Web Design Plan – How to Create One

Whether you are designing a website for yourself or for a client it is imperative you have a good plan.  The difference between success and failure in a web design may not always be the plan, but it certainly is a factor.  You want to get your project off to a good start, which means understanding the purpose for the site.  There are five requirements to a good plan: the purpose, image, content, dynamics, and ways to attract visitors. 

The Purpose of the Site:

You will need to ask yourself three questions regarding the purpose of your pages.  These three questions will determine the purpose and help you build the first list for your plan. 

1. Why are you creating it?
2. Is it meant to be professional, informative, personal, etc?
3. Are products, services, information, ideas, or a combination of these items being sold on your pages?

Once you have the answers to these questions you can move on in the planning stage to image. 

What is Image?

During the planning stage you will need to build an image consumers will recognise.  The image is an online branding, and for the smaller site it is harder to create.  Large corporations have brand names and logos, but smaller companies tend to overlook this important aspect in web design.  One method to coming up with a brand and logo for consumers to recognise is to think about the site like it’s your best sales person.  What do you want the consumer to see? Do you want a professional look with a conversational style or something that is witty yet informative?

Content:

From creating a clear persona you can begin to determine your content.  There are minimum content requirements such as home page information, contact details, privacy policy, site map, and footers.  All sites will have this content, so determining content is more about the sales/ marketing and product information. 

Dynamic Requirements:

These requirements discuss more about your programming language and database you will ultimately use. 

Attracting Visitors:

The most important aspect of web design is attracting visitors to your pages.  The best creation will yield little unless you can get visitors to one of your landing pages.  In the planning stages you need to determine what marketing strategies you will use.  By outlining your plan with these 5 stages it will be easier for you to produce your site.