Planning a New Small-Business Website

A clear plan turns a frustrating, expensive website project into a predictable business investment. This guide gives service providers and professionals a practical, step-by-step roadmap to plan a site that attracts clients, converts leads, and stays maintainable.

Goals and success metrics

• Define the primary business goal.

  • Examples: generate phone consultations; book appointments; capture leads for proposals; showcase case studies to attract referrals.

• Choose 1–3 measurable KPIs.

  • Examples: monthly leads; booking conversion rate; average time on service pages.

• Set a timeline and priority.

  • Examples: MVP in 6 weeks; full site with SEO in 3 months.

Audience, messaging, and positioning

• Document your ideal client profile.

  • Elements: profession, budget range, pain points, decision drivers.

• Write a one-sentence value proposition.

  • Format: who you serve + what you do + key benefit.

• Map core objections and proof points.

  • Proof types: testimonials; credentials; case studies; before/after photos.

Content plan and information architecture

• Create a prioritized sitemap.

  • Minimum pages: Home, Services (or Services overview + service detail pages), About, Contact/Book, FAQ, Privacy/Terms.

• Define content for each page.

  • Must-haves: clear headline, 2–3 benefits, social proof, single CTA above the fold.

• Plan the content workflow.

  • Steps: draft copy, gather images, collect testimonials, legal/privacy review.

Design, UX, and conversion details

• Decide visual scope: template vs custom.

  • Template: faster and cheaper; ideal for MVP.
  • Custom: higher conversion potential; choose if brand differentiation drives revenue.

• Prioritize mobile-first performance and accessibility.

  • Checklist: readable fonts, tap-friendly buttons, image optimization, 90+ Lighthouse score target for key pages.

• Define core conversion flows.

  • Examples: Contact form → auto-response → booking follow-up; Click-to-call on mobile; Online booking widget integration.

Technical choices and integrations

• Choose a platform that matches skills and scale.

  • Options: site builders (Squarespace/Wix/Webflow) for speed; headless/CMS + developer for custom needs.

• List required integrations and responsibilities.

  • Common items: booking (Calendly/booking plugin); payments (Stripe); CRM or email tool; analytics and tracking; SSL and backups.

• Clarify hosting, ownership, and handoff.

  • Requirements: you own domain, hosting account, CMS admin; exportable content; final performance report.

Launch checklist and ongoing maintenance

• Prelaunch checklist.

  • Items: proofread copy; forms tested; mobile QA; SEO basics (meta titles, structured data, sitemap); analytics and conversion tracking.

• 30/60/90 day post-launch plan.

  • 30 days: monitor analytics, fix quick UX issues.
  • 60 days: add SEO content and adjust CTAs.
  • 90 days: review KPIs and plan phase 2 features.

• Maintenance and budget.

  • Plan: regular backups, security updates, content edits, and a small monthly ad/SEO budget if leads must ramp quickly.

Final recommendations

• Start with a tight MVP focused on one conversion goal.
• Invest in content and proof that reduce visitors’ friction to hire you.
• Require deliverables that protect your ownership and make future changes easy.
• Treat the website as a marketing channel: plan for measurement, iteration, and a modest monthly maintenance budget.