Website Development Worksheet
EnhanceMyMarketing.com's Website development worksheet is the perfect tool to help you plan and execute the development of a new Website and its SEO.
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Founder of the EmpoweringSites.com Network
Planning to create a Web site? Whether you are creating the site yourself or hiring someone to do it for you, this worksheet provides a springboard for planning and executing your site, as well as ensuring Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Take your time with the worksheet. It's important to do your site right.
Steps for Developing Your Website
Preliminaries (Read also our five steps to an online presence, a detailed overview for business owners in how to easily plan, create, and publish a successful small business Website.):
What is your specific purpose/goal for this site?
What will the name of your site be? Points to consider:
- If your business already has a name, and that name is available as a domain name, you may want to give your site the same name as your business.
- Search engines place a higher value on .com, .org, and .net domains than others, such as .biz, .tv., .us. Word of mouth can be problematic because visitors usually think in terms of .com sites.
- If there is already a .com, .org, or .net site with your preferred site name, you may want to avoid the confusion of an identical name with a different domain.
- You may want to consider including important keywords in your site name. See this portion of the worksheet.
- You may want to conduct some competitive research into what people in competing/similar businesses name their sites.
- Here's a : good article on naming your site
Describe your target audience. What visitors do you hope to particularly attract to the site? Why might they want to visit your site? Give as much detail as possible.
Find and identify 5 sites in similar or competing businesses that you admire:
State briefly what you like about each one (you may want to borrow some of these elements for your own site):
List as many keywords related to your business (or whatever you are promoting on your site) as you can think of. These words and phrases will need to be sprinkled into the Web site content that visitors can see (include file names of pages) as well as the behind-the-scenes coding they can't see:
The following is a list of typical pages your site might include. Many variations are possible. This worksheet will further describe and pose questions about each possible page.
- Index/home/landing page
- About page
- Products page
- Services page
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page
- Testimonials/Reviews/Case Studies page
- Blog
- Resources/Links/Articles page
- Contact/Inquiry page
- Shopping cart/Order form/Checkout page
1. Index/home/landing page: This is the main page of your site, the first page most visitors will
see when they come to your site. This page will carry links that enable visitors to navigate to the inside
pages of the site.
How important might it be to have different landing pages for different audiences? (You may want to have sub-portals on your site for specific types of visitors)
What elements do you want on the index/home/landing page? Some typical elements include:
What images would you like on the page?
How do you want visitors to navigate your site? Where would you like them to go after landing on the home page?
2. About page: This page should briefly but compellingly tell the story of you and/or the story of the business or entity you wish to promote with your site. Consider a story rather than a bio. Here's an example of a storied bio.
Do you want an About page on your site?
If yes, provide storied content about yourself (about 3 paragraphs):
And/or, provide storied content about the business or entity you wish to promote with your site (about 3 paragraphs):
Anything else you'd like on the About page?
What images would you like on the page -- for example, a photo of you, a photo of your business headquarters?
3. Products page: This page would specifically describe the products you sell and give some (general) idea of pricing. If you sell a large number of products, you may need multiple products pages. You also may need to make multiple copies of this page of the worksheet to plan your products coverage.
Do you want a Products page on your site?
If so, provide details about each product you sell (you may need to make extra copies of this page of the worksheet). Be as specific and detailed as possible.
What are the specific benefits of your products to prospective buyers?
Complete this sentence for each product: "The thing that makes this product unique is ______________________."
What kinds needs will prospective buyers of your products have? (Why do they need your products?)
Do you want to list prices? (Another option is to list prices on a separate Pricing page or include process on your Shopping cart/Order form/Checkout page)
If not, do you want to use an adjective such as "reasonable," "affordable," "competitive"?
What images would you like on the Products page? (for example, images of your products)
Anything else you'd like on the Products page?
4. Services page: This page would specifically describe the services you provide and give visitors some (general) idea of pricing.
Do you want a Services page on your site?
If so, provide details about the services you offer. Be as specific and detailed as possible.
What are the specific benefits of your services to visitors?
Complete this sentence: "The thing that makes my services unique is _______________________."
What kinds of issues and needs will prospective users of your services have? (Why do they need your services?)
