A Step-By-Step Guide To Building A Website

QA Testing Team

12 Planning Steps 

The process of creating a website for your business can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With 12 simple planning steps and the right knowledge about what you’re getting into, before starting work on this project, will help ensure that everything runs smoothly from start-to finish. 

A plan would be critical before starting any type digital project because without knowing where we’re going – there’s no way anyone could ever know when they’ve arrived at their destination! 

The 12 Planning Steps will help you to get an idea about what should be considered before making a contact with any web design company. By carefully planning out your strategy and not rushing into things, it is easier for the end result of having designed websites that look great on all devices! 

Table of content (links to Vendorland.ca page with original of this article)

1. Reason to Create Your Website.

2. Website Idea.

3. Content of Website.

4. How many pages will your website need?

5. Your Target Market.

6. Promotion and Advertising of Website.

7. Communication and Contacts.

8. Your Website Domain Name Registration.

9. Website Hosting.

10. Time Line for the project.

11. Your Website Budget.

12. Results Measurement.

Website Design

1. Reason to Create Your Website. 

There are many reasons to create a website. Perhaps you want to establish or grow your brand. Or, you may want to sell products or services online. Maybe you simply want to share your ideas and thoughts with the world. Whatever your reasons, a website can be a powerful tool for achieving your goals. 

  • Your website is your key to success in today’s world. 
  • It’s the perfect way to showcase your skills and abilities, and to reach out to potential clients and customers.  
  • An effective website will help you build your brand and attract new business. 

 

Why You Can’t Afford Not to Have a Website Anymore?

In today’s day and age, having a website is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity. If you’re running a business, big or small, you need to have an online presence. Here’s why:  

Visibility: In order to be visible to potential customers, you need to have a website. People are now using the internet as their main source of information, so if you’re not online, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of the market. 

Credibility: Websites have become the new yellow pages. If you don’t have a website, people will question your credibility. Furthermore, having a professional looking website will help instill trust in your potential customers. 

Accessibility: Website accessibility is important for several reasons.  

  • First and foremost, it ensures that everyone can enjoy using a website regardless of their abilities or disabilities.  
  • It also makes websites more user-friendly overall, which can lead to more people visiting and using them.  
  • Finally, it can help businesses reach a wider audience and potential customers by making their websites available to as many people as possible. 

 

2. Website Idea. 

What type of Website do you need? 

There are many different types of websites, and the type of website you need will depend on the content you want to include. If you just want a simple static website with no complex features, then a basic static website will suffice. However, if you want to include a lot of dynamic content, such as a web gallery or a database of information, then you’ll need a more sophisticated dynamic website. Finally, if you want to sell products online, then you’ll need an e-commerce website with a shopping cart.  

Each type of website has its own benefits and drawbacks, so be sure to choose the one that is right for you. 

No matter what type of website you need, we can help you create it. Just let us know what content you want to include and we’ll take care of the rest. 

3. Content of Website.

What content will be placed on your website? 

The content of your website is key to engaging your audience. Interesting and well-written content will keep readers coming back for more, while dull and irrelevant content will quickly lose their attention. 

Make sure that your website’s content is compelling and interesting, and you’ll keep readers hooked. 

Do you have existing content that we can use, or will we need to generate new content for your site? 

You have the content for your website. All that’s left to do now is make sure it looks awesome and speaks exactly how you want people feel when they come onto YOUR site! 

Your website might be the first impression your customer has of you and it is vital to make a good one. A professional-looking site can help potential clients form an initial opinion about who they are working with, so their focus should always remain on delivering high quality results for this reason alone!  

Waterloo 360 panorama Website content
Website content

4. How many pages will your website need? 

According to most web design professionals, generally speaking, you will need about five to seven pages for your website.  

  • Home Page 
  • About Us 
  • Products 
  • Services 
  • Gallery 
  • Testimonials 
  • News 
  • Contact Us 

 

However, this number can differ based on the type of website you are looking to create. If you want a more simplistic website, then you might only need three pages. On the other hand, if you are looking to create an e-commerce website, then you might need closer to hundred pages. Of course, ultimately the number of pages you need for your website will depend on your specific goals and objectives. 

5. Your Target Market. 

Your website’s target market is the group of people you want to reach. Get to know your target market by determining where they are located, what types of products or services appeal the most in that area at this time period. 

This will help determine what information and products are most appropriate for them, as well as how it should be designed so that their needs inspire confidence in purchasing from your business. 

