How to Plan a Business Website Project Before Development

A website is a critical component of the corporate ecosystem and serves multiple purposes — ranging from conveying information about the organization to enhancing customer outreach and engagement. However, the development of the website is far from being as simple as selecting a design and throwing in a few pages here and there. Prior to actual construction, a number of details must be determined and thoroughly discussed among stakeholders.

This guide outlines the key points of consideration when preparing a website project for development.

1. Define Website Goals

A website project must begin with the identification of goals. Depending on the website’s purpose, its structure and core features may considerably vary.

The most common objectives of business websites are to inform and attract customers, enable communication with them, and promote products or services. Some typical goals of business websites are presented below:

• Presenting the company and its offerings

• Facilitating contact and engagement

• Providing information on the company and its needs

• Showcasing the company’s portfolio

• Offering digital purchases

The goals that a business website must achieve act as a reference point and can prevent the creation of meaningless features that only take up space and do not contribute to the website’s purpose.

2. Determine the Target Audience

A website is not built for everyone — rather, it is specifically intended for the company’s target audience. Thus, prior to developing the website project, it is necessary to outline the characteristics that website visitors may have, the information that they might seek, and the questions that they would likely ask.

The following guidelines will help build a website based on the needs and behaviors of its visitors:

• Think about what information website visitors need the most

• Recall their major concerns and questions

• Consider what services or products they are interested in

• Keep in mind the problems that the company can solve

• Think of the action that website visitors will have to take

For instance, potential clients engaging with a professional service may have questions about the company’s workflow and offerings, as well as the range of services that it provides. Therefore, the website’s homepage should contain this information, while other pages can have more specifics on individual services and answers to frequently asked questions.

3. Prepare a Preliminary List of Pages

Before selecting a design, it may be helpful to make a rough draft of the website structure to have a general idea of the information that the website will hold and how it will be organized.

The following are the typical pages that a business website may contain:

• Homepage

• About Us

• Services

• Portfolio

• Blog

• Contact

The above list is by no means exhaustive, and a website project may contain many more pages depending on the website’s purpose and size. It is advisable to make a page a part of the preliminary structure only if it contains informative content relevant to the website visitor.

4. Prepare the Content

When building a website, content planning comes before design selection or website construction. Preparing content helps to determine what information will be displayed on each website page. This way, the website will not only look good but also carry meaningful information and assist website visitors in their journey.

Prepare the content that will be included on the website pages determined during the previous stage. Such content may comprise page titles, service-specific descriptions, general information about the business, calls to action, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and media. Avoid generic claims and highlight only the information that the business provides. If certain content cannot be prepared at this stage, it may be marked as pending and added later. However, one should be careful not to leave any placeholders in the website content unintentionally. For example, if the website’s About Us page does not specify the company’s specialization and only states that it is a professional service, this claim may be left on the website by mistake once the page is launched.

5. Determine the Features to be Included on the Website

When preparing the preliminary list of pages and their content, it will become possible to identify the major features that the website will need to have. Common features of business website projects are as follows:

• Contact forms

• Inquiries

• Search

• Customer accounts

• Catalogs

• Payments

• Tools for external business systems

It is important to separate mandatory and additional features to estimate the initial scope of the project. For each of the mandatory features, it is advisable to specify its purpose, users, and data requirements.

6. Select the Appropriate Technical Solution

Depending on the needs of the business, a number of website-building solutions may be utilized for the construction of the website. A company can consult with a web development company to discuss the requirements of the project, the appropriate technical solutions, and the development process. If the website has specific requirements or has to interoperate external business systems, it may be beneficial to consider custom application development. However, it should be noted that a custom-built project is not necessarily a better option than a standard content management system (CMS)-based or website builder-based one. The business will have to analyze the available options and balance such factors as required functionality, technical complexity, and maintenance.

7. Consider Additional Functional Requirements

Some projects may have multifaceted requirements that go beyond the capabilities of standard CMS or website builder platforms. In such cases, additional functional requirements may be considered.

