content website business plan

An ebook here might dive deeper into a particular problem and solution options and include templates or calculators.

[Lastly,] ebooks further down the funnel should become more personalized and offer more sales content. Comparison guides or an ebook of case studies are beneficial for prospects at this stage."

Ebooks are the next step in the inbound marketing process . After reading a blog post, visitors might want more information.

This is where calls-to-action (CTAs) come into play, directing people to a landing page where they can submit their contact information and download an ebook to learn more valuable information for their business.

In turn, the business producing the ebook has a new lead for the sales team to contact.

Featured Tool: 18 Free Ebook Templates

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Planning to DIY your Website? Use this 9-Step Website Content Plan

By the leadpages team    |    published jun 08, 2022    |    updated oct 06, 2023, by the leadpages team.

Editor’s note: This post was originally written in 2019 and, while the best practices remain as relevant as ever, the article has been updated to include even more insight into how to create the perfect website content plan for your business. Dig in!

Countless small business owners struggle to answer the question: “What should I say on my website?” Sure, you may understand that you need a basic “About Us” and “Contact Us” page, but what else? This is why it’s so important to develop a website content plan.

But how do you develop a strategy that caters to the needs of your audience and helps you grow your brand?

In this article, we’ll demystify the process of creating a content management plan and offer a step-by-step process for how to conceptualize and create all the content that you’ll include on your website. We’ll also cover topics like goal-setting, hierarchy, optimization, and scaling production.

In this article:

What is a website content plan, what content should i include on my website, how to create a website content plan, ready to create a website content plan.

A website content plan is an overarching strategy that governs all the content published on your site. It ensures that all your content is cohesive, addresses the needs of your audience, and is on-brand.

A good website content plan will:

• Identify what content already exists.
• Outline what new content is needed.
• Establish rules and guidelines for new content to ensure your quality remains consistent.

Oftentimes, the toughest part of creating content for your website is simply knowing where to start. However, once you have your plan in place you’ll have a clear roadmap of what needs to be done, making the process a lot easier.

As you prepare your website content plan you might also wonder what type of content you need for your site. This will differ from one business to another, but generally speaking, you should have the following content:

• Product(s)/service(s)
• Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
• Hidden pages like a thank you page, 404 page, and landing pages for special offers/lead magnets.

Start with your homepage, then move on to your top-level pages like your about page, products/services, contact, etc. Once all your web pages are complete start creating blogs to increase your content library and establish your authority.

Your website content is important. In fact, 66% of marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget in 2022 . So, if you want to keep up with the competition you’ll need a solid plan in place.

Luckily, creating a winning content plan is easier than you think. Just follow these nine steps.

1. Establish your content goals

When creating your plan you need to start by setting goals for your content. Pose the following questions as you get started:

• What do you want to achieve with your content?
• Is your goal to convert new customers into clients or drive awareness?
• How can your buyers’ journey inform what content your site needs to contain?
• What objections do you need to proactively address?
• Will your content educate/ inspire/ entertain? Where? How?
• How will you measure your success? (and know whether or not your content is working)?
• What is your target date for developing a content marketing plan?

These goals should be tied to key performance indicators (KPIs), as well as tactics to make them a reality. Select a series of three to four KPIs based on these goals. These should typically include conversion, referral, and/or share of voice-type metrics.

For example, let’s start with the question “what do you want to achieve with your content?” You might have a few different answers, including:

• Awareness: Introducing prospects to your brand and helping them recognize the need for your product/service.
• Research & education: Providing prospects with the information they need to make an informed decision.
• Comparison & validation: Showing how your solution compares to your competitors’.
• Sales: Converting prospects from leads to sales.

Once you have your answer you can choose a KPI. For example, if your goal is awareness, you’ll likely look at how much traffic your content generates. If it’s research you may look at something like email subscriptions. And for sales, well you’ll obviously want to track how many sales a piece of content leads to.

You can see a page's traffic, conversions, and conversion rate within your Leadpages dashboard .

2. Define your audience

Study your audience in microscopic detail. Gain customer insights through obvious sources like social media channels, digital monitoring, third-party websites, and customer support or sales inquiries.

Another foundational part of your content creation strategy is defining your audience. Every one of your pages or posts should speak to your core audience—both literally and figuratively.

Then step outside of your own mind and think like a website visitor. As you do so, consider the following questions:

• What are the demographics and psychographics of your core audience?
• What information does your audience need?
• What information does your audience want?
• What information does your audience need to convert into customers?

Targeting the right audience is key, so take your time with this step and ensure you have a firm grasp of who you’re creating content for.

3. Audit existing content

Hooray, you’ve reached the most boring part of this process—auditing. While kind of hum-drum, it’s actually super critical. In this step, you’ll want to list every single type of content piece you currently have and what you think you’ll need moving forward.

If you already have an existing website or other marketing collateral, it’s good to take a pulse of what content you’ve already produced. The goal is to gather, organize, and identify opportunities to repurpose existing content.

For those that don’t currently have a site, start with a competitive analysis. Look at what other marketers have created on websites and in print to help you generate ideas for your own website content plan.

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4. Map key content to a website content map

Once you’ve audited your content, create a visual website content map. Believe it or not, it’s quick to develop and easy to change as you go.

A website content map is a diagram that shows your website content’s hierarchy and structure. It helps to identify the relationships between pages—specifically where they reside and how they interact with other pages. It's also critical for creating a good user experience (check out these UX statistics for more insights on how to create a strong user experience).

You can start by bucketing your content by theme and importance. Stem top-level pages from one homepage, and then more robust and detailed content will fall under each of these top-level pages.

5. Create content for your website

Now to the arguably most important step—creating your content. Before you begin it’s a good idea to establish a website content template. This will help you maintain consistency and hit all of the essentials of each page.

Ensure all your content is on-brand, with the same tone, voice, and style throughout. Repeat your key messages often throughout each asset and always have a call to action, even if soft.

It’s also important to mix up the types of content you create. Blogs are great, but maybe your audience prefers podcasts or videos. Experiment with different mediums to see what performs best, or use all three so you have something for everyone.

Most importantly, your content needs to provide value. If you’re not answering questions or providing solutions for your audience, they won’t stick around. So, make sure everything you publish is bringing something valuable to the table.

6. Upload and optimize content assets

Once you have every page created, it’s time to upload your content to your website. This used to be the hardest step and would often require you to learn web design or hire an expensive developer. However, thanks to drag and drop website builders like Leadpages , this part of the process has become incredibly simple.

To build your website, choose a professionally-designed template and then use the no-code Drag & Drop Builder to customize your color, images, and text. When you’re ready, click publish to share your site with the world.

Once your website is published adding new content is easy. Simply create a new page, write or paste your copy into the text box, and upload photos or videos. You can return to the builder at any time to make updates and changes to your content as needed.

7. Consider SEO

While creating and uploading content you need to think about search engine optimization (SEO). Following SEO best practices will give your content a better chance of appearing in search results, allowing you to reach more of your target audience. 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine , so this is the best long-term strategy for generating traffic

Here are a few tips:

• Aim for at least 300 words per website page and over 2,000 words for blog posts . Give people something to chew on and let search bots crawl enough words to index your content.
• Perform research using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find high-volume, low competition keywords that are relevant to your brand.
• Focus on optimizing each page of your site with one primary keyword per page, using a different keyword each time and incorporating it throughout your text.
• Metadata titles and descriptions
• Header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
• Image alt text

Within the Leadpages Website Build select "Settings" and "SEO" to edit your meta title and descriptions.

Just remember that SEO takes time to have an impact. If you want to get eyes on your content right away then you’ll want to pay close attention to the next step.

8. Promote your content

Publishing a content asset is no small feat. In fact, it can take hours, days, and sometimes even weeks to ideate, research, draft, design, and optimize your page. So, don’t make this a wasted effort. Get more eyeballs on your website content by taking the time to promote it. You can do this in a number of ways, including:

• On your site: Promote content assets within your website with pop-ups and alert bars .
• Internal linking: Build links from other web pages and content on your site to your new content. This is also good for SEO.
• Social media: Share your content across all your active social networks. You can also seek out groups, communities, and forums where you can get your content in front of the people most likely to benefit from what you’ve created.
• Share internally: Have a team of employees, contractors, or collaborators? Invite them to engage with your content and help you amplify its reach online. You can make it easy for them to share your posts by providing pre-written swipe copy.
• Email: Share your content with your email list through regular newsletters and updates.
• Paid advertising: Use Google and Facebook ads to promote your content and grow your audience.

Long story short, just because you build it doesn’t mean they’ll come. Use the tips above to create a content distribution checklist that helps you create a standard process for promoting your work to ensure all your content is properly promoted.

9. Maintain and scale content

Just because your content is published and promoted doesn’t mean your work is done. For the best results, you’ll want to update your content regularly so it stays fresh and relevant. Check on your content at least once a year to see if the information is still accurate and make changes accordingly.

You’ll also need to keep planning for future content. Pay attention to the questions your audience is asking and do keyword research to learn what people are searching for. Based on this, create an editorial calendar to map future content, track ideas, and avoid duplicated topics.

Try to maintain a steady stream of content throughout the year. Adding new articles and videos monthly or weekly will ensure you stay top-of-mind with your audience.

Use the steps above the create your website content plan, then put it into action. Remember, building the plan is only the first step. You need to act on it and stick with it to make it work.

And of course, in order for your website content plan to work, you’ll need a website. If you don’t already have one set up you’re in luck. You can try Leadpages’ Website Builder free for 14 days and start creating your site today.

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Wondering what to read next?

Here’s what we suggest: →  What Are Lead Generation Websites? Everything You Need to Know (Plus 5 Examples) →  12 Different Ways to Use Website Pop-ups →  53 UX Statistics to Know for 2023

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Plan your website content in one place with Milanote

Follow this step-by-step guide to learn the modern process of planning website content in Milanote, a free tool used by top creatives.

How to plan website content in 8 easy steps

A great content plan is the most important step in creating an engaging website. It's where you map out the copy, imagery and structure you need so your team knows what to design and build.

But often, the planning is done in isolation. The copy is written in a Google Doc, the images are stored in a Dropbox folder and the Sitemap resides in a spreadsheet. It's hard for anyone on the team to see how it all fits together. A visual content plan solves all this and lets you plan everything in one place so your team and client have a clear vision for your new website.

In this guide, you'll learn the modern approach to planning content for your website using Milanote. Remember, the creative process is non-linear, so you may find yourself moving back and forth between the steps as you go.

1. Define the purpose of the page

We're going to tackle the content plan one page at a time. So pick a page on your website and try to define its purpose. Why does this page exist? What problem is it solving? What does it need to communicate? This simple exercise will lay the foundation for the content, tone and imagery on this page.

Create a new board for your first webpage plan.

Create a new board

Drag a board out from the toolbar. Give it a name, then double click to open it.

Add a note to describe the purpose of the page.

Drag a note card onto your board

Start typing then use the formatting tools in the left hand toolbar.

2. Draft your headline & introduction

Now that you have a clear goal for the page, start putting it into words. Create an engaging headline and introduction that helps your readers know they're in the right place. This will set the scene for all the content and imagery on this page.

Add a note to explore ideas for the introduction.

3. Write the body copy

Next, begin adding ideas for the written content that might appear on this page. It doesn't have to be the final copy but it will give everyone a feel for what you're aiming to communicate. Think about the key messages you want to communicate, sub-titles and even SEO keywords you need to include. Don't worry about the structure of it yet—just get it out of your head!

Add a note to explore content ideas.

4. Sketch the rough layout

If you have a picture in your head of head of how the page could be structured, grab a pen and sketch it out. Even if it's just some boxes and arrows, it's a great way to figure out which messages are more important than others. A simple sketch is also a useful reference for the developers who will need to build the website.

Click the Pen tool and sketch a rough page layout.

5. Add images and video

Next, think about the images that would suit this page. Again, these don't have to be the final images, but they'll help bring it to life. You can use images from the web or open Milanote's built-in image library to quickly find inspiring examples.

Choose example images from the image library.

Use the built-in image library

Search over 3 million beautiful, free photos then drag images straight onto your board. Powered by Pexels.

Embed video from Youtube.

Embed Youtube videos or audio tracks in a board

Copy the share link from Youtube, Vimeo, Soundcloud or many other services. Drag a link card onto your board, paste your link and press enter.

6. Add examples of animation

Animation is a great way to communicate how users could interact with your website. For example, if you're planning to include an image gallery that cycles from left to right, it's much easier to show it in action rather than trying to explain it in text. Grab some animated GIFs from Giphy or a video from YouTube or to help explain how the interactions could behave.

Upload animated gifs.

Upload a file or document

Click the "Upload" button or just drag a file onto your board. You can add images, logos, documents, videos, audio and much more.

7. Collaborate and build on your ideas

Whether you're working on a client project or collaborating with a team it can be helpful to bounce ideas off other people. As writer Louisa May Alcott said, "It takes two flints to make a fire."

