid. Competitor analysis helps you understand your target audience, existing website structures, and what your visitors expect from a similar site. 

Here are the areas to take note of when conducting competitor analysis: 

  • Site layout. How are the pages organized? Look at the navigation—is it easy to follow? Is it simple to move from one page to another? Pay attention to how competitors structure their web pages and ensure your site structure is as user-friendly as theirs. 
  • Visual design. What style do your competitors use? Is it minimalistic or bolder with more graphics? Take note of the colors, fonts, and overall design. A clean design with simple web pages can help attract more website visitors. 
  • Core features. What essential elements do they include? Are there product pages, customer reviews, or blogs? If you’re planning an eCommerce site, check out how product pages are laid out. Look at the visual representation of product images, descriptions, and how calls-to-action are placed. 
  • Content and messaging. What tone do they use on the site? Is it professional, friendly, or casual? Pay attention to how they present their website content—is it clear and concise? Do they use customer reviews or other forms of social proof? If you think that the content strategies that they use align with your brand, consider incorporating them in your site.  

What’s your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? 

As you research, think about what makes your business different. What can you offer that others don’t? This is your USP, and it will set you apart from your competitors. Whether it’s personalized service, a unique feature, or higher-quality products, defining your USP will guide your website planning and ensure you stand out in the market. 

3. Map out your site with a wireframe 

A wireframe is a simple, skeletal layout of your website—a rough sketch showing where everything will go on each page. Think of it as a roadmap to help you organize content and optimize the user journey. By setting up your wireframe early, you’ll make sure visitors can easily navigate your site and find what they need, ensuring a smoother launch. 

4. Purchase your domain name 

If you’re planning to build a website, it’s a good idea to grab your domain name early. Even if you’re not quite ready to start building, owning your domain gives you flexibility. You can park it for later or even sell it if your plans change. Plus, your domain is a key part of your site’s identity—it should match your brand and reflect your business goals. 

If your first choice is already taken, there are plenty of alternatives, from adding a keyword to switching up the domain extension. 

With your domain in place, you’re now ready to turn your vision for web projects into something tangible. 

5. Choose your hosting provider 

Even though you’re still in the planning phase, it’s helpful to consider what type of hosting your website will need down the line. Think of hosting as the foundation of your entire site now—it’s where all your website files and content will be stored, and it plays a big role in things like loading speed, security, and overall performance. 

While you’re not ready to launch yet, having a basic idea of your hosting needs will allow you to plan ahead. This means considering things like: 

  • Loading Speed. The faster your website loads, the better the user experience. This can affect everything from search rankings to visitor retention. 
  • Capacity. As your website grows, you’ll want to make sure your hosting plan can accommodate increased traffic and more content without slowing down. 
  • Security. Look for a hosting provider that offers secure features like SSL certificates and website backup, as these help protect your site and your visitors’ data. 

By ensuring that your hosting needs are properly addressed, you’ll be ready to make an informed choice once you’re ready to build. A great hosting provider is key to ensuring your website runs smoothly and can scale with your business in the future. 

6. Decide how you’ll create your website 

Choosing how and where you’ll build your website is just as important as the design. It affects how easily you can make changes or expand your site in the future, as well as the costs involved. Here’s what to keep in mind before making your choice: 

What to Consider: 

  • Technical Expertise. How comfortable are you with tech? DIY builders require no coding knowledge, while some conventional builders require a bit more technical understanding. Consider hiring Web.com’s Web Site Design experts. Our team will build a great looking website tailored to your unique business goals. 
  • Flexibility & Scalability. Do you need a highly customizable website, or will a simple blog or small business site do? Some builders are limited in customization, while WordPress gives you full control. Freelancers and agencies offer the highest level of customization. 
  • Support. Who will help you when things go wrong? Website builders offer basic support, but hiring a web designer or going with freelancers gives you a higher level of assistance, especially for more complex projects. 
  • Cost. Costs vary depending on who builds your site and how complex it is. DIY platforms are the cheapest, but if you want a highly customized site expect to pay more. 

Here’s a breakdown of your options: 

Option Technical Expertise Required Flexibility/Scalability Support Cost 
DIY Website Builders None (drag-and-drop) Limited flexibility for customization, but scalable for small websites Basic support (mostly self-service) Free to $$ (subscription) 
Professional Website Designer Medium (requires communication, design feedback) High (customized designs, unique functionalities) Full support, ongoing updates $$$ (depends on the designer) 
Freelancers or Agencies Medium to High (depends on the project) High (can scale to complex eCommerce or large websites) Varies (can offer ongoing maintenance) $$$ – $$$$ (depends on project complexity) 
WordPress (Self-Hosted) Medium (requires basic technical skills for setup) High (complete control over design and features) Medium (you’ll need to manage or hire support) $$ for hosting, free for CMS 

7.Create a content plan 

Even if you haven’t started building your website yet, planning your content now is super helpful. Think of it as filling in all the pages and blanks of your wireframe—it’ll give you a solid plan for when you’re ready to start building. Having your content organized ahead of time makes everything easier when it’s time to launch. 

Here are a few things to think do at this stage: 

Create a brand style guide 

Your brand style guide will help you keep your content consistent and aligned with your business’s voice. This brand style guide can cover everything from tone and colors to font choices. It ensures uniformity across your site, no matter who’s writing or what page they’re working on. 

Set your format 

When it comes to your website, a clear and organized format is crucial for both branding and readability. Start by thinking about the types of pages you’ll use—whether it’s blogs, product descriptions, or service pages. Each page may need a slightly different layout to present its content effectively. 

For example, consider how you want your text, images, and headers to be arranged. Will your content be aligned to the left, centered, or broken into sections? A well-thought-out layout helps guide your visitors through your site and makes the experience smoother and more intuitive. 

