Planning a website — whether it’s a brand-new build or a full redesign — is all about clarity. When you know what you want the site to accomplish, the entire process becomes smoother, faster, and more effective. Here are ten things worth thinking about before you dive in.
Every page should lead visitors somewhere: schedule a call, view your work, request a quote, join a newsletter — whatever matters most for your business. A strong CTA keeps people moving through your site instead of wandering.
Don’t make visitors search for your phone number or email. Keeping your contact point in the header, footer, or sidebar instantly removes friction.
A confused visitor leaves. Clean, intuitive navigation is one of the strongest UX factors you can get right. Nielsen Norman Group’s UX research also shows that predictable menu structures significantly improve task success and user satisfaction.
(https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/)
Big, sharp, relevant visuals add credibility and set the tone for your brand. Whether it's project photos, team shots, or industry-specific imagery, quality goes a long way.
Skip auto-playing music, intrusive popups, or anything that slows down the user experience. Let your content and services take center stage.
Outdated services, old announcements, and stale messaging make your website feel neglected. Keep copy fresh, factual, and aligned with your brand today — not two years ago.
This is the biggest unlock. Are you trying to get leads? Showcase case studies? Sell online? Educate? Once you know the primary purpose, the layout, content strategy, and user flow become much clearer.
Most users browse on their phones now. Google’s mobile-first indexing means the mobile version is the version used for ranking. A responsive, mobile-optimized website is essential for both users and SEO.
(Google Mobile-First Indexing Overview: https://developers.google.com/search/mobile-sites/mobile-first-indexing)
Sometimes an old website isn’t worth fixing — outdated platforms, poor structure, slow performance, or messy content can cost more to patch than rebuild. A fresh start lets you use modern tools, faster systems, and clean design.
If you want something truly polished — something that looks great and performs — bringing in a professional can save you a lot of time and frustration. The best results come from combining strategy, design, content, and development into one cohesive process.
A well-planned website doesn’t just look better — it works better.
Ahrefs backs this up in their guide on how structure, UX, and content organization directly influence organic search performance.
(https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-web-design/)
Good planning sets the stage. Everything else builds on top of it.
Thinking through these ten points ensures your website is aligned with your goals, easy for visitors to use, and built to grow with your business. When you combine strategic planning with clean design and strong UX, you end up with a site that feels professional, performs well, and keeps people coming back.