A collaborative content plan is especially helpful for this step as you can easily connect and work together online. Bringing everyone onto the same page (figuratively and literally!) in real-time allows you to collaborate on copy, images and layout allowing you to create a coherent and engaging website.

Invite someone else to edit to your board.

Invite editors to your board

Open the "Share" menu from the title bar of your board. Add email addresses of the people you'd like to collaborate with—they'll receive an invitation via email.

Start a comment thread.

Start a comment thread

Drag out a comment from the toolbar on the left and place it on your board. Other editors can reply to your comment.

8. Repeat this process for each page

When you're happy with the content for your first page, take a step back and look at the overall structure of your website by making a Sitemap. This lets you organize the content for your entire website in one place. You can learn more about this process in our guide How to create a Sitemap .

Use the Sitemap template to structure the pages of your website.

And you're done!

Now that website content plan is complete, everyone on your team has a clear vision for how your website will fit together. And remember, you can continue to refine your content plan over time as your website grows. If you're starting a new website design project right now, use the free template below or read our full guide on How to plan a website design project .

Plan your website

Plan your content, imagery and website structure in one place.

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How to Create a Content Plan (Step-by-Step Guide + Examples)

Content marketing got you feeling like this?

I don’t blame you. If you care about the quality and efficacy of your content, there’s a lot to consider. 

But a content plan will simplify the process. It’ll help you figure out the who, what, when, where, why and how before you dive in (and help you stay in charge of it all when you do).

Here’s everything you need to know about content planning so that you can create quality content at scale and with ease:

What Is a Content Plan?

Why you need a content plan, how to create a content plan, content plan examples and templates, top tips for creating a content plan.

A content plan is where you map out and organize all of the tasks related to content creation and promotion. It should include content assets and/or campaigns along with deadlines or key dates.

If you’re in charge of a team, you’ll assign ownership of tasks or entire projects. You may also allocate resources and budget in your content plan. 

The best content plans contain defined processes and workflows for content creation/promotion. For example, you might outline the finer details of each activity and include templates or briefs. 

You may be wondering about the difference between a content plan and a content strategy. Well, your content strategy is a bit like your content marketing manual and your content plan comprises a significant chapter of that manual.

A documented content strategy contains your goals, research and analysis, the overarching methods you’ll use to achieve your goals, as well as your content plan. You’ll need to refer to the other elements, i.e. the research and so on, to put together your content plan.

Some don’t bother with a content plan because it seems like a lot of unnecessary, hard work. Others are like hummingbirds, flitting around, eager to just get started on content creation.

But, trust me, having a content plan will pay off. Here’s why:

1. Scale and Speed

You might feel like you’d need a time-freezing device to be able to scale content production. There’s a demand for quality content (and rightly so). Thus, it takes a long time to create a good infographic, email newsletter, blog post etc. 

For instance, we now spend 63% more time creating a blog post than six years ago.

Yet, the defined, repeatable processes within your content plan mean you can create more content within a given time period. And the automation features of many content planning tools save even more time.

2. Manage Content Easily

Create a lot of content? Manage a content team or group of freelancers? A content plan will help you allocate your time accordingly and/or delegate tasks to others easily, all while staying on top of everything. 

Four out of five of the most successful content marketers use an editorial calendar. So, there’s a lot to be said about being super organized in your approach.

3. Create Better Content

54% of marketers think their organization’s level of content marketing success is mediocre. 

We need to do better.

A content plan forces you to think carefully about each content asset or content marketing activity – how it’ll help your audience, how it fits in with your wider goals, how you can get the most from it and so on. This makes it almost impossible not to create better content.

Speedier production, easier management and better quality content – aren’t these three things what all content creators and marketers want at the end of the day? 

Here’s how to put your content plan together:

1. Choose Your Weapon

The very first step is figuring out the best way to document your content plan. Here are the main options:

• Regular Documents  

You might want to put all or some elements of your content plan, e.g. templates, in regular doc format. However, this is not the clearest nor most collaborative route.

• Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets work well for content management. You can keep all of the information you and/or your colleagues need well-organized.

• A Project Management Tool

Project management tools, such as Trello or Asana make collaboration and content management super easy.

• A Content Management Tool

There are some fantastic tools geared specifically towards content management and organization, such as CoSchedule and Contently . 

2. Weigh Your Content Strategies

What are your most important goals? 

You’ll create content assets or use content marketing tactics that’ll help you achieve every one of your goals, but you must give more weight to what’s most important. 

If it’s not immediately clear, you might want to use a scoring system e.g. rate how well an asset aligns with your goals or what kind of ROI it will produce.

To complicate things, *sigh*, you also have to keep best practices in mind. For example, you might only need to blog twice a month but tweet daily to get the kind of impact you hope to achieve.

3. Include the 5 Ws and 1H

Now we’re getting onto the good stuff… The actual contents of your content strategy. However you choose to document your plan, here’s what it should include:

You’ll need to assign tasks and responsibilities to the right members of your team (unless you’re a superstar that’s doing it all yourself). Make sure each person knows every step of content creation or promotion that they’re in charge of.

Add your content assets, campaigns and/or projects to your content plan. Include the types of content you’ll create e.g. infographic, blog post, video etc, as well as the topic, headline and any other information you think is relevant, such as calls to action.

Set realistic and achievable deadlines for your content projects. You may also wish to set deadlines for individual tasks, i.e. each step of creation and promotion.

Add the channels you’ll use to publish and promote content. Also, note when and where you’ll be able to repurpose content on other channels.

Outline the purpose of each content asset. Who are you targeting and why? What action would you like them to take?

It’s a good idea to include content templates, style guides and/or briefs to guide content creation. You may also wish to create workflows or checklists for content creation and promotion. These are examples of the kind of repeatable processes that’ll help you speed up your content marketing efforts.

Now you know what a content plan should include. But, what will it look like?

Here are some fantastic examples and templates you can use to create your own content plan:

Content Planning Spreadsheet

This example from Smartsheet covers most of the bases:

As you can see the content is split into categories in the first column according to format. The next columns establish the topic, ownership, important dates, the status of the piece and more. As you move across, there are also columns with metrics for measuring content performance.

This would be a great general overview to share with your team. Use Smartsheet’s content planning template or create your own custom version on Excel or Google Sheets.

Content Plan for Social Media

If you create a lot of native social media content or social media content takes up the lion’s share of your strategy, you may want to create a content plan that’s purely for social media.

Here’s an example from Content Marketing Institute:

For each social media channel, it covers goals, topics, a posting schedule, ownership, a mini style guide, calls to action and more. In other words, it covers the 5Ws and 1H pretty darn well.

You can use CMI’s social media plan template or create something similar for you and your team. 

Editorial Calendar Examples

Some of my clients like to use Trello to manage content projects and it works really well in my experience. Here’s an example of a blog editorial calendar on Trello :

Each block contains a piece of content, which you can move through the various stages of completion from “Writing” to “Ready to Upload”. This is a simple way to organize content and monitor progress.

Within each block, you can label the type of content, set a deadline, add custom fields e.g. the focus keyword and add a description. In the description field, you might want to outline the goals of the piece, the target audience etc. 

You can also add any attachments that the content creator might need, e.g. templates, outlines, guides, or resources.

And finally, you can place a checklist that acts as a workflow for content creation.

If you decide to use Trello to plan content, you could create more boards for the other types of content you create, e.g. video, podcasts etc.

I, personally, like to use Asana to manage my blog and other content projects. If you want to get started quickly, the tool has ready-made content and editorial calendar templates .

The big selling-point of Asana for me is the different view formats. You can use a calendar format for an overview of all your projects:

( Image Source )

You can move each individual piece of content through a kanban board as you’re working on it:

And there are more views you can use such as a simple list format or timeline for project milestones.

Similar to Trello, there’s lots you can do within each individual task block. Assign a task, set a due date, add a description, create sub-tasks and so on:

As an added bonus, a little rainbow unicorn sometimes flashes across the screen when you complete a task. *eek*

In my humble opinion, tools like these make content planning much easier. You (and your team) have all of the information you need set out clearly in one place. Plus, you can easily tweak your content plan as you go along.

Now you should have a good grasp of the practical side of creating a content plan. Here’s some further advice that’ll help you create the most useful and effective content plan possible:

1. Make Good Use of Your Research

There are some steps that come before creating a content plan. As part of creating your content strategy, hopefully, you’ve already carried out a content audit, audience research, goal-setting and so on.

As mentioned above, you really need to refer to this research and analysis when creating your content plan. It’ll not only make content planning easier but also more effective. 

MavSocial’s Kieran Driver told me:

“My number one tip for creating a content plan would be to understand who your audience is. The better picture you have of your audience, the more you will be able to plan, create, and publish content that they will be able to relate with and enjoy. Only then will you be able to effectively meet your audience’s expectations, have them come back for more and get them to remain engaged with your business.” Kieran Driver, Digital Marketing Associate, MavSocial

2. Come up With Ideas for High-Performing Content

The ideation stage or the “what” is one of the most important and time-consuming aspects of creating a content plan. But, you can use your research and analysis to come up with the content ideas that are most likely to perform well.

CoSchedule’s Ben Sailer shared his formula for generating first-rate content ideas with me:

“Put your customer’s needs first. Prioritize content that fits at the intersection of 1) the primary functions of your product or service and 2) your customer’s most pressing pain points.  If you can align those topics with solid keyword research, then so much the better (common problems often have high search volume and high difficulty, but don’t let that scare you away — just focus on providing the best content you can that meets those needs).  Uncovering these topics may be more complex than it seems on the surface, and they may change over time as your product evolves or your target market changes, but this is where everything should start at the most basic level. Not exactly a groundbreaking tip, but it’s imperative to get good at the fundamentals so you can build your content strategy on a strong foundation.” Ben Sailer, Inbound Marketing Director, CoSchedule

3. Make Sure Everybody Is on the Same Page

When you run a business or head up a content marketing department, you need to make sure your content plan is aligned with wider business goals and the activities of other departments. Not only that, it’s a good idea to make sure those departments or colleagues have a solid understanding of what you’re doing and why.

G2’s Lauren Pope explains:

“You must create content with intention. A lot of companies have a blog or they’ll do a periodic webinar, but they aren’t leveraging content marketing to the fullest extent. You need to know who your audience is and what action you’re trying to get them to take before the pen ever hits paper. This doesn’t mean you need to waste months crafting a meticulous content calendar. You just need a North Star for the goal of each piece before you begin. All of the content I create needs to fit into one of these buckets:  – Content that drives traffic (80%) – This is your long-form SEO content designed to rank for organic search. This content is perfect for reaching people who have a problem your product fixes, they just might not know it yet. – Content that drives opinions (10%) – These are your podcasts, career profiles, video series, and thought-leader hot takes designed to get people talking. This is the stuff that gets shared across social media. – Content that drives leads (10%) – This is the stuff your sales team wants. Why such a small percent? These are comprehensive guides where quality beats quantity. You don’t need a ton of these resources to do it right.  If someone asks me to create something that falls outside these existing buckets, I can sit down with them and figure out why. A lot of times we have existing content types for other teams’ needs, they just don’t know it. Internal education about our content strategy is just as important as the content we create for our readers. Taking the time to ensure our sales team knows what is available to them, how we can partner with them, and most importantly how content marketing can aid in winning deals totally changes the game.” Lauren Pope, Content Marketing Manager, G2

4. Be Flexible

Things happen that may mean you need to alter your content plan. To give you a totally random example off the top of my head, say a global pandemic occurred…

In all seriousness, there needs to be flexibility within your content plan for many reasons. Firstly, to account for trending topics. Also, you’ll need to measure content performance and tweak your content plan accordingly.

Jordan Teicher at Contently suggests organizing content around larger themes and leaving a decent amount of wiggle room for whatever comes up:

“My number one tip is to think in terms of content series and bigger projects. When you’re developing a new content plan, there’s a tendency to try to predict every single story you’re going to create over the next 12 months. That sounds good in theory, but it winds up boxing you in. A better approach would be to map out some major themes and then schedule a series of e-books, webinars, and videos around them. For example, when Contently’s marketing team met at the beginning of the year, we decided to organize our content based on our key industries. So in the first quarter, we’d focus on finance. In the second quarter, healthcare. Third quarter, B2B tech, and so on. For each quarter, I knew we’d need an industry report and an accompanying webinar. Those two big content series gave us major releases spread out during the year. They also gave us the freedom to explore relevant topics for one-off blog posts, videos, etc. that fit under those themes. This approach gives you good structure but still provides enough flexibility for new ideas that are timely.” Jordan Teicher, Director of Content, Contently

It’s tempting to dive right in and just start creating content. But, if you’ve got higher goals for your content then you need to use your brain and have some form of plan in place.

Set your intentions like a yogi and start putting together your content plan.

Bonus Material: Content Marketing Strategy Checklist

From goal-setting to research to content planning, make sure you cover every step of creating your content marketing manual:

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2 thoughts on “ How to Create a Content Plan (Step-by-Step Guide + Examples) ”

• 2 comments

Thanks for the great tips! I love how simple you make it. It’s not rocket science, but it does require an investment of time and a lot of marketers are intimidated just because they don’t know where to start.