If the company is considering custom application development, it will be helpful to prepare a list of the following items:

• Functional requirements

• User roles

• Data requirements

• Project outcomes

These points will help the development team understand the requirements of the project. The same approach applies when considering other technical solutions. When evaluating the needs of the project and the existing solutions in the market, the company should base its analysis on requirements rather than technology. In other words, instead of identifying what technology the company wants, it should first outline what it needs.

8. Set a Realistic Budget and Timeline

A realistic budget and timeline must be set for a website project, which will depend on the number of website pages, the availability or otherwise of website content, website design and development requirements, and maintenance needs.

When developing a budget, the company should consider the following expenses:

• Planning and requirements

• Design and content

• Development and configuration

• Tools

• Testing and launch

• Maintenance

While setting the timeline, the company should identify key project milestones. These can comprise website content approval, design confirmation, development, design testing, and website launch and optimization. In addition, the company should allow enough time for project feedback and necessary revisions. Deadlines should not be set without analyzing the overall scope of the project, and project responsibilities must be clearly defined at the outset.

9. Ensure Responsiveness and Accessibility

A website must be accessible from various devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, and compatible with various browsers. The following aspects of a website project should be considered responsive and accessible:

• Text

• Menus

• Buttons

• Headings

• Contrasts of text and its background

• Descriptive text of images

• Interactive elements

The responsiveness and accessibility of a website project can become a deciding factor in the selection of a client. This is why these points should be considered early in the project planning process rather than later. The company should also make sure that the most important pages of the website project are properly structured and tested on mobile devices.

10. Address Website Security and Maintenance Considerations

A website is never truly finished — rather, it requires regular maintenance to ensure continuous performance and data security. The company should determine who will be responsible for such maintenance and how it will be handled. The maintenance considerations can vary depending on the website project and its technical solutions, but the most common ones are as follows:

• Software and plugin updates

• Secure accounts

• Backup and testing

• Form validations

• Link validations

• Performance tests

• Security

• Content updates

If the project scope comprises personal accounts or sensitive data, special considerations should be identified prior to the actual development work. In addition, the company should clarify with its web development partner who will be responsible for technical issues and have a dedicated communication channel.

11. Establish a Website Project Review and Approval Process

Many aspects of a website project require approval before actual website construction can commence. It is crucial to establish who will approve what during the project development. The following details should be considered during the project approval process:

• Who will approve the content of the website’s pages?

• Who will review the design?

• Who will confirm mandatory features?

• How will project feedback be provided?

• Who will have decision-making authority?

• How will changes to the initially defined project scope be handled?

When reviewing documents or designs, project stakeholders should provide detailed feedback to indicate what needs to be changed or why a particular detail cannot be considered valid. For instance, if the company is asked to revise a homepage design due to its overall unappealing appearance, it should provide concrete feedback on what it finds confusing or ineffective rather than simply stating that the design should be revised. A shared project approval checklist can help keep track of the project’s progress.

12. Prepare a Pre-Launch Checklist of the Website Project

Before launching the website, it is necessary to complete a list of final verification tasks. The following are some of the essential points to consider:

• Are all essential pages included?

• Is the general information on the website correct?

• Are all links and menus working?

• Have all contact forms been tested?

• Have all essential features been confirmed?

• Are all web pages compatible with mobile devices?

• Do the images have descriptive texts?

• Has the website’s security been reviewed?

• Have all page titles and descriptions been reviewed?

• Has the website maintenance plan been reviewed?

The company should also double-check the most important aspects of the website after its launch to ensure that everything works and is displayed correctly.

FAQ

What should I prepare before starting my website project?

I recommend outlining the purpose of the website, determining the target audience, preparing a preliminary list of pages and their content, establishing the essential features, setting a realistic budget and timeline, and outlining the maintenance considerations.

Do I need a development company for my business website?

Depending on the requirements of the project, you may not need an external company to help you build the website. However, it is advisable to consider professional planning and development if the project involves more advanced solutions.

When should I consider custom software development?

You should consider custom application development if your project involves requirements that cannot be addressed by standard CMS- or builder-based solutions.

Why is content planning important?

Content planning is a critical step in building a website project, as it helps to shape its purpose and structure. It also helps to determine the website’s design and avoid delays due to missing content.