Website design is critical for building a successful business, so you need to know how to do it right.
Then, you can attract clients and build your biz!
Table of Contents
1. Create a Plan
First — you need a plan!
This is where you can come up with a few website design ideas and determine which idea is the best fit for YOU.
Your plan may change over time, but having a plan will give you some direction as you get your website up and running.
Here are a few things you gotta think about when you’re planning your site!
Types of Websites
First, you need to think about the type of website you want to create. Some websites primarily function as blogs, while others have blogs but are part of a business.
You may also come across eCommerce websites or portfolio websites.
But — if you’re a coach, consultant, or service provider, those website types might not work for you.
The main point of having a website is to highlight the services you offer and who you help.
So knowing the purpose of your website will help you choose where and how to set everything up.
Competitor Research
Before you design your site, do some competitor research to learn about other businesses.
Do some spying on the websites of your biggest competition to see what they include and how they layout their site.
Now — Put yourself in the shoes of a client to determine if there are any problems with those sites. Then, you’ll know what to avoid when you’re creating your site!
For example, if one website is hard to navigate, you’ll know what NOT to do.
And if you have trouble accessing a site on your phone, make sure your site is mobile friendly to stand out from your competitors!
Your Brand
You should also think about your brand when you design your website. Consider the colours and fonts you use and how you can incorporate those elements on your site.
If you don’t have branding elements, figure out who your target audience is. For example, you may want to stick to neutral colours if you want to target professionals.
Figure out what will attract your audience and make it clear that you’re the person they should hire!
Who Will Design It
You should also consider who will be designing website pages for your business site. Of course, you can make the website yourself, but you’ll need to dedicate a lot of time to the project.
If you don’t have much time, you may choose to hire someone to complete the project. That will cost money, but then you’ll have more time to focus on other tasks and building your biz!
You gotta decide what’s best for you!
2. Choose the Platform
Another vital step to design your website is to choose the right website platform. There’s lots to choose from! Here’s a couple options that we at BrashBerry recommend:
- WordPress
- Squarespace
- Wix
Each platform works a little differently, and they all have pros and cons. For example, WordPress can be more flexible than other platforms, but it comes with a higher learning curve.
Think about what will work best for you!
Flexibility
Even if you only want to offer services right now, think about your business over the long term. Maybe you’ll want to start selling digital products, or you want to start a blog later on.
Try to choose a platform that offers the features you need now AND that you may want in the future.
Usability
You should also look for a platform that will make it easy to design your website.
If you have to struggle for hours to upload an image, you won’t want to use that platform.
Even if you hire a website designer for the initial project, you should consider future updates and maintenance.
You’ll want to choose a website platform that you feel comfortable using!
3. Set Up Your Website
Congrats! Now you’re ready to design your website.
The goal of your website is to attract your ideal client. So think about these elements to help make your website the best it can be!
Themes and Templates
First, you need to select the best website theme or template to use. You can find a lot of pre-made templates and themes for various website platforms, so think about what will work for YOU.
You can even get someone to design a custom template for you so your website looks super unique.
Even if you don’t hire a designer to complete the full site, getting a custom theme is a great idea! You won’t have to worry about your site looking like a lot of other websites out there.
Twinning, ew!
Pages and Posts
Once you have a theme to work with, you can start adding pages and posts to your site.
The best websites have a few pages, including:
- Home
- About
- Services
- Contact
If you have a blog, you can start a blog page to house all of your posts. You might also want to create a page for any digital products that you may offer along with your services.
As you design the pages, you’ll want to make sure the pages have room for the content you want to add. That way, you can adjust the design to fit.
Copy and Content
Now you’re ready to write all of the copy and content for your website!
This can include copy for all of your pages, such as the home page, about page, and services page.
If you don’t want to write the content, you can hire someone to do it for you! They can write directly in your site’s backend, or you can have them submit a document, and you’ll copy and paste everything.
Other Features
Another thing to think about when you design your website is making it speedy!
You may want to compress images so that they look good but aren’t too big because large files can slow down your site.
If you expect to get a lot of mobile traffic, make sure you use a responsive design. Most website platforms allow you to preview the site on different screens, so you make sure it will work on all devices.
And if you want to make your website as easy to use as possible, be sure to include a navigation bar. That way, people will be able to find your most important pages.
How Will You Design Your Website?
Knowing how to design your website can make a HUGE difference in getting clients. If your site has a poor design, potential clients might not trust you and your business.
That’s why we need a plan!
Once you have that, then you’ll know exactly what you need to do to make your ideas come to life, and you can make sure clients want to work with you!
If you are looking for help designing your site, BrashBerry is here to help! Learn about our web design services and book a call with us!
And as always, follow BrashBerry on social media to stay up to date and make sure you don’t miss a thing!