Very true! I hope marketers will be able to use this post to make a strong start. Thanks for your comment, Alison.

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10 Steps to Create a Website Strategy

Creating a website strategy can be tricky, but these steps make it easy. Learn how to develop a successful site strategy plan.

You might think building a website is as simple as choosing the right colors, fonts, and layout, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Designing and creating a website means making a plan and putting it into place–which is why your website strategy is so important. You can make a website without creating a website strategy, but a site strategy can help you increase website traffic and reach the goals you’ve set for your website.

Creating a website strategy might seem easy enough, but it’s all about the amount of effort you put in. The more time you take to detail and create a comprehensive website strategy, the easier it’s going to be to build and launch your website . Creating your website strategy involves defining your target audience, setting goals, creating a branding strategy, and using keyword research and search engine optimization (SEO) to optimize your content while you build your website.

If you’re planning on starting a website for your small business, you have a lot to learn. In this guide, we’ll talk about what a website strategy is and how you can develop your own website strategy in 10 steps.

What is a website strategy?

A website strategy is essentially a long-term business plan that’s built around your website. Your website strategy goes beyond the design you choose for your website—it helps inform the content you create, your marketing efforts, and more.

Typically, a website strategy includes several parts, including your website design, branding strategy, keyword research and implementation, and analytics. All of these individual parts work together to help you design and develop an effective website, making it easier to optimize your website in a way that’s aligned with your goals. Your website strategy can also help with the basics of branding , including your brand’s personality, appearance, and purpose.

Every website should start with a web strategy, especially if you’re building a website for your business. The more time you spend creating a website strategy, the better your website will be.

How to develop your website strategy in 10 steps

With a little time and effort, you can create a website strategy to help you build the best website for your brand. A content strategy guide can even help you understand how to use content to optimize your website. In the meantime, here’s how you can start creating a website strategy.

1. Set your goals

No good plan is complete without goals, so take some time to set a handful of goals for your website. Perhaps you want to sell more products or services, or maybe you want to increase the sales of a particular product. You might also set a goal to get a specific number of unique visitors each month or to convert a certain percentage of visitors to leads. The goals you set will determine what you’re working toward with your site strategy, so setting clear goals is important.

2. Find a story to tell

Every brand has a story to tell, so find your story and figure out how you want to tell it. If you want to tell a story for branding purposes, find a good, honest narrative and make sure you keep it simple.

3. Take an inventory of your content

Before you launch your website, figure out what kind of content you have to offer. You’ve probably got a basic story about your brand, but do you have any videos, testimonies, or blog posts that you’re ready to share? Content is essential if you want to drive more traffic to your website and convert website visitors into customers . If you’re using content that was written or created previously but not published, you can always add some relevant keywords to help increase your search engine rankings.

4. Identify your target audience

One thing you need to do is decide on the right target audience for your website. Every business targets a different specific demographic, so it’s smart to figure out who uses your products or services. The easiest way to do this is to look at any existing data you may have about your customers, including their age, location, and other information that allows you to segment your target audience.

If you don’t have any existing data to pull from, you can send a survey to your customers to determine your target audience. Keep in mind that you might need to offer an incentive to collect enough data to understand your target demographic.

5. Plan your website

Once you’ve figured out the basics, take some time to plan out your website. There are a lot of decisions to make when you’re building a website, including choosing between a static and dynamic website, deciding on a responsive or adaptive design, and deciding on a budget for your project.

During this planning process, you can also work with a web designer to start mocking up a rough draft of your website. You don’t have to keep your website design the same from start to finish, but having a plan to build off can be a big help. This also gives you a chance to tailor a website strategy around your website, your customers, and your needs.

6. Build your website

The next step to creating a website strategy is to actually build your website. You can’t monitor performance or add new content until you launch your website, so connect with a web developer or use a website builder to get started. Mailchimp’s website builder can help you create a website from a template even if you have no coding experience.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to buy a domain name as well as web hosting to get your website online.

7. Research keywords

Before you start planning or writing any content, use keyword research tools to figure out what relevant keywords you want your business to rank for. By using certain keywords in high-quality content, you can increase your search engine rankings when people search for that keyword. These keywords may change from time to time, so it’s smart to check out keyword rankings on a somewhat regular basis.

8. Plan and write content

Now that you know what keywords you want to use in your website, you can start planning and writing content. When you’re planning out content for your website, aim to use your keyword about once or twice per 100 words. If you create a website strategy that involves using keywords more than that, you may end up being penalized for keyword stuffing.

If you want to keep things fresh, mix it up with different types of content for your readers. Short Form blogs can be a good way to share basic information, but long-form posts allow you to take an in-depth look at topics, which can provide more value to readers.

9. Analyze your results over time

Your website probably isn’t going to do very well if you’re not using analytics in some way. You don’t have to be a completely data-driven company, but you do need to monitor things like monthly website visitors, monthly unique visitors, bounce rate, where visitors are coming from, and more. Understanding how your website is performing is essential, even when your site has been live for a few years. Fortunately, Mailchimp makes it easy to measure the success of your website and marketing campaign with analytics tools.

10. Adjust accordingly

At the end of the day, you’re probably not going to create a perfect website strategy the first time around. The good news is that you can make small adjustments to your website based on analytics and what you learn from operating your website. Perhaps you want to shift your website to focus more on the blog, or maybe you want to create more of an e-commerce website. You may even need to switch up your keywords to rank for something more relevant. Whatever the case may be, there’s no shame in going back and making changes to your website strategy.

Put your web strategy into action

Now that you know how to create a website strategy, it’s time to put your strategy into action. Make sure you take the time to set clear and relevant goals, so you can track your progress while you execute your website strategy.

With Mailchimp, building a quality website is easy. Mailchimp offers templates that can help you build a great website with little experience, or you can create your own custom website. We even offer email marketing tools to help you reach a larger audience.

Related Topics

• Landing Pages
• Build a Website
• Buy a Domain
• Drive Website Traffic
• Analyze Website Performance
• Optimize for Mobile

Website Design Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their website design businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a website design business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Website Design Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your website design business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Website Design Agency

If you’re looking to start a website design business, or grow your existing website design business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your website design business in order to improve your chances of success. Your website design business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Website Design Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a website design business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the lender will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

Personal savings is the most common form of funding for a website design business. Venture capitalists will usually not fund a website design business. They might consider funding a website design business with a national presence, but never an individual location. This is because most venture capitalists are looking for millions of dollars in return when they make an investment, and an individual location could never achieve such results.  With that said, personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for website design businesses.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

If you want to start a website design business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are links to each section of your website design business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of website design business you are operating and its status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a website design business that you would like to grow, or are you operating website design businesses in multiple markets?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the website design industry. Discuss the type of website design business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of website design business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of website design businesses:

• WordPress website design : this type of business builds websites with WordPress, due to its capabilities, plugin options, and templates.
• Custom website design: this type of business involves developing both the front end and backend of a website using coding, programming, databases, forms, etc. without a content management platform.
• Other platform website design: this type of business uses a variety of other platforms to develop specific types of site, such as e-commerce. Platforms like Shopify or Squarespace make specific site development relatively easy.

In addition to explaining the type of website design business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of websites launched, the types of sites developed, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the website design industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the website design industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your website design business plan:

• How big is the website design industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your website design business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your website design business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: large corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, government entities, and individuals.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of website design business you operate. Clearly, large corporations would respond to different marketing promotions than nonprofits, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most website design businesses primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.  

Finish Your Web Design Business Plan in 1 Day!

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your business plan?

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other website design businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes individuals who prefer to use template-based platforms to build their website on their own, or from dedicated in-house design teams.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other website design businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be website design businesses located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• Do they specialize in specific site types (i.e. content sites, e-commerce sites, etc.)?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide either a wider range or more specialized range of services?
• Will you offer features such as social media integration?
• Will you provide superior customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a website design business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of website design company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to WordPress site development, will your website design business provide custom design options?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your website design company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, will you operate from a physical office, or will you primarily interact with clients online and/or at their home or place of business? In this section, discuss how your location will affect demand for your services.

Promotions : The final part of your website design marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local websites
• Signs and billboards
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your website design business, including marketing, providing consultations, programming, troubleshooting, keeping abreast of new technology, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to launch your 100th e-commerce site, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to open a website design business in a new location.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your website design business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing website design businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in programming, or successfully running small businesses.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you complete/launch one website per week, or will you have teams working on multiple projects at once? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your website design business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a website design business:

• Office build-out
• Cost of buying or leasing a company vehicle
• Cost of office supplies such as computers and software
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office lease, or an overview of the services you offer.  

Putting together a business plan for your website design business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the website design industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful website design business.  

Web Design Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my website design business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Website Design Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of website design business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a website design business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of website design businesses?

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Web Design business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how a Growthink business plan writer can create your business plan for you.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Content Planning for Social Media in 8 Steps [2024 Guide]

Content planning is more than scheduling. Run your accounts like a well-oiled machine with a strategic social media content plan.

Table of Contents

Ahoy, social media sailors. To navigate the choppy seas of social media, you need to do some solid content planning before you set sail.

The most seasoned social sailors know that you must carefully chart your course before stepping on the ship. Without a content plan, you’re blindly casting yourself into an ocean of content, with competitor sharks nipping at your bow.

If you want the tides to turn in your favor, you need to map out your content plan. Follow the eight steps outlined below, and you’ll make it through your journey safe and sound.

OwlyWriter AI instantly generates captions and content ideas for every social media network. It’s seriously easy.

What is social media content planning?

In social media, content planning is the process of strategizing and scheduling content.

Content planning involves deciding what to post and when to post it. Social media content planning helps you to achieve goals like increased visibility, engagement, or brand awareness.

Well-planned social media content is:

• Created in batches to optimize efficiency.
• Part of a cross-platform campaign and repurposed across all your channels for maximum impact.
• Connected to one or more marketing goals.
• Balanced between your own original content and curated content .

Why content planning is important

We’ve answered, “What is a content plan?” Now we’ll answer, “Why have a content plan?” Lucky you—it’s because we care about the Future You. A little bit of planning upfront will make your life easier in the long run, we promise.

Here are a few benefits you can expect from creating your own content plan.

Social media content planning keeps you organized

Batching your content is way more efficient than trying to come up with a post on the fly every day or for a specific campaign. Batching means you’re taking the time to specifically write a bunch of social media content at once.

Besides being a more efficient way to write content, you’ll get more out of it. As you write each piece of content, extract pieces of it to repurpose. One post can quickly become five or more without much extra time.

For example:

• Write an Instagram Reels script.
• Create a text caption from that script to use on text-based platforms like X (Twitter).
• Create an image or infographic from the Reel content to use as an alternative way to communicate the information.
• And, of course, the most basic: Make a note to save your completed Reel video in different sizes to use on other platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook Pages, TikTok, and more. Check the current recommended post sizes for each platform before saving.
• There are many more options, including writing an article about the topic, to a series of short posts of the key takeaways, and everything in between.

Content planning saves time and gets you the most mileage out of your work. Create a content calendar (like the one below) to keep yourself on track and on time.

Source: Hootsuite’s FREE Content Calendar Template

A social content plan helps you avoid last-minute pressure (and writer’s block)

The best thing about a content plan is that it forces you to plan ahead. You’ll be prepared for any holidays relevant to your industry or audience (hello, posts for National Puppy Day ).

View this post on Instagram A post shared by DANIEL HENSON (@danielghenson)

More than the expected holiday observances, content planning ensures you do your best work. Planning ahead allows space for creative thinking and collaboration and avoids burnout. All are important for creating a positive workplace culture where employees become brand advocates .

Plus, when you’re prepared for the month ahead, you have more time to create posts on the fly for trending topics as they come up in the news cycle.

A content plan connects your social media activity to marketing goals

Planning social media content keeps your eyes on the prize. You’ve got a formal marketing strategy and, hopefully, a content strategy, too. (No? We’ve got a free social media strategy template for ya).

Source: Hootsuite’s FREE Social Media Strategy Template

Your content planning process is what connects those big-picture documents to the day-to-day marketing work your team does.

Despite what your content creator may tell you, individual social media posts aren’t that important on their own. But all of your posts, working toward the same goal together, will determine whether your social media strategy will sink or swim, fail or fly, crash out or cash in. You get it.

How to plan content for social media in 8 steps

We’ve covered the what and the why of social content planning. Welcome to the how to make a content plan.

The following will guide you through how to plan content for social media in 8 easy steps.

Step 1: Plan themes for your content

The first step in content planning is knowing what you’re going to be posting about.

How many topics you have and what they are depends on your unique business, but as an example, Hootsuite posts about:

• Social media marketing tips and industry trends
• Social network updates and best practices
• Marketing research and statistics, like the free Social Trends 2024 report
• Social media marketing experiments , especially on our Hootsuite Labs YouTube channel
• Product updates and features
• Company news
• Product education (tutorials, tips)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite)

These topics will be your content creation roadmap. If a post isn’t about one of the things on your list, you don’t post it. (Or, if it’s merited, you rethink your marketing strategy and add a new category for it.)

