There is a lot that goes into crafting the perfect website: colors, fonts, platforms, themes, plugins, legal shit, user experience, content and copy, and… on and on…
But what do you really need to know before you even get started? Whether you’re doing this on your own or working with a web designer/developer… there are five critical questions to consider right now.
5. When will you launch it?
Pick a fucking date. Any date.
Launch on that date.
4. How will you market it?
You gotta have a plan! I know the urge to build a website and then meekly say, “Hey, I did this thing, check it out if you want. lol.”
Admit it: you’ve done this before. Announcing you’re doing the website is exciting. Creating the website is exciting. Announcing that it is available for public viewing, feedback, criticisms, and more… can be terrifying.
But if you don’t market your website, who will? And if other people will market it for you, what do you want them to say? What words? What imagery?
What words will you use to shout from the rooftops that your website is live?
Where will you share these words? What kinds of announcements will you make? What friends can you reach out to that will help you share it?
3. What problem does it solve?
If it’s not solving a problem, it’s not needed. The problem can be anything! But be sure you know what that problem is. This helps craft your content to address the issue for the intended audience.
Is the problem that your audience needs one place to find all of your information? That’s a legitimate problem to solve!
2. Who will your website be for?
Decide now: will your website be for you or for someone else?
If you are using your website to be a journal, it’s for you. If you are using your website to sell your products or services or inform someone, it’s for your audience.
You need to be clear, from the start, what kind of content your site will need. Knowing who the website is for is critical to crafting your site copy. Are you speaking just into the void, or directly to someone?
So who is the site for? What do they do, and what do they look like? Where do they shop? Where do you currently interact with them?
And the number one question?
1. Why do you want a website?
Seriously. Why do you want one?
Why do you do what you do?
Why do you need a website to do it?
If you can answer all 5 of these questions, you are ready to start working on one or hiring someone to do it for you.
So how about it? Can you answer all 5 questions?