Craft your headlines and descriptions 

Catchy headlines are essential, but don’t overdo it—unless it’s your slogan, repeating the same catchy line too much on the same page can be overwhelming for your users. Make sure each headline accurately describes what’s on the page and grabs attention. Your descriptions should offer more detail, so your visitors know exactly what to expect. 

Clear calls to action (CTAs) 

Every page should have a clear CTA. Whether it’s to buy a product, sign up for a newsletter, or get in touch, a CTA guides your visitors to the next step. Make sure your CTAs are clear and easy to spot—without overwhelming the user. 

Scheduling your content 

One way to stay on track is by creating a content calendar. This will help you organize when and how often to update your content. A simple content calendar can outline what you need to write, when to publish it, and where it will go on your site.  

For example: 

  • Week 1: Write blog post on “How to Plan a Website” 
  • Week 2: Create product descriptions for top 5 items 
  • Week 3: Write “About Us” page and FAQs 

By planning your content and sticking to a schedule, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running when it’s time to start building your site. Plus, you won’t feel overwhelmed once you start creating content for your new website. 

Visual content: images, videos, and other media 

Don’t forget about visuals. People are naturally drawn to images and videos, so adding them to your pages can make a big difference. Visuals help break up text, clarify concepts, and engage users. Plan out where you might need photos, illustrations, or videos to support your content. 

Tools to help streamline the content creation process 

Creating quality content can take time, but there are tools to make it easier. Here are a few to consider: 

  • Grammarly. Helps with spelling, grammar, and tone, making sure your content is clear and error-free. 
  • Hemingway Editor. Improves readability by suggesting simpler sentence structures and eliminating unnecessary words. 
  • Surfer SEO. Assists in optimizing your content for search engines, helping you target the right keywords. 
  • AI writing tools. AI writing tools can help you create content faster, overcome writer’s block, and refine your ideas. Some website builders even include writing AI tools to polish your work and keep it aligned with your brand.    
  • Canva. For creating visuals like graphics, banners, and social media images to support your text. 

By using these tools, you can create high-quality content more efficiently and stay organized throughout the development process. 

Explore and learn how to use pillar pages 

A pillar page is a great way to organize your content and improve SEO. This is a long-form page that focuses on a broad topic, linking to related subtopics. For website planning guide for example, if your main topic is “website planning,” your pillar page would cover all aspects of planning a website and link to smaller articles about each step in the process. 

A good pillar page acts as a hub that connects the relevant keywords to various related blog posts and resources. It makes it easier for visitors to find what they need, and search engines love it for its structure and comprehensiveness. 

8. Search engine optimization and analytics 

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website’s performance and visibility, while analytics helps measure its progress. Together, they ensure your site not only attracts the right visitors but also continuously improves over time. 

Planning for SEO and analytics ahead of time provides several benefits: 

  • Establish your strategy early. The more you think about keywords and SEO content before building your site, the easier it will be to attract the right visitors when your site is live. 
  • Save time later. The sooner you start thinking about SEO, the less work you’ll need to do when it’s time to launch your website. You’ll already know which keywords to target and how to structure your content to help search engines find your site. 
  • Increase visibility. Planning your SEO strategy from the start will make sure your site shows up in search results when potential customers are looking for your products or services. 

Tools to explore 

While you can’t fully implement SEO strategies yet, it’s a good idea to start exploring tools that will help when the time comes. Here are some tools to consider: 

  • SEOptimizer and Squirrly SEO. Notable alternatives to expensive tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs for keyword research and SEO analysis. 
  • Google Keyword Planner. Free tool to explore what keywords your audience is searching for. 
  • Google Trends. A free tool that shows trending search queries and reveals the seasonal patterns of popular keywords.  
  • Google Analytics. Essential for tracking website traffic, user behavior, and conversion metrics. Set up early so you can measure the impact of your SEO efforts after launch. 
  • Hotjar. Provides heatmaps and visitor recordings, giving you deeper insights into how users interact with your site, allowing you to make targeted SEO improvements. 
  • Crazy Egg. Visualizes user interactions and helps you understand which parts of your website need optimization for better user engagement. 

Ready to turn your ideas into a powerful website? 

By following these steps, you’ve laid the foundation for a successful website. Planning ahead means you’ll be prepared to build a site that’s not only functional but also effective in reaching your audience. 

When you’re ready to take your site creation the next step, Web.com has the tools, support, and expertise to help you create a site that works for your business. Start planning today and turn your vision into a thriving online presence. You’ve got this! 

Frequently asked questions 

What’s the first step in planning my website? 


The first step is defining your goals. What do you want your website to achieve? This will guide your entire website planning process, from content creation to choosing the right features and layout. 

Do I need to hire a professional to plan my website? 

Not necessarily. Many beginners can plan their website using resources and tools available online. However, if you want a highly customized website, you may consider hiring a professional designer or developer. 

How do I choose a domain name? 

Pick a domain name that reflects your business and is easy to remember. Keep it short, simple, and relevant to your brand. You can check for domain availability using a domain name registrar like Web.com

When should I start thinking about SEO for my website?

It’s never too early to start planning your SEO strategy. From the very beginning, think about the keywords you want to target, how to organize your content, and what kind of pages will drive traffic. This way, when you start building, you’ll already have an SEO-friendly foundation. 

Can I build my website without a technical background? 

Yes! Website builders like Web.com make it easy to create a professional website without coding experience. You can also use content management systems (CMS) like WordPress for more flexibility and control. 

  • Allaine Joi Diapana

    Allaine is a content writer at Domain.com who loves all things tech and spends his time exploring new trends. Outside of writing, you’ll catch him listening to psychology and self-improvement podcasts, chilling with his cats, or switching between anime and western tv shows, sitcoms and movies.

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