Step 2: Brainstorm campaign and post ideas

With your topic list in front of you, free-write a bunch of post ideas. Don’t think about whether they’re good or bad; set a timer for 15 minutes and jot down as many as you can.

Once you have a list of ideas, pare them down to meet the following criteria:

• It’s about one of the topics on your list.
• It’s connected to your marketing goals.

Need help with the above? We know it’s not that simple to just “think of ideas,” even for those of us who smash keyboards for a living. How you brainstorm is up to you, but here are a few ways I get inspired:

• Scope out your competition . What are they posting? Can you put your own spin on those ideas?
• Review the past . What campaigns have been most successful for you before? What elements of those campaigns were most effective? How can you replicate that for your new goal or campaign?
• Use AI to generate a list of ideas you can build on.
• Look around . What’s going on in the world right now? Anything related to your industry or audience interests?
• Steal some of these pre-thought-up social media post ideas !

Source: ChatGPT

To know what’s worked before, you need top-notch analytics reports . Hootsuite Analytics gives you a full 360-degree view of your performance across all networks. Custom reports will show you what you need to do more of and what you can leave out of your content plan.

Step 3: Decide when you will post

We’ve got our why and what. Now we need the when. This leads us to the daily best time to post on your social media platforms.

You’re also going to want to keep an eye on your overall posting frequency .

You’ll need to experiment with how often you’re posting every week and how many posts per day.

Hootsuite’s Best Time to Publish feature analyzes your unique audience engagement patterns to determine the best times to post across all your accounts.

It also recommends different times for different goals. For example, when to post awareness or brand-building content and when to push hard for sales.

Source: Hootsuite

Need to get your social marketing started quickly and hit the ground running? Add your posts, either individually or via bulk upload, hit AutoSchedule , and Hootsuite does the rest. Boom—your social media for the month done in under five minutes.

Of course, AutoSchedule is great for those pressed for time, but you should still experiment with different numbers of posts per week and times of day to find what works best for your target audience.

You can customize AutoSchedule to only post during set times or days of the week. Once you decide how often and when to post, either with Hootsuite Analytics or other tools, modify your AutoSchedule settings and now you have effortless social media post scheduling. Nice.

Only want to post once a day at a specific time? No problem.

Step 4: Decide on your content mix

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel daily. A successful social media and content marketing plan contains a mix of original and curated content . But what should you curate? Where from? How often?

Great curated content is:

• Relevant to your audience.
• Related to one of your content themes (from Step 1).
• Connected to a business goal.

How each piece and type of content fits in with your other social media content is more important than how much of it you share, but a standard content mix is 40% original and 60% curated .

With tools like Talkwalker, you can easily add content from around the web to build a library of quality content to share later. Try some of our robust social listening tools.

Source: Talkwalker

Psst : Hootsuite is set to acquire Talkwalker VERY SOON . This means that you will get access to Talkwalker social listening and analytics directly in your Hootsuite dashboard!

Step 5: Assign responsibilities

Setting clear expectations around who’s doing what is essential for content planning (and, so I hear, life). Social marketing teams with writers, designers, customer support peeps, and so on need a clear delineation of responsibilities.

A social media workflow will define who does what and how the content process will move from content planning to creation to publication. A well-done social media approval workflow will have your content planning process zipping along like a well-oiled machine.

Bonus : Within Hootsuite’s Business and Enterprise plans, you can assign permissions to different accounts. This way, only those who are responsible for publishing can actually publish a post, and so on. This avoids confusion and mistakes when it comes to content publication.

Everything you need to make engaging content. AI support for captions, an AI hashtag generator, and access to Canva in Hootsuite.

Step 6: Write post captions

Whenever possible, it’s best to write your social media post content before the campaign goes off to the design team (the next step).

This has a few key benefits:

• It gives context to the designer so they can work efficiently.
• They will have a better understanding of the entire campaign’s structure and goals.
• While writing the posts, you may think of more ideas to add to the campaign to fill gaps.
• It saves time by allowing copyediting and approvals to happen simultaneously with design, so you can publish it sooner.

Hootsuite comes with OwlyWriter AI, a built-in creative AI tool that saves social media pros hours of work. You can use OwlyWriter to:

• Write a new social media caption in a specific tone, based on a prompt
• Write a post based on a link (e.g. a blog post or a product page)
• Generate post ideas based on a keyword or topic (and then write posts expanding on the idea you like best)
• Identify and repurpose your top-performing posts
• Create relevant captions for upcoming holidays

To get started with OwlyWriter, sign in to your Hootsuite account and head to the Inspiration section of the dashboard. Then, pick the type of AI magic you want to see in action.

For example, if you’re not sure what to post, click on Get inspired . Then, type in the general, high-level topic you want to address and click Get ideas .

OwlyWriter will generate a list of post ideas related to the topic: 

Click on the one you like best to move to the next step — captions and hashtags.

Pick the caption you like and click Create post . The caption will open in Hootsuite Composer, where you can make edits, add media files and links, check the copy against your compliance guidelines — and schedule your post to go live later.

And that’s it! OwlyWriter never runs out of ideas, so you can repeat this process until your social media calendar is full — and sit back to watch your engagement grow.

Step 7: Create (or source) design assets

This is often where content plans get bottlenecked. You can think up all these amazing campaigns, but without the creative assets that get them noticed, like graphics and videos, you can be stuck in your drafts forever.

This is why a social media workflow is important. Having a dedicated person and a specific timeline for each part of the content planning process keeps things moving along.

With Hootsuite Planner , you can collaborate with other team members on specific campaigns, view the overall calendar, and map out your content to identify opportunities and gaps to fill. Plus, approvals are a snap with the built-in approval process, so the only content that gets posted is the content that should be.

Source: Hootsuite Planner

Here’s how everyone can work together inside Hootsuite to bring a campaign from idea to finished:

Step 8: Schedule content in advance

Last but very not least, scheduling. Scheduling your content ahead of time is important for basic efficiency. Plus, it will help bring your social media marketing strategy to life.

Hootsuite, we’re not too humble to admit, can help save you tons of time with publication; you can schedule content to all of your favorite platforms in advance from the same dashboard. Plus, you’ll get:

• Easy team collaboration,
• detailed analytics,
• ads management,
• social listening, and more—all in one convenient place.

You can create single posts in Composer or dial up your efficiency to 11 with the much-loved bulk upload tool, where you and 350 of your best posts can be scheduled in under 2 minutes flat.

Bonus: Download our free, customizable social media calendar template to easily plan and schedule all your content in advance.

7 free content planning resources

This content calendar template.

This free content calendar skeleton will show you how to organize and schedule your content in advance. Just fill it out with your content plan and let the organizational endorphins roll in.

This campaign template

Use this free campaign template as a structured framework to plan your campaign. Answer each of the sections to create a strategy for your next social campaign.

An engagement rate calculator

Running the numbers is never super fun. Luckily, this free engagement rate calculator makes it easy to measure the effectiveness of your content or social media efforts. You’ll be able to quantify how well your audience interacts with your posts. In turn, these insights can help you to optimize your social strategy.

This ROI guide

Knowing what your return on investment (ROI) is can help you convince your superiors that your social plan is working! This free ROI guide can help you reallocate your social budget in a smart way.

The best free social media audit template

A full-scale social media audit is great for onboarding new clients or getting a lay of the land with existing social media accounts. This free audit template is a systematic checklist for evaluating your current social strategy.

Your cheat sheet for image sizes

This free image size guide is a quick reference guide for the optimal image dimensions across different social platforms. It’ll help your content look polished and professional.

The only social strategy guide you’ll ever need

Want comprehensive insights and best practices for developing effective marketing strategies? Then this guide’s for you. Take these nine steps to achieve long-term success in your marketing efforts.

Hootsuite is your content planning partner in success with robust scheduling, collaboration, analytics, and smart insights like the Best Time to Publish feature to make your job easier. Sign up for free today.

Save time and grow faster with OwlyWriter AI, the tool that instantly generates social media captions and content ideas .

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

As an ex-agency strategist turned freelance WFH fashion icon, Michelle is passionate about putting the sass in SaaS content. She's known for quickly understanding and distilling complicated technical topics into conversational copy that gets results. She has written for Fortune 500 companies and startups, and her clients have earned features in Forbes, Strategy Magazine and Entrepreneur.

Colleen Christison is a freelance copywriter, copy editor, and brand communications specialist. She spent the first six years of her career in award-winning agencies like Major Tom, writing for social media and websites and developing branding campaigns. Following her agency career, Colleen built her own writing practice, working with brands like Mission Hill Winery, The Prevail Project, and AntiSocial Media.

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Don't bother with copy and paste.

Get this complete sample business plan as a free text document.

Content Creator Business Plan

Start your own content creator business plan

Content Catalyst

Value proposition.

Content Catalyst is a content creation service specializing in producing high-quality, engaging, and targeted content for businesses looking to outsource their marketing efforts. As an experienced content creator and influencer, we provide personalized content strategies and creations tailored to a company’s brand, audience, and marketing goals.

The Problem

Many businesses struggle to consistently produce high-quality content that resonates with their target audience, lacking the time, resources, or expertise to do so. This leads to missed opportunities for customer engagement, brand awareness, and revenue growth.

Content Catalyst provides personalized content marketing solutions, including custom content creation, influencer campaigns, strategy consultation, and performance tracking—tailored to clients’ needs and goals.

Target Market

Our target market includes small to medium-sized businesses seeking to outsource their content creation and marketing efforts. We aim to serve businesses looking for:

• A personalized approach to content marketing
• Authentic and engaging content
• A knowledgeable partner with a proven track record

Competitors and Differentiation

Key competitors include other content creators, marketing agencies, and freelancers. Content Catalyst differentiates itself by offering a unique combination of content creation, influencer marketing, and strategic consultation. Our personalized approach, backed by our own success as content creators, ensures that we understand the unique needs of our clients and deliver results that resonate with their audience.

Our experience, passion for storytelling, platform expertise, and commitment to genuine connections enable us to craft engaging content that drives results and keeps clients ahead in the content marketing landscape.

Funding Needs

We seek an initial investment of $50,000 to expand our content production capabilities, invest in marketing efforts to attract clients and enhance our analytics tools to better serve clients’ needs.

Sales Channels

Our primary sales channels include our personal website, social media platforms, and referrals from existing clients. We will also engage in outreach campaigns, targeting businesses in our niche with personalized content solutions.

Marketing Activities

To attract clients and showcase our skills, we will:

• Develop a strong online presence, with regular content updates and portfolio showcases.
• Network at industry events and conferences to build connections with potential clients.
• Offer free webinars and workshops to educate businesses on the value of content marketing and the services we provide.
• Utilize targeted advertising campaigns on social media platforms and industry-specific websites.

Financial Projections

Year 1: $120,000

Year 2: $200,000

Year 3: $300,000

Expenses/Costs

Year 1: $60,000 

Year 2: $80,000

Year 3: $100,000

Year 1: $60,000

Year 2: $120,000

Year 3: $200,000

• Secure initial investment and establish business structure.
• Develop a comprehensive marketing plan to attract clients.
• Reach $10,000 in monthly revenue within the first six months.
• Expand client base and develop long-term partnerships with businesses.
• Continuously refine content strategies and offerings based on analytics and feedback.

Key Team and Roles

Content creator and strategist, responsible for crafting engaging content, developing content strategies, and managing client relationships., social media manager, manages and maintains the online presence, engages with the audience, and tracks the performance of content..

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Jump to Content

• Build your content strategy

How to create a content strategy

What you’ll learn

• A content strategy helps organize and streamline content creation and posting
• Defining a personal mission statement helps you scope what content you want to create and who you’re creating it for
• Use a content strategy to unify and plan across different content channels
• A content strategy prevents you from getting lost or distracted
• Look at past successes and failures to shape the direction of your content strategy

What is a content strategy?

A content strategy outlines how you plan, create, and deliver your content. There’s no one size fits all, one creator's content strategy will look completely different from the next. Even the one you build for yourself will change and morph over time as you grow.

Building a content strategy might sound like work about work, but the benefits highly outweigh the costs. A content strategy will help you:

• Organize your content creation process.
• Schedule when and where you post content.
• Scope potential topics and unify your voice.Measure content success.
• Measure content success.

Start building your content strategy

While no two content strategies are the same, there are unifying principles every creator can follow to start building theirs. Keep in mind that this strategy is for you! So, try to build it with tools you like and plan with your strengths and weaknesses in mind.

Define your personal mission statement

Your content strategy is designed to help you as a creator. The first step to creating one is to identify who you are, your brand, and then turning that into a personal mission statement. A personal mission statement might look something like this:

“I am Kimberly, an environmental activist who creates content about the local wildlife to encourage residents in my area to act sustainably.”

Try writing your own by filling in the blanks of our mission statement template:

“I am ___, who creates content about ____, for my audience _____.”