Think about: Age group, Interests, Industry, Country 

6. Promotion and Advertising of Website. 

Free and paid ads

Are you looking for ways to promote your website? There are many options available, both free and paid. Ads can be a great way to get more eyes on your site and attract new visitors. But there are other things you can do to spread the word about your site, too. Consider using social media, writing articles or blog posts, or even creating video content. There are lots of ways to get creative and get your website in front of new people. 

How will your visitors find your website? 

There are several ways that visitors can find your website. The most common way is through a search engine, such as Google, Bing or other.

Learn about Search engine optimization (SEO)

Other ways include through social media, links from other websites, and advertising: Web Directories, Emails, Blogs, Banners, Pay Per Click (PPC), Pay Per View (PPV), Pay Per Action (PPA) ads .  

Another way to ensure that visitors can find your website is by making sure the URL is easy to remember. 

The Covered bridge Guelph
Create traffic to your website

7. Communication and Contacts.

Do you have time to contact the web master? Creating newsletters and new text can be quite engaging? 

Who will manage you Website content, translation, text and pictures updates, site promotion, and coordination? 

Website is your main communication tool 

Your website is your most important communication tool. Make sure it reflects your brand and offers visitors the information they need. Keep your content fresh, and make sure your site is easy to navigate. Your website visitors will have access to this information 24 hours a day. 

Investing in a website is an investment in your future success.
Don’t be left behind – get a website today! 

8. Your Website Domain Name Registration. 

You already know that your website is important to promote and make it easy for customers. Now, take care of its name as well! Don’t forget about the domain registration – this includes picking out which extension (suffix) will be added after “name.” You have many options including .com .ca .info .org, or even something more like .business, .doctor, .buzz, .art, .cc, .club, .life, .today, .store, or .live.  

9. Website Hosting. 

Website Hosting. If you’re not sure who will be your host for the site, it’s best to do some research and find out which one is right for you before making any decisions about payment plans or other aspects of hosting services, like domain names (which can also affect pricing). 

Many factors come into play when choosing an Internet service provider; including what kind services they offer – shared or dedicated hosting etc., whether there are multiple accounts available at once with them as well as monthly bandwidth requests consumed by each client on their network – all these things contribute heavily towards determining price points! 

10. Time Line for the project. 

Do you have an estimate for how long the website development will take?  

You want to make sure that you are allotting the correct amount of time for the project.  

  • How much time do you have for the website project development? 
  • Will you start with small website now and add more pages in future? 

 

11. Your Website Budget. 

Website design can vary greatly in cost. How much a website will cost to design depends on many factors, such as the size and complexity of the site, the number of pages, the amount of custom design work required, and so forth. In general, however, a small simple website may cost a few thousand dollars to design, while a large complex site could easily cost ten times that or more. Therefore, it’s important to get an estimate from a web designer before starting work on your project. 

It is important to communicate clearly from day one how much you are willing (or able) spend in order to avoid any future misunderstandings about pricing or expectations – this includes inputting content as well!  

Am I willing to invest in my website? More programming and future development could increase the cost. After you build it, who will update and support me if anything goes wrong with this site’s content management system (CMS)? Is there any training available for updating a website’s software or not sure what CMS is being used on one’s own sites without professional help from an IT company that specializes in these things – how much does such service set them back financially speaking of course since we’re talking about something that might take some time off work hours here… And can someone do updates by themselves at all given their complexity? 

12. Results Measurement.

There are many factors you may want to consider in measuring the success of your website. Some important factors include: 

  • Website traffic – how much traffic is your website receiving? 
  • Conversion rate – what percentage of visitors are converting (becoming customers)? 
  • Number of sales – how many sales are you generating through your website? 

 

Which ones are most important to you? 

When measuring website success, it’s important to use the right type of measurement. Web traffic and number of sales are quantitative measures, while conversion rate is a qualitative measure. You may also want to consider measuring other factors such as customer satisfaction or loyalty. 

Other factors that could be important include the number of pages viewed on the website, how long people stay on the website, and how often they visit it. Each business will have different goals for their website, so it’s important to tailor the measurements accordingly. 

Moon in the space. Can you see the back side?
 

Conclusion 

While this may seem like a daunting task, it is important to remember that there are many resources and guides available to help you through the process. In this guide, we have outlined 12 steps that will take you from beginning to end in building your own website. By following these guidelines and by taking into account your specific business needs, you can create a successful web presence for your company that will help drive traffic and leads. Have you started creating your website yet? If not, what’s holding you back? 

Sergey Pavlov
Digital Media Specialist, SEO

Online Marketing