Do you want to list prices? (Another option is to list prices on a separate Pricing page or include process on your Shopping cart/Order form/Checkout page)
If not, do you want to use an adjective such as "reasonable," "affordable," "competitive"?
What images would you like on the Services page? (for example, images of you or others performing your service)
Anything else you'd like on the Services page?
5. Frequently Asked Questions FAQs page: This page anticipates questions visitors might have about your products, services, or whatever you intend to promote on your site -- and provides answers to those anticipated questions.
Would you like a FAQs page on your site?
What questions do you anticipate visitors might have about your products, services, or whatever you intend to promote on your site?
Provide answers to those anticipated questions.
What images would you like on the FAQs page?
Anything else you'd like on the FAQs page?
6. Testimonials/Reviews/Case Studies page: This would be a page for testimonials and success stories from customers/clients/users/visitors.
Do you want a Testimonials/Reviews/Case Studies page?
If so, please provide some testimonials, case studies, reviews:
What images do you want on your Testimonials/Reviews/Case Studies page?
7. Blog: A blog is a way to keep your content fresh by providing regularly updated information and opinions
Do you want to include a blog on the site?
How frequently will you post entries to the blog?
What kinds of topics will you cover in the blog?
What blogging platform will you use? (Many options, both no-cost and fee-based, are available, such as Blogger, Typepad, WordPress, and Movable Type). Learn more here about starting a blog.
8. Resources/Links/Articles page: This page would be for resources and links related to your business or whatever you are promoting on your site. Such a page has significant Search Engine Optimization (SEO) benefits because both inbound and outbound links can improve your SEO. If you link to people with complementary information and services, they may also link to you, boosting your SEO. If you have written articles, you could link to them on this page as well.
Do you want a resources/links/articles page?
Do you have some resources you'd like to link to (list below)?
What images do you want on your resources/links/articles page?
9. Contact/Inquiry page: This is the page that tells visitors how they can contact you and inquire about your services. Typically the page tells your address, phone number, and gives a clickable e-mail address. The page often includes a contact form that visitors can fill in and submit.
Do you want a Contact/Inquiry page?
What specific contact info do you want?
Many site owners offer an inquiry form on their contact page that prospective clients can complete (in addition to other contact info). The form would enable you to capture a bit of additional, information about prospective clients. Would you like such a form? If so, what would you like the form to ask prospective clients?
10. Shopping cart/Order form/Checkout page: This page enables visitors to buy or order your products or services. Most vendors use a third-party merchant site or mechanism (such as PayPal, Google Checkout) to power this page.
Do you want a Shopping cart/Order form/Checkout page?
What third-party merchant site or mechanism (such as PayPal, Google Wallet) have you chosen to power this page,
and how will you integrate it into your overall site?
Any other pages? Are there any other pages you'd like to see as part of your site? List below:
General marketing and SEO questions
List here people and entities (professional associations, colleagues, complementary websites, blogs, etc.) who might be persuaded to link to your site:
List here sites and blogs for which you might write guest articles and blog entries to increase your site's visibility.
List here useful content you could add to your site to improve SEO:
Putting It All Together
- If you have a Website that is focused on attracting a global (or at least national) audience, then use our National Marketing and SEO Tutorial
- If the core focus of your Website is driving local business to your office or store, then use our Local Marketing and SEO Tutorial
- 25 key criteria for successful Website development and Web publishing
- 10 easy-to-use search engine optimization guidelines for creating, enhancing, marketing all facets of your personal or business
- 10 common mistakes -- along with how to fix them -- found on small business Websites, and which can cause major search engine optimization (SEO) problems
- Glossary of Key Website Marketing, SEO, SMO, and SEM Terms and Tools
- Website SEO do's and don'ts to build rankings, increase traffic
Refer to these helpful articles as you plan and execute your site:
Web Marketing Guru Dr. Randall S. Hansen, CEO of EmpoweringSites.com
-- a growing network of highly ranked educational and inspirational Websites --
has been empowering people his entire adult life. He is also founder and publisher of
EmpoweringRetreat.com,
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com, and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. Dr. Hansen is also a
published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts
empowering workshops around the country. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years.
He holds a doctorate in marketing and has been involved in marketing his entire life. Learn more at his personal Website,
RandallSHansen.com.
Check out Dr. Hansen on GooglePlus.
Empowering Your Marketing and SEO