Organize content type and platform

Now that you know who you are, the topics you’ll cover, and the audience you want to reach, it’s time to think about the types of content you can create and what platforms to publish it to. While big key moments and events should be planned weeks or months in advance, a regular cadence may require more flexibility.

Let’s use Kimberly, our environmental activist, as an example. We can begin to brainstorm ideas she’ll make content about. Let’s start with three topics:

• A local frog species was recently classified as endangered
• Attending a sustainability conference
• Weekly volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary

Then, we’ll list the content delivery platforms Kimberly uses and how often she likes to post to them:

• 1 post per month
• 1 live broadcast per week
• 3 to 5 posts per week

Take a moment to identify the primary purpose of each platform you post to. This will help you figure out how much effort and how often you can and should be posting.

Next, we’ll think about the types of content we can create from each topic and what platform we can post it to:

• Blog post: details about the frog, what it means to be classified as endangered, how residents can help
• Instagram: photos of the frog with a caption explaining it’s endangered
• TikTok: videos of frog in the wild
• Blog post: breakdown of learnings after attending
• Instagram: Live updates while attending conference
• TikTok: Videos of sustainability tips and tricks learned from the conference
• Blog post: How to get started volunteering with wildlife
• Instagram: Live broadcast feeding cute baby animals
• TikTok: Videos of animals at sanctuary with fun facts

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it starts to paint a picture of how we can use the same topic across different platforms and the types of assets we’ll need for each kind of content.

Map your content creation and publishing cadence

Now that you’ve identified the types of content and where you’ll post it, you need to create it! When it comes to posting content and keeping your audience engaged, consistency is key. This step of your content strategy is about aligning follower expectations with your content creation process and abilities.

This is the stage where you turn content ideas into actionable steps.

Planning your content on a monthly basis gives you a good amount of foresight into what’s coming, but still gives you the flexibility to adapt as things change or unexpected things pop up. But, how far in advance you plan and schedule your content creation process and publishing cadence will vary depending on your platforms and goals.

A beginner’s approach to mapping your content to a calendar might look something like this:

• Kimberly has her weekly volunteer shift that includes a live broadcast. She immediately adds that to her calendar.
• Kimberly knows how often she creates content for each platform. She adds in tentative publishing dates.
• A local frog species recently classified as endangered is news, and Kimberly could potentially be the first to inform her followers of this update. She schedules time for research and writing her blog to ensure she posts it on time.
• Kimberly’s blog is her creator hub and she wants to drive traffic to it, so she’ll use some of her social media posts to promote her post when it’s published.
• Kimberly also knows when she’s going live each week. She’ll include posting reminders for her followers in her calendar.
• Kimberly likes to let users know what animals she’ll be featuring on her weekly broadcasts by posting a photo or video of them. She makes sure to schedule time to take and edit new ones, since she tries to avoid using assets she’s already posted.
• Kimberly gave priority to her established schedule and ideal posting cadence. Identifying the gaps in her schedule should now be easy and obvious.

Try this approach to map your content for the next month

Publish, measure and adjust

Now that you’ve got a content strategy outlined, all you need to do is follow it! Well, sort of. At this stage, you have a plan, but there’s a lot of moving parts. By tracking and measuring the success of your content you can better tailor the topics and types of posts.

For example, if Kimberly checks her blog analytics and sees a huge spike in traffic to her blog after going live on instagram, she may adjust her content strategy to make room for more live content. She could take it a step further and track if going live on TikTok provides more page hits than Instagram and then schedule around that.

Continue learning

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

How to make a business website, with expert insight

• Amanda Bellucco Chatham
• 11 min read

Get started by: Creating a website →  | Getting a domain →

Every great business idea deserves—and requires—a great business website. And while there was a time when building a website was a complex, time consuming and expensive process, those days are long behind us. Now, website creation is accessible to everyone, no matter how tech savvy (or tech averse) you might be.

With an intuitive, user-friendly website building platform like Wix, anyone can learn how to make a business website complete with fully customizable features, enterprise-grade security and built-in tools for managing and growing your business. All it takes is 10 simple steps; let’s get started.

Build your business website today with Wix.

How to make a business website

Pick a business website template

Choose a web host and domain name

Optimize for SEO

Focus on the user experience

Build relevant pages

Fill your site with rich content

Implement a strong CRM

Include a privacy policy

Promote your site

Track web performance

01. Pick a business website template

Start by taking a look through our top picks for some of the best business websites and best business website examples . This will give you some inspiration ahead of creating your own.

If you’re just starting a business , Wix offers hundreds of professionally designed, fully customizable business website templates based on industry research, from finance to farming and everything in between. (There’s a reason it’s lauded as one of the best website builders for small businesses .)

As you set out to choose a template, thoroughly search the different categories to find the best match for your business goals and persona. Whether it's a tech startup site, a construction company website or anything in between, you should consider the look and feel (modern, simplistic, retro, etc.) that you want your specific business website to express. You should also consider the most important pages and features that would benefit your business. Dafna Rabin, template design team lead with Wix, suggests doing this as step one.

Next, Dafna suggests considering the content you intend to create on your website, and to base the template around that. Do you intend to write a blog? Do you want a large image or video on your homepage? What story is your content telling about your business? These are all decisions that impact which template you choose.

“Think about the flow of the content and the story that you want to tell your users,” Dafna recommends. “What is the first thing they see? What is the second? What is the main call to action (CTA) that you need on your website? What is the most important information that you want your users to see?”

Finally, your template should accurately reflect your brand. “Make sure you fit the website to your brand colors and that your logo is well positioned,” Rabin advises.

Create your site from start to finish with Wix's website builder .

02. Choose a web host and domain name

To get online, you need a web hosting provider for others to discover your website.

If you’re looking for the best website hosting for small businesses , Wix offers free web hosting that’s protected and reliable, with 24/7 security monitoring and integrated SSL certificates to keep customers safe. It also boosts an impressive 99.9% uptime, meaning your site will stay up and running on secure and stable networks.

Next, you’ll need to get a domain name , also known as your website address, and connect it to your hosting provider. Selecting a strong domain name will add credibility to your business site and provide visibility for your brand. Ideally, it should match your business name for consistency. If you’re stuck on the naming front, try Wix’s free Business Name Generator and domain name search tool to see what’s available.

Additionally, you should follow these best practices when picking a domain name:

Make it easy to pronounce and spell : Your domain name should be easily shareable and understandable.

Keep it brief : Shorter names are user-friendly and easier to remember. Typing a lengthy name into the address bar is more susceptible to typos than a short name.

Be unique and consistent : You want to stand out against the crowd. It’s also a good idea to keep your domain name in line with your brand, paving the way for a cohesive online presence.

Avoid numbers and hyphens : These are often too confusing (is it 5 or five?) or difficult to remember. Hyphens, in particular, are easy to misplace when typing.

Need help finding a catchy title for your domain name? Use a domain name generator for inspiration and ideas that will help your business site stand out.

You'll also need to consider what domain extension you want to use:

.xyz domain

.store domain

.info domain

.company domain

.digital domain

Wix user spotlight : New York-based product designer Sohpie Brittain has a simple yet striking website design with the easy-to-remember URL of sophiebritt.com. Choosing a domain name based on your actual name can be an effective and memorable strategy for service-based businesses such as creative work, consulting, coaching, etc.

03. Optimize for SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process ensuring websites can rank well on search engines through organic queries. Why is this so important? Rebecca Tomasis, SEO expert for Wix Blogs, explains: "The higher you rank in search, and the more keywords you rank for—the greater your visibility, traffic and potential for conversions or sales."

Though there is a lot to learn about how to get your business found on Google, you can begin by implementing some of these essential SEO strategies on your site:

Find relevant keywords : You’ll need to do keyword research to better understand what your potential customers search for—the exact phrases or words they use to find specific products, services and solutions. Implementing these keywords naturally on your website, from the page heading and content to the image alt text, will help improve your rank in relevant search results. "Make sure your content is helpful and answers the intent behind the search term as directly and as clearly as possible," advises Rebecca.

Improve your website performance : Website performance impacts your site’s position on search engine results. Your web pages should fully load or display in both desktop and mobile browsers in one to two seconds. Some ways to improve your website performance include uploading correct image sizes, for example, using JPEG files over PNG, and avoiding overloading your web pages with content.

Add a meta description : This is the short summary of your website that appears below your URL in search results or social shares. Having strong, keyword-optimized meta description copy can enhance your website’s click-through rate, boosting your chances of ranking higher in search engine results.

There are a number of robust Wix SEO tools you can use to start optimizing your website right out of the box, including customized structured data markup, a flexible URL redirect manager and integration with Google Search Console and Semrush.

04. Focus on the user experience

An effective website design will influence how your customers perceive you and your brand. Moreover, creating a good user experience can help your visitors feel satisfied with your business and can positively affect your website’s traffic, conversion and bounce rates.

When you're done editing your website, check how it feels live. “You need to check it in the browser; check how it looks and scrolls,” says Dafna. “Check it on mobile (which a lot of times people forget to do). Check it in other screen resolutions and make sure everything is visible, everything is accessible and people can read it.”

Mobile devices account for more than half of web traffic worldwide , so it you’ll definitely want to consider how visitors view this version of your site. Wix’s mobile editor will show you how your site design looks on mobile view so you can optimize your pages accordingly.

Additionally, you’ll want to pay attention to the following:

Navigation menu : Website navigation can make or break a user’s experience. To optimize navigation and satisfy visitors, choose the right menu for your audience and site. For example, the classic menu is placed at the top of every web page (the site’s header). Or the hamburger menu, a widely recognizable yet simple three-line icon, that’s more commonly used on mobile websites.

Calls to action (CTA) : A CTA button is an element with the goal of getting people to take a certain action, such as “contact,” “buy,” “subscribe” or “submit.” An effective CTA depends on the text, color, size, shape and even placement on your site, all of which entice a user to click and move towards making a purchase or filling a contact form.

Social media links : The social media icons or links displayed on your site can affect the user experience. You can add X (formerly Twitter), Facebook or Instagram icons in your copy to help visitors further engage with your business. Place them prominently in headers and footers as reminders to visitors, or integrate live social media feeds. Additionally, you can implement a social bar to your site, linking visitors directly to any of your social channels.

If you need additional features and functionality, Wix Market apps offer hundreds of solutions for third-party integrations for your business. And, if you need different—or more—visual assets, you don’t have to turn farther than your Wix site editor. “We have this huge content library that you can go to and find thousands of assets: images, videos, stickers, icons, everything you need for many different types of businesses and industries,” Dafna notes. And, all assets are available in resolutions that work across multiple screens.

Wix user spotlight : Serving people throughout North and South Carolina, The Law Office of David McWilliam specializes in family law, estate planning and mediation. The firm’s website features a clean, user-friendly design with clear navigation and call-to-action buttons that are easy to read and find.

05. Build relevant pages

In learning how to create a website , you’ll discover that having multiple pages is a must for your business. This allows you to cover a broad range of content, products or services and nearly every nut and bolt of your venture.

Consider these essential pages when deciding what to include on a business website:

Homepage : Often compared to being the storefront of your business, an attractive homepage will hook your potential customers if it’s inviting and easy to navigate. Ensure this by using eye-catching images or videos, as well as readable fonts. Also place strategic calls to action throughout your site to guide visitors to take further steps.

About : Prospective clients want to know who you are and what distinguishes you from competitors. An “About Us” page effectively communicates this vital information, as well as your business’s story, goals, values and mission statement. If you have a particularly small business, you can also consider adding a professional bio to this page. Not sure where to begin? Wix's AI text generator can create an "About" page for you in seconds. Our guide to how to write a bio can also help.

Contact : A contact page is the best way for potential customers to get in touch with you. This page should include all your contact information, such as location, business phone number , social media links, business email address and a short contact form.

Online store : With online sales on the rise , it has become essential for many businesses to adapt to an eCommerce model. Setting up an online store comes with several benefits, as advanced web tools can help you manage and scale your small business. These include everything from managing order fulfillment and creating a customized checkout experience for customers to accepting secure online payments . Once you’ve decided how to make your eCommerce site , you’ll be able to streamline all your operations from a single powerful dashboard—on desktop and mobile.

Bookings page : If you’re a service provider, you know that extending convenience and efficiency to potential clients is a crucial part of your business. Adding an online scheduling software to your site will allow you to seamlessly accept bookings and payments. An all-in-one booking solution lets you manage your calendars for clients and staff, plus sell membership plans, subscriptions and open trial sessions. It also allows you to host sessions via Zoom, enabling you to reach larger audiences and build your clientele.

Wix user spotlight : Next Door Alliance offers comprehensive customer support and administrative services for businesses, including reputation management, human resources, quality control and more. NDA’s business website features a top navigation with key pages of interest: "Home," "About NDA," "Our Services," "Our Vision," "Contact" and "Career Opportunities." From this navigation, potential clients can learn valuable information about the company’s history, experience and offerings.

