Websites
Planning a website for your business: what to decide before you build
A step-by-step guide to planning a small business or startup website: goals, pages, content, features, budget and choosing who builds it.
By Jhonny PerezSeptember 22, 20263 min read
The biggest website mistakes happen before any design or code: an unclear goal, no plan for the content, or features nobody needed. A little planning up front saves a lot of money and back-and-forth later. Here's what to decide before you build.
This guide brings together our older articles on web design for Las Vegas businesses and websites for startups.
1. Decide what the website is for
Pick one main goal. Everything else supports it.
- Get calls or quote requests (most service businesses)
- Book appointments (salons, clinics, consultants)
- Sell products online (retail, e-commerce)
- Build credibility (B2B, startups raising money, professional services)
Write it down: "The website's job is to get homeowners in Henderson to request a quote." That sentence will settle a lot of design debates later.
2. Know who you're talking to
Describe your ideal customer in a few lines: who they are, what problem they have, and what they worry about before hiring someone like you. Your headline, your photos and the questions you answer should all speak to that person.
3. Plan your pages
Most small business sites need:
- Home: what you do, who it's for, proof, and the main call to action
- A page per service: better for customers and much better for SEO
- About: the people behind the business. Trust matters, especially locally.
- Work or portfolio: real examples, results and reviews
- Pricing or "how pricing works": even ranges help people qualify themselves
- Contact: form, phone, email, service area and booking if you use it
Start small and add pages as you grow. A focused 6-page site beats a thin 20-page site.
4. Get your content ready
Content is the most common reason website projects stall. Before kick-off, gather:
- Your logo and brand colors
- Real photos of your team, location and work (better than stock photos)
- A list of services with a few sentences each
- Customer reviews or testimonials
- Answers to the questions customers always ask
If writing isn't your thing, budget for copywriting help. It's worth it.
5. Choose features on purpose
Every feature adds cost and maintenance. Include the ones that serve your main goal:
- Online booking if appointments are your business
- Online payments for deposits or products
- A quote request form that asks the right questions up front
- Integrations with your CRM, calendar or accounting software to avoid re-typing
If you're a startup, launch with the smallest version that proves your idea, then add features based on real customer feedback.
6. Set a realistic budget
Include the launch cost and ongoing costs: hosting, maintenance and marketing. Our article on what a website costs in Las Vegas breaks down real numbers.
7. Choose who builds it
Ask any designer or agency:
- Can I see sites you've built for businesses like mine?
- Who owns the website, domain and accounts when it's done? (The answer should be: you.)
- How will my site be hosted, updated and backed up after launch?
- If I'm redesigning, how will you protect my Google rankings?
- What's included in the price, and what costs extra?
Ready to plan yours?
We start every project with a free planning call, then send a fixed-price proposal. Book a free call or browse our work.