Four Tips to Absolutely Nail Your Website Strategy
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A website is about more than just looking pretty.
Sure, we all love a site that catches the eye, but there's so much more to consider as you’re building your very own website.
How can you make your website look great, while also working hard for you?
By being strategic.
You need to know what your goals are, who your ideal visitors are and what they're seeking, and how that can work together to be strategic & high converting. While also showing who YOU are, and connecting with the people who 'get' you.
But before we get to the website strategy tips, let’s look at 6 reasons why thinking strategically about your website is important:
Direction and Goals
A clear strategy gives your website a defined direction. It helps you set specific goals. For example, you might want to increase sales, grow your audience, or provide a portfolio of your work to show colleagues. Without a strategy, it's hard to know what you're working towards.
Target Audience
A strategy helps you understand and cater to your target audience. Knowing who they are, what they need, and how they use websites allows you to create content and designs that appeal directly to them. This then increases engagement and conversion rates.
Brand Consistency
Your website is a key part of your brand. A strategic approach ensures your site reflects your brand's values, tone, and style. This consistency builds trust and recognition among your audience.
Resource Allocation
A strategy helps you use your resources wisely. Time, money, and effort are limited. By prioritizing certain actions over others, you ensure that you're focusing on what will have the greatest impact.
Competition
A well-thought-out strategy considers your competitive landscape. Think about what differentiates you from your competitors. You can highlight what makes your business unique and why customers should choose you.
Measurement and Adaptation
Finally, a strategy includes setting benchmarks and methods for measuring success. This lets you track your progress. What is success for you? By defining that early on, you can see what's working and what's not. This feedback loop allows you to adapt and refine your approach over time.
So now, without further ado:
Four Tips to Help You Formulate Your Own Website Strategy
01. What’s your endgame?
Think about your mission + goals.
When you sit down to brainstorm about your website, the first thing to think about is your endgame. What's the big dream here? This could range from connecting with your audience, growing your email list, making sales or selling your services, or using the website as a simple portfolio site to showcase your latest projects, books, or artworks.
Identifying your mission and setting clear goals is imperative. Without knowing where you want to end up, it's tricky to chart a course that'll get you there effectively.
02. Who’s coming over?
After you've got a handle on what you want, it's time to consider WHO will be visiting your website.
Think about the goals of your potential visitors.
Are they looking for information, someone whose offering resonates with what they’re lookin for, or someone geographically close? How’d they find you? Did they stumbled upon your website through a Google search, an Instagram link, or maybe they met you in person at a networking event or whiskey tasting (that last one literally happened to me, not kidding!).
03. Bringing it all together
Now, you've got a vision for your website and a good grasp of who your visitors are and what they're seeking. The next step is to bring these elements together to formulate a cohesive website strategy.
Think of a Venn diagram - you want to overlap your goals and your visitor’s goals to create the website strategy.
This strategy should bridge the gap between your objectives and your visitors' expectations. The goal is to create a space that's a reflection of your mission as well as a place where visitors can find exactly what they're looking for.
04. Mapping it out
With a solid strategy in hand, it’s time to sketch out a site map. Make sure it’s clear and leads your visitors exactly where they need and want to go when they land on your site.
A clear, well-thought-out site map guides your visitors smoothly through their journey on your website, ensuring they find what they need and enjoy the experience.
Think of it as designing the flow of a party. You want to make sure guests can easily move from the entrance to the living room, find the snacks, mingle, and have a good time without getting lost or feeling frustrated. Your site map does just that for your website visitors.
Plus there’s cookies at both! 😜🍪
… and a few extra website strategy nuggets for you:
Look Around for Inspiration
Create a list of three inspiration sites and what you like about them.
What makes them stand out? Do you like the colors, font, layout, general ✨vibe✨? Noticing what you’re drawn to is a great way to spark ideas for your own website.
Create a Mood Board
Jump on Pinterest and put together a mood board that captures the vibe and look you're aiming for. Pin between 20-30 different images so you’ll start to see patterns in what your drawn to. This visual collection can steer your site's design in the right direction.
Write Down User Stories
Create individual user stories so you have a clear idea of WHO you're talking to.
I recommend creating three separate personas. Include a summary of who they are and what’s important to them, how they found you (including the device used if online), why they decided to ‘convert’ into a buyer/subscriber/etc, and what makes them come back or refer you to their network?
Want me to do it for you?
I offer a website strategy service that includes:
Brand Mission
Target Audience
User Personas (up to three)
Website Strategy
Site Map
Inspiration
Key Features
Visual Direction
Styleboard
So there you have it!
Your website can be a true extension of YOU. Drawing in folks who dig what you do. By focusing on these tips, you’re setting yourself up for a site that looks great — and works strategically for you too.