06. Fill your site with rich content

Having quality, fresh content on your website not only encourages visitors to return to you, but also signals to search engines that your site includes up-to-date information.

As you start thinking about incorporating or writing website content that drives traffic and engages your target market, consider these forms of content on your website:

Blog : Many businesses create business blogs, providing insights into their field of expertise and sharing content with their clients. Bloggers write and post articles—dedicated to specific subject matter—that often serve as a platform for active online discussions. You’ll want to prioritize and choose relevant blog post topics that resonate with your audience and can establish you as a voice in your industry. Compelling blog content can also draw new audiences to your brand. For example, if you make and sell wine, a blog post about “How to store wine at home” can capture new audiences and introduce your brand in the process. Wondering how to start a blog ? Wix has got you covered with hundreds of blog templates , built-in SEO features and marketing tools that will allow you to scale your content, your brand and your business. Give the Wix blog maker a spin to see for yourself.

Testimonials : Testimonials usually come from customers, peers or anyone who has benefited from your offerings or work. Incorporating testimonials into your website helps boost your business’s credibility and build trust among clients. This is crucial, since potential clients can assess if you will meet their needs based upon others’ experiences. With different testimonials out there, most businesses use customer quotes as they’re easy to obtain. Just ask a customer directly for one. You can place testimonials in just about any section of your website, including the home page, product or service page, or even a dedicated testimonial page.

Wix user spotlight : Registered dietician Nathalie Rhone owns and operates Nutrition by Nathalie throughout the Greenwich, Connecticut and New York City areas, offering everything from refrigerator makeovers to functional lab testing. Nathalie’s blog adds engaging content to her website by sharing healthy recipes and photos, while her “Success Stories” page features client testimonials praising her services.

07. Implement a strong CRM

Once you realize that your business needs a website , you’ll also discover that you need solid customer relationship management (CRM) to build long-term rapport and capture more leads. Once connected to your website, a CRM provides you with marketing and sales force automation, as well as customer contact and project management.

Wix offers a complete, powerful and free CRM software that can be easily integrated with your website. The tool includes a wide range of advanced features, such as forms to collect key contact details like emails, leads and testimonials.

08. Include a privacy policy

Many countries around the world require businesses to disclose how they collect, handle and process visitor data. In turn, users have become more protective of their personal data and concerned about how companies use it.

As a result, it’s crucial that you write a privacy policy for your website explaining how and why you gather visitor information. This transparent, upfront communication will establish trust with your users. You can also install a permission banner for cookies.

09. Promote your site

After you build a business website, you’ll notice that you’ve also created a hub of all your digital marketing efforts. You can use your site to increase your business’s exposure to prospective clients by applying a couple of these low-investment and effective marketing strategies:

Email marketing : This targeted communication generates conversions and develops relationships with customers. Additional benefits include building engagement with your brand, driving traffic to your site and promoting your business. A robust email marketing service, like the one from Wix, allows you to create and send various types of email campaigns and customize them for your target audience.

Social media marketing : Today, many businesses leverage the power of social media and reach out to mass audiences from across the world through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest and X. With social media marketing, you can regularly promote and share content around your business in the form of live streaming, user generated content, stories or posting in specific groups. What’s more, you can create and manage both Facebook and Instagram Ads from your Wix eCommerce dashboard.

10. Track web performance

To fully understand your site’s performance, turn to web analytics tools and dive deeper into your site’s traffic trends. Visitor behavior can clue you into where your users come from, how they got to your site and which pages they stay on for longer periods of time. Wix Analytics is a useful tool for gleaning these insights, providing an in-depth look into your site’s traffic trends, content performance and visitor behavior.

Once you have a better understanding of your visitors—first time or returning—you can make data-driven decisions on what your site needs in order to improve overall performance.

How to build a business website FAQ

How long does it take to create a business website.

A simple website can be created in a few hours, while a more complex website may take several weeks or even months to complete.

If you're building the website yourself, you can expect to spend at least a few hours on the design and layout. You also need to create content for your website, which can take some time, especially if you are writing all of the content yourself.

How do I choose the right business website template?

What should you include on your business website, how much does a business website cost, do businesses really need a website, how do i create a free website for my small business, how easy is making a website for my business, how to create a website for my business, related posts.

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How to Create a Content Creation Business Plan

If you’re starting a content creation business, one of the first things you’ll need is a content creation business plan. This will outline your goals and objectives for your business, as well as how you’re going to achieve them.

There are a few key elements that should be included in your content creation business plan. First, you’ll need to identify your target audience. Who are you creating content for? What needs or wants do they have that you can address with your content?

Once you know who your target audience is, you’ll need to determine what kind of content they want or need. What format will be most effective in delivering this information? How often will they want or need new content? Answering these questions will help you create a solid foundation for your business plan.

Finally, once you know what kind of content to create and how often to deliver it, the last step is determining how you’re going to monetize your efforts. There are many ways to generate revenue from content creation, so it’s important to choose the one that makes the most sense for your particular business model. With a clear plan in place,you’re on your way to success!

Defining your content creation business plan

If you want to make money from your writing, it’s important to have a content creation business plan. This doesn’t have to be complicated – but it is important to think about what you’re doing, and how you’re going to make money. Here are some things to consider when creating your content creation business plan.

1) What kind of writing do you want to do? There are many different types of writing, from articles and blog posts, to ebooks and courses. Decide what type of writing you enjoy most, and focus on that.

2) Who is your target audience? It’s important to know who you’re writing for – this will help you create content that they’ll actually want to read (and pay for!).

Consider who your target reader is, and what kinds of things they’d be interested in.

3) How will you monetize your content? There are a few different ways to make money from your writing – through advertising, affiliate marketing, or selling digital products like ebooks or courses. Decide which option makes the most sense for you, and focus on building up that revenue stream.

Why you need a content creation business plan

Creating a detailed content creation business plan is essential for any business that wants to produce online content. By laying out a clear plan, businesses can ensure that their content is high-quality and aligns with their overall marketing goals. Additionally, a well-crafted business plan can help businesses track their progress and measure the results of their efforts.

Without a content creation business plan, businesses may find themselves investing time and resources into producing subpar content that does not effectively promote their brand or engage their target audience. A solid plan will keep businesses focused on creating quality pieces that achieve desired objectives.

Businesses should consider various factors when developing a content creation business plan, including what type of content to produce, how often to publish new material, who will create it, and how it will be distributed. mapping out this strategy in advance can save businesses considerable time and money down the road.

The benefits of having a content creation business plan

Assuming you would like a blog titled “The benefits of having a content creation business plan”:

When it comes to content creation, whether for your own website or for that of a client, it pays to have a plan. A content creation business plan will help you keep track of your projects, ensure consistency in your output, and measure your success over time. Here are three key benefits of having a content creation business plan:

1. A content creation business plan helps you stay organized and on track. Without a plan, it can be easy to get lost in the details of each project and lose sight of the big picture. A good plan will help you manage deadlines, deliverables, and other important details so that you can focus on creating great content.

2. Consistency is essential for any successful online presence, and a content creation business plan can help you maintain it. By outlining your goals and objectives upfront, you can develop an editorial calendar that ensures your output is consistent with your brand identity. This level of planning also allows you to experiment with new formats or topics while still staying true to your overall strategy.

3) Measuring success is crucial for any business activity – including content marketing! – but it can be difficult to do without clear metrics in place from the start. A well-crafted business plan will include measurable goals so that you can track progress over time and make necessary adjustments to continue growing your audience

How to create a content creation business plan

There are a few key things to keep in mind when creating a content creation business plan. First, you need to identify your target audience and what type of content they would be interested in. Next, you need to come up with a strategy for creating and distributing that content. And finally, you need to make sure you have a solid business model in place so that your content creation business can be sustainable long-term.

If you can focus on these three areas, then you will be well on your way to create a successful content creation business plan.

What should be included in your content creation business plan

When it comes to creating a content creation business plan, there are a few key elements that you’ll need to include in order to ensure success. First and foremost, you’ll need to clearly define your target audience and produce content that appeals to them. You should also focus on SEO keywords and phrases in order to ensure that your content is easily found by those who are searching for it. Finally, make sure to set realistic goals and timelines for yourself in order to keep your business on track.

If you can cover these basics, then you’re well on your way to creating a successful content creation business plan!

Tips for creating an effectivecontentcreationbusinessplan

1. Define your goals and objectives: The first step to creating an effective content creation business plan is to define your goals and objectives. What are you trying to achieve with your content? Who is your target audience? What type of content will best appeal to them? Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, you can move on to developing a strategy for achieving them.

2. Research your competition: Before you can develop a successful content marketing strategy, it’s important to understand what your competition is doing. Take some time to research their content marketing efforts, paying close attention to the topics they write about, the tone they use, and the overall quality of their work. This will give you a better sense of what it takes to stand out in your industry.

3. Create a calendar: One of the most effective ways to maintain consistency with your content output is by creating a editorial calendar. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy – simply plotting out when you’ll publish new pieces, and what topics those pieces will cover, can go a long way towards keeping you on track. If possible, try to batch write several weeks or even months worth of content at once; this will make the actual publishing process much simpler down the line

If you’re looking to start a content creation business, congratulations! You’ve embarked on an exciting journey. However, before you get started, it’s important to develop a plan for your business. This will help ensure that you have a clear understanding of your goals and how you’ll achieve them.

Here are some tips for creating a content creation business plan:

1. Define your goals. What do you hope to achieve with your business? What kind of impact do you want to make? Be specific and realistic in setting your goals.

2. Research your audience. Who will be reading or viewing the content you create? What are their needs and interests? Knowing your audience will help you create content that resonates with them.

3. Determine your resources. What skills and knowledge do you bring to the table? Do you have any existing relationships with industry professionals or influencers? Do you need to outsource any part of the process? Having a clear understanding of your resources will help keep things moving forward smoothly

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• Feb 20, 2018

A Comprehensive Website Planning Guide (Part 1)

• 28 min read
• Web Design , Workflow , Business , Clients , Planning , Guides
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About The Author

Ben Seigel runs Versa Studio , a branding, web design and development firm, and is author of Website Planning For Small Business . More about Ben ↬

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As a veteran designer, developer and project manager on more sites than I can count, I've identified a common problem with many web projects: failure to plan. As the same issues come up repeatedly in my work, I've written this guide in order to help our clients, other designers, businesses and organizations plan and realize successful websites.

Who This Guide Is For

Written in relatively non-technical language, this guide provides a broad overview of the process of developing a website, from the initial needs assessment through site launch, maintenance and follow up. It is appropriate for:

• Small and medium-size businesses;
• Organizations;
• Institutions;
• Web designers, developers, and design/development firms.

Important Note: Throughout the guide, "business" and "organization" are used interchangeably. How you apply the steps in this guide will depend on your role and the relative authority it offers. If you're leading a web team, it will provide you a more effective process. If you're less involved with the building process, it will help you understand best practices, the setting of expectations, and allow you to ask more informed questions of web team members — and challenge them if they're not doing a thorough, conscientious job. Also, because this guide is written for a diverse audience, it uses the language of both "business" and "designer," and some sections are highlighted for specific project roles. "Designer" refers broadly to the person or team building the web sites.

Also, while this is not a pricing guide, where costs are mentioned, they are in U.S. Dollars.

Who This Guide Is Not For

While you may benefit from applying the ideas within, if you're building a four-page site for your family reunion or a 5,000-page site for a Fortune 500 company, this guide may be too detailed or way too short, respectively. And since it's written to be relatively accessible and non-technical, the guide does not address the how-to of writing HTML, using Photoshop, or working in a Content Management System (CMS). Please consult specialized resources for those tasks.

Recognize The Purpose Of Your Website

The purpose of most business websites is to drive sales. While successful sites engage, inform, and educate visitors, their end goal is to convert visitors into leads and leads into customers. In some cases, visitors may purchase tangible or digital products directly from the website, while in others they may engage in some way with the business, eventually purchasing products or services from the business.

If making sales is the end goal of your website, you must always keep this in mind. Too often this key point is forgotten in the quest for design features, boatloads of content and lengthy text descriptions of products and services. Don't forget the reason you're building a site in the first place.

If sales are not the goal of your site, determine what is. In most cases, you will still have an action you want site visitors to take: donate, request more information, or volunteer.

Additionally, investing in a website means investing in something that grows with your business. Plan for your website to change over time.

Planning is essential for most businesses and organizations. Unfortunately, when it comes to websites there is often a failure to plan properly or at all. Sometimes this is due to the ever-busy, dynamic nature of the day to day running of a business — there are so many operational demands that sufficient time is not allotted to the project. Sometimes organizations simply underestimate the time, skill, energy and expertise that goes into building even the smallest website. But often it is because people fail to recognize that planning for the web is just as important as planning for anything else associated with their business.

Your Website Is The Responsibility Of Marketing, Not IT (Information Technology)

Building a website is not a purely technical endeavor. In some companies, especially those slow to recognize the value and importance of online marketing, the website is considered the domain of the IT department (or outside IT resources). This is wrong. Websites are a function of marketing, not IT. The design, structure, and content of your website should be driven by communicators, not technicians. Yes, you'll need IT to successfully execute the plan of the communicators and keep your site running smoothly. But communicators should be steering the ship. The role of IT in the planning stages and beyond is to help research and support the technology that enables the company's online marketing goals.

In too many cases, companies are getting in their own way by giving IT authority over their website instead of marketing. In every organization, each department has a specific area of expertise, and it's vitally important to assign the responsibility for communication to the public to the people who do this best. If you don't have dedicated marketing resources available to you, spend a little time engaging qualified communicators to help you build your site. Find the right people for each job and then hire them.

The Deck Example

Consider the example of building a deck. If you want to add a deck to your house, you probably won't call several carpenters and simply ask "How much is a deck?" If you do, the smart answer will be "it depends." In order to provide you with an estimate, a carpenter will need some details about the project. The more details you provide, the more you work out ahead of time, the more accurate the estimate will be. Of course there is always the potential for things to change during construction, but in general, the adage "measure twice, cut once" holds true for this, and for every other project. A good carpenter will start by asking a series of clarifying questions:

• What kind of wood? Cedar? Treated? Or do you want synthetic?
• Where exactly will the deck go, and are there any obstacles to work around?
• What size and height will it be, and how many levels?
• Do you want benches, railings, built-in planters?
• Is there clearance to bring special equipment in to your yard?
• Do you have Homeowner's Association (HOA) rules to deal with?

Then there are a host of other things for the carpenter to consider: scheduling, building permits, inspection, maintenance, etc. That's why a smart carpenter will answer your simple question with "it depends." Without more information, there's just no way to to know. Obviously, it makes sense to meet with one or more contractors to address the questions above and more. When you choose a carpenter, they should provide a detailed plan of action that you both sign. As they're building, they should check in with you periodically and discuss any potential snags in the project.

Surely all this makes sense, but consider what the deck project would look like without a clear plan:

"Hi, Jennifer Carpenter, it's Juan Homeowner. I need a 20X30' cedar deck in my backyard. I want it built in two weeks." "Okay, Juan. I'll pick up the materials and get started tomorrow. If you have any questions, just see me in your backyard while I'm working."

Jennifer Carpenter gets started, drilling post holes for each corner of the deck. She assumes Juan Homeowner has secured a building permit from City Hall, since that's the way most of her previous jobs functioned.

There’s No Building Permit

As Ms. Carpenter starts framing the deck, she notices Mr. Homeowner has put a large hose reel against his house and connected it to his faucet. Based on where the deck will sit, the hose reel will have to go. But she's not sure if he will want to move it somewhere else, or have his faucet rerouted so he can re-connect it and attach it to the deck, which is two feet off the ground. She stops building, and plans to ask Mr. Homeowner what he wants to do when he gets home. She waits...

He's on a business trip for three days.

When he gets back, Ms. Carpenter reaches him by phone. He's not happy that he'll have to have his faucet moved, which now adds unplanned expenses to the project. But that's not Ms. Carpenter's fault, she's not the plumber. She's just putting the deck where he asked.

Once the deck is framed, she starts building a railing for one side. This wasn't discussed initially, but she sees Mr. Homeowner has small children around and thinks this is a good safety feature. Mr. Homeowner comes home one day and is happy to see great progress on his deck, but then he notices the railing.

• "What's this?"
• "I added a railing to this side, since you have kids. It's a good safety feature."
• "I don't have small children."
• "But I saw them playing in your front yard."
• "Oh, those are the neighborhood kids. My kids are in high school."
• "Well, a railing is a good feature."
• "Yeah, but can you make it shorter, and put a bench next to it?"
• "I didn't buy enough wood for a bench, and the railing is already drilled and attached. I'd have to remove and re-cut it. Also, we didn't talk about a bench."
• "Well, I'd like a bench here."
• "That will take more time. I won't be able to get this done by your two-week deadline if we add the bench. Plus, I'd have to charge you for the extra wood."

What began as a "simple project" becomes a series of headaches due to failure to plan and to communicate. Jennifer Carpenter also has to bill Mr. Homeowner for all the unforeseen issues: for the extra material, for her extra time, and for all the unanticipated tasks that have gone into building this (now) complex deck project.

From a web professional's perspective, developing a 50-page website for six unique stakeholders is far more complex than building a rectangular deck. Also, a deck is a physical structure built in stages. You can look out the window and see the progress. By contrast, a website has a number of technical and administrative steps which, while incredibly important, are effectively invisible to the business.

A Caveat… And The “Waterfall” Method Of Development

When I worked at an insurance company, business analysts, part of the IT (Information Technology) department would write project charters — long, painfully boring documents which attempted to outline every possible aspect of a website. I really hated these documents. I preferred to work much more seat-of- the-pants. In part, this was because unlike print material, websites are flexible. Once a printed document has gone to print, its content is not going to change without starting all over again — printing new physical documents. Websites are different. The content in a website will change over time, at will. The idea that every single minute aspect of a website could be pre-planned on paper was ludicrous.

IT departments that handle large projects often use something called the "waterfall" method of development. The idea is that the phases of development flow downward through the steps, toward the completion of the project, with each previous stage effecting the next one. In theory, this isn't a bad idea at all. But in practice, this can create the side effect of over-specification, of detailing each and every minute part of the project from top to bottom. Absolutely everything is specified, down to the point size of the type, the line length of page headers, and exactly how a simple photo gallery will work. This is my view of the waterfall method: if you're building a banking application that transfers money in and out of customer accounts, you'd better be sure your code is perfect. When dealing with people's money — debits and credits — there is zero allowance for error. For projects this critical, it makes sense to specify everything you're going to do in great detail before writing a single line of code.

However, as I said earlier, websites are flexible. So how do we reconcile the need for clear and detailed specifications with the inherent flexibility of the medium? We can split the difference. By following the process outlined below, we can create a set of content and design specifications that greatly reduce the potential for mid-project glitches, while creating a framework that allows the site to grow with time. In fact, we can plan for expansion, allowing, for example, a news section to handle ten news items or two hundred. When properly implemented in a Content Management System (CMS), a website will allow site editors the flexibility to swap out key photos, change titles, headers, reorder content, etc. — but all within the framework established in the planning stage.

Getting Agile

You may also consider an approach called Agile Development. While primarily associated with software development, Agile concepts can be applied to website creation as well. It can be just as successful as following a detailed plan, but it needs to suit the skills, approach, and temperament of the project participants. Read The Agile Manifesto and consider if this approach is right for your project.

Keep in mind that Agile development can take a little longer (and thus cost a little more) than traditional methods, and if you tend to lose focus, this probably isn't the best way forward. But for more complex projects it can be a very effective way of building a website. If you decide you want to go this way, make sure to talk to your creative team about their comfort level with Agile. Some web professionals are more at home with this method than others.

The Value Of Paying For Planning, Needs Assessment

Some businesses seeking an estimate for their site will have a general idea of what they want to do and possibly have developed a simple site map or list of pages. Others, especially organizations, will offer an RFP (Request for Proposal). In most cases, none of these items are enough, by themselves, to allow us to generate an accurate proposal. Even in the case of a multi-page RFP, there is often not enough useful detail from which to create a proposal and estimate. If a client just wants a very broad ballpark figure, we can usually do this. But to arrive at an accurate cost, much additional information is needed.

Enter The Needs Assessment

A needs assessment is the process of figuring out where a business has been, where its going, and how to get it there. That's pretty broad, so let's break it down.

Please, Please, No More RFPs

While created with good intentions, RFPs are often a bad idea both for the issuing party and for web firms responding to them. Business and organizations who are used to the RFP process should realize that for a complex and creative project like building a website, this approach is often inappropriate. (It works just great for more static creative work, like print advertisements, but for flexible digital endeavors, it's just not effective.) In many cases, asking a web designer to craft a detailed response to an RFP is like asking an architect to create blueprints for a house "so we can see what you would do for us." This is akin to asking someone to work for free (on "spec"), and such a process can be demanding and unfair.

Worse still, when a business has already chosen a designer, RFPs may be issued simply to go through the motions, pretending to seek competitive bids, giving the appearance that rules were followed. This bypasses the critical needs assessment, forcing designers to invent numbers and timelines without enough information to do so. It is a waste of time and energy.

When RFPs are sent to a large number of designers, the only thing a response indicates is a willingness to respond to an RFP, not that designer's suitability for the project.

Skipping The RFP, Assessing Needs

Businesses can benefit greatly from a needs assessment. Twenty hours spent on a needs assessment can easily save forty hours of development time during the building of the site.

Discovering the true needs of a business halfway through a project is a recipe for headache, extended development time, cost overruns and missed deadlines. As you'll read below, failure to recognize and pay for proper planning creates big problems.

Proper planning is an investment in a headache-free development process, and the first step to planning is figuring out what is needed from top to bottom in as much detail as possible. That's the purpose of a needs assessment, and it's a vitally important step in developing any website.

What Happens When You Fail To Plan?

• The designer or developer is forced to make assumptions, which may or may not be correct, as to how certain content will appear on the site. (The way content is displayed effects the way the pages are built, which effects the complexity of development.)
• The amount of back-and-forth communication about trivial matters can be multiplied many times over. (Clarifying miscommunication takes longer than getting it right the first time.)
• Backtracking causes delays and missed deadlines. ("Do-overs" often mean that developers are doing the same things twice in different ways.)
• Work that falls outside the original scope of the project creates cost overruns. (More is more. This is called "scope creep" and can be a serious issue, even in small doses.)
• Confusion and client dissatisfaction are the byproducts of the shoot-from-the-hip process. (Face it, nobody is happy when things go wrong.)
• Anything but a simple tire swing .

The end result: a website that falls short of its goals,yields poor ROI (Return On Investment), and disappoints the people it was created to serve.

Needs Assessment

Three important things to remember:.

• Unless you're building a tool exclusively for internal communication, your website is not for you—it must meet the needs of its audience.
• A website is not a one-time event. It is a flexible, extensible communications tool which reflects, negatively or positively, on your business. For many businesses, it is the key touch point between the business and their customers.
• This is where we can potentially start using business-speak, i.e., "assemble your key internal stakeholders." That's another way of saying "get everyone together who has something valuable to contribute."

The Site Must Work In Concert With The Overall Marketing

A website needs assessment may overlap with other efforts and approaches of your marketing department. That's fine. In fact, established branding and marketing of your business should inform the structure and design of the website. A good website can't happen in a vacuum. Continuity and consistency across all your marketing endeavors, digital and otherwise, are crucial to the perception that you are professional and that your business should be taken seriously.

We've all seen this done incorrectly — a nice website followed by a terrible brochure, or vice versa, and lack of continuity always makes a negative impact. Even if customers/users can't quite put their finger on what's wrong, they know something isn't quite holding together, and they'll judge the business for it. Most people don't stop to think "Oh, they must have hired a professional web designer, but just didn't bother to update their brochure, maybe they're working on that." It just feels wrong.

Cost And Timeline

Generally speaking, a proper needs assessment will cost between 5 and 15 percent of your total project budget, and take between 10 to 30 percent of the total project time. Of course, this assumes you have determined a realistic budget and timeline for your project. It's fine if you haven't — sometimes you don't know what you don't know. A good needs assessment can help you figure this out.

The Needs Assessment: Intake

In your intake meeting, you'll want to address a series of questions. Start with the core ideas, values, messages and offerings of your business, then drill down in to more details.

There are many valid approaches — some very formal and precise, and others looser and more intuitive. In any case, if you're leading this process, you should make sure you have a set of key questions prepared.

The following comes from a brief we use to learn the basics of a client's project. In our experience, at least three new questions are generated for each question the business owner answers. If this is an internal company project, you can and should go through the same process, and ask and answer the same questions. The answers might surprise you. Note: the following questions apply to a small business, but can be easily modified to suit a nonprofit, institution or other types of organizations.

• Mission statement: who are you and what do you do (or substitute one-paragraph company/or description).
• Why was your company/org created?
• How would you like to be perceived through your website?
• What is the single most important thing visitors want from your site? For example: find new products, register for a course, join a mailing list. Note: Try to consider this from the customer's perspective. This is not about what you want for the company, i.e., more sales, but what your visitors want from the site.
• What is the single most important thing you want to convey on your site? From the perspective of your company/org.
• Describe your target audience.
• Who is your competition? (A competitive review should follow: look at three sites from similar or competing businesses. See where each website succeeds and fails.)
• Why should clients chose your products or services over the competition?
• How will you judge if this is a successful project?
• List three or more websites you like.
• List three websites you don't like, and indicate why for each one.

There's no hard rule for how many questions you should ask, or how long this should take. However, if you finish the process in 40 minutes and there are no follow-up questions, you're not digging deep enough.

In fact, if you're doing your job right, each time you go through this process, the questions are going to be different as you tune into the needs of the business, listen to their responses, and identify further areas needing clarification or uncover opportunities worth exploring.

Each business and each project is different.

Keep ‘Em Talking

The intake process is all about the business owner. It's very important here to listen carefully, take good notes, and keep following threads and tangents if they are yielding useful information. Resist the urge to start offering solutions right away. Keep your focus on learning everything you can about the client's business, their audience, and message. Solutions come later. You need all the questions to come up with the best answer.

Depending on the amount of time you have for the intake process and the scope of the project, you may want to return for one or more subsequent meetings to explore further. Some clients will resist this, as they are typically focused on the day-to-day challenges of running their organization. They may say they don't have time. Reinforce that you must thoroughly understand the problem before offering the solution. Whether the website is for a business, nonprofit, sports team or science foundation, it should serve the needs of the client and their audience.

Often the only way to get this information is more discussion. If you still have questions or need more information to make informed decisions and recommendations for the assessment, forge ahead until you've got as much information as you need. You don't want to be a pest, but it's very important that you stay focused and follow through on every possible thread that comes up in the intake process. If you handle this process with grace and humor, clients will usually understand the importance of this period of inquiry.

Messaging Essentials — You Must Know Who You Are

Your business probably has a lot going on. Classes, conferences, seminars, workshops, webinars, product demos, charitable work, sponsorships, trade shows. The sheer volume of content and activity within your day-to-day business can be overwhelming.

Since your home page can only focus on so many points at once, it's very helpful to distill what your business does into a sentence or two. For example:

• "We make project management better."
• "Beautiful, sustainably produced furniture for home and patio."
• "Building understanding about the impact of mental illness."

This is different from a mission statement, though it can be developed from one. When you distill the essence of your business in to a short statement, this can be the starting point for how you present it and can make a huge difference for the creative team as they delve into the soul of the organization and figure out how to best present the business to the world.

In some businesses, key employees or managers hold a wealth of experience that could be helpful to the project, but you may not meet these people right away. It can be helpful to ask the business owner: "Is there anyone else I should be talking to about this?" Make sure you're not leaving out the one person who can enlighten you and change the path of the assessment.

“Uh, We Don’t Really Know Who We Are.”

Some businesses, especially those lacking a strong brand, may take some coaxing to reveal who they really are. Probing questions can help. For example, if you ask a business owner who their best customers are, find out why — what makes these customers so valuable, how did they find them, and what are they doing to find more like them?

Wait — You’ve Got No Brand, No Logo?

The value of an established visual identity or brand in the creation of a quality website cannot be overstated. Small businesses often dive in to website creation without paying any attention to branding. Suffice to say, if you do not at least have a professionally designed logo, you have not established a brand. A professionally designed logo is not something sketched on a napkin. It is not a font you found inside of Microsoft Word. The skills required to make a professional logo are very specific and you'll need a professional with branding experience to do this for you.

What Is A Brand?

• The visual representation of your business.
• What people think of or visualize when they hear your business name.
• The expression of the unique characteristics which represent your business.

Brand Guide

At bare minimum, a brand should have a (professional) logo and color palette. A more complete identity includes:

• Short statement outlining the mission or purpose of the business and defining its audience.
• Headline and body fonts.
• Guidelines for use of photography.
• Copywriting guidelines.
• Additional design elements (glyphs, textures, shapes).

Why Your Brand Is So Important

• It sets the stage for everything you produce — visually and otherwise.
• It sets you apart from other businesses.
• It is authentic, a manifestation of the cultural values of what is being represented. If it's not consistent with these values, it may appear inauthentic (see surf shop vs. bank example, which follows).
• Speaks to integrity. A reflection of all the things you are.

Why Your Brand Is So Important To Building A Website

One of the first steps in the web design process is to decide on a visual look and feel. Without at least minimal branding, your designer is starting completely from scratch, and essentially has to create a brand identity for your business on the fly. This may or may not be consistent with the image you want to project. Development of your brand needs to come before a website, because the site is an extension of the brand and not the other way around — don't put the cart before the horse.

My Favorite Example: A Surf Shop Vs. 110-Year-Old Bank

Both categories of business have strong identities established to suit both the products and services they offer, and their particular client base.

Now consider how successful they would be if they swapped brand identities. Would you be drawn in to a surf shop with a staid, conservative font as its visual identity?

How about a bank with a laid-back, breezy, casual beach feel?

Note : Using the formal, bank-like font for the surf shop isn't completely terrible, but it doesn't evoke surfing, and it certainly doesn't say "fun."

Proceeding Without A Brand

Inevitably, some businesses simply refuse to invest in a brand or insist that the fuzzy logo they "designed" in 1992 is perfectly suitable as the basis for their $15,000 website. Or they may want to design their site and then paste in a logo at the end of the process. By the way — if the following logo examples look like they took about five minutes to make — you're exactly right, they did.

Everyone needs to eat. You will no doubt find a web professional who will gladly take on your project despite this critical deficiency. They might do a passable job on the website despite this major handicap. Ultimately, however, you'll have at best a beautiful, modern house on a crumbling foundation and at worst a house that's barely standing, built in 8 different styles, with windows where the doors should be and vice versa. Yes, a consummate professional can "make do," but making do will never be as good as doing it right from the get-go. Take a moment and decide whether or not it's really worth it to move forward with your foundationless house.

Our Fictional Restaurant

To help illustrate brand identity, we've created a brand for a fictitious business called New Harvest Restaurant and Wine Bar. I chose this type of business because its easily understandable — everyone knows how a restaurant works.

New Harvest is an upscale business located in a major city. Its customer base ranges from young professionals to older adults with an interest in fine dining. Its goal is to serve quality food with high visual appeal, paired with mid-priced wines from around the world.

Color Palette

We'll use these elements, along with other brand guidelines, to create mockups for the New Harvest website. Keep in mind that this example is only used to demonstrate concepts within this guide. It is not a real restaurant, and does not represent all the aspects of marketing appropriate to such a business.

Mood Boards

Where budget and ability allow, a designer may use mood boards to help establish the look and feel of a website, or the designer may ask the business to create a simple one to get a visual indication of what the business is looking for. Mood boards provide a range of visuals to help establish elements that can be hard to describe in writing. These may consist of textures, images, and font treatments drawn from a variety of print and web sources.

In this example, we've assembled a group of images that suggest wealth and elegance. They might be used for a travel website, or something related to luxury sailing or boat cruises.

Establish The Brand, But Don’t Provide Design Solutions

While working through the needs assessment, participants may be tempted to suggest design solutions, especially for businesses who have weak or non-existent brands. Resist. A needs assessment will be more effective when focused on problems instead of solutions. You can't offer a solution until you know what the problem is.

Choosing A Domain Name

Most existing businesses have a domain name. If the business is new, choose the shortest, most easily pronounceable name you can find. As they say about men, or women, "all of the good ones are taken." That's the case with domain names, too. You may have to get creative. For example, Fitzpatrick & Sons Construction Supply may prefer fitzpatricksupply.com , but if that domain is taken, consider fitzsupply.com or fitzconstructionsp.com .

Say the name out loud to see if it's clear or potentially confusing. Type it out and look for visually confusing combinations of letters ( sassyssamosas.com ) and make sure it reads well as well as sounding good. Spelling out long business names can lead to typos when entered in a search bar, which is why fitzpatrickandsonscontructionsupply.com is not a good choice.

While search engines are very quick to correct spelling mistakes and say "do you mean {X}?" there's still value in having a domain name that's brief.

A Few Words About Domain Names

I highly recommend taking a moment to learn about the basics of names and how they work. A little bit of literacy about how domain names are administered, where they come from, what extensions (.com, .co, .org) mean and how they're used can keep you out of a world of trouble later on.

Take a moment and do a little research. Changing your domain name after it's established online is a headache which should be avoided at all costs. The time choose your domain name is during the preparation period, not after the site has been built.

TLD stands for top-level domain, as in .com, .net, .biz, etc. However, in 2014, ICAAN, the agency which regulates TLDs, approved the addition of a whole host of options, from .auto to .vegas. Which TLD to choose is a target-market consideration. A .com TLD comes with certain connotations—it may feel more traditional or trustworthy, while other available TLDs for your site may be easier to remember. You'll have to decide if you want to stick with a more traditional TLD or try something novel, and your designer may advise you here. Time will tell if these new TLDs become commonly recognized and widely used.

In Part 2 , I'll go into more detail of evaluating a plan, choosing web professionals, and determining your site structure. Stay tuned!

Further Reading

• Designing Web Design Documentation
• Recovering Deleted Files From Your Git Working Tree
• Creating And Maintaining A Voice Of Customer Program
• When To Say No To Freelance Projects

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How To Start an Eyelash Business Successfully: Step-by-Step Guide

Eyelash technicians today are privileged – eyelash extensions are a popular beauty service, technicians can work flexible hours if desired, and of course, a creative outlet means a lot for both clients and practitioners.

Clients are seeking high-quality services and are willing to pay a lot for skilled lash artistry.

If you are looking to join the industry and start an eyelash business on your own, we’ve prepared a step-by-step guide of the main aspects to have on your radar.

General Aspects of Eyelash Business

An eyelash business is a niche-specific beauty business – compared to a full-service/multi-service salon (such as for hair, nails, facials, etc.). So, unlike a general salon, your eyelash business will focus on a specific set of supplies: lash extensions, adhesives, removers, cleansing products, applicators, and more. This means you might have a smaller but more loyal audience.

At the same time, eyelash technicians typically require specialized training and certification programs compared to some generalist beauty services.

Another crucial aspect is that strict hygiene protocols are of high priority in eyelash application. You’ll need to invest in proper sterilization equipment to avoid any infections and ensure technicians follow proper sanitation procedures. Probably even have extra equipment, such as an air cleaner, in your salon.

A lot also depends on the customer consultation and your ability to handle it well – online or at the salon. So, you also need to hire an expert consultant, who will assess natural lashes, discuss desired styles, and recommend suitable options – these can be your technicians as well. 

Related articles:  

• Beauty Salon Booking Website Ideas to Boost Your Performance
• How to Increase Retention Rate for Appointment Business?
• Content Strategy for a Beauty Salon Website Blog

Write a Business Plan

You can write a business plan simply intuitively, relying on well-known expenses, or download business plan samples and use any as a basis. 

• Decide on the type of product: eyelash services/ eyelash products / both.
• Create an exclusive name for your business .
• Think of the number of employees – is it a salon or solo technician business.
• Include main expenses (inventory, utilities, salaries, advertising).
• Choose between a sole proprietorship or a partnership business, and learn more details of the business registration in your country.
• Choose the location and consider safety and regulations terms for your business.
• Start a website under your brand domain names and create social network brand accounts.
• Include costs for basic marketing efforts. 

An eyelash business plan helps you with planning, clear documentation, and practical implementation of every step, even if you are not going to follow it strictly.

Choose a Salon Location

The cost of rent, property taxes, and utilities of the potential location are always on top of your list when you are choosing the location. However, if you have resources, try to identify a location with good foot traffic, for example, near other beauty-related businesses or malls.

Moreover, beauty products being quite often about the in-store experience, you can offer various ways for a customer to get a feel for the lash look they desire:

• Offer premade lash trays.
• Create photo books or portfolios with lash extensions.
• Offer pre-made fans of lashes that they can place under the customer’s eye.
• Give a consultation on styles, lengths, and thicknesses of lashes (offer consultant appointment scheduling ). 

Create Online Promotion Strategies

Today, beauty brands, including eyelash technicians, heavily rely on online promotion. Considering that all the client attention is mostly going to streaming services, social media, and email, think of implementing the following ways of reaching your customers: 

• Your own website (you can concentrate all your activities around it).
• Streaming services (YouTube, Facebook, online education platforms).
• Email (create free downloadable resources like eyelash aftercare plans and exchange them for an email address of the client).
• Create short videos showcasing your everyday work (TikTok, Youtube Shorts).
• Find partner websites that would want to tell you about your brand.
• Learn the basics of SEO for a beauty salon and apply them across your site and networks. 

If you can’t hire Zendaya to be the spokesmodel of your beauty brand, think of the quality of the content you can create yourself. Remember that your target audience is always inundated with ads so we are highly recommending finding creative ways to use those marketing channels where you’ll have the most attention (streaming services, social media, and email), but in the most creative way.

Take Client Reservations Online on Your Website

While you can use social networks and third-party platforms to create your brand page and find clients, this is not the most trusted method in the long run for a successful beauty brand. 

To be fully independent and have the design, marketing, and payments under your control, starting your own website is a must. With WordPress, it’s really hassle-free. You will not just have an awesome online presence with your preferred design, but also have the desired functionality for accepting client reservations, when they can select the available time in the booking calendar and even make a payment. 

For example, using the BookingPress beauty salon software , you can manage:

• Booking forms: accept bookings online for any of your lash services or consultations.
• Multiple lash artists and locations: Manage a team of lash technicians across different salons or in one salon.
• Technician availability: schedule your lash artists with their individual schedules, supporting breaks, days off, and more.
• Customizable pricing: set prices for services based on duration, type of service, and discounts.
• Popular methods are available: collect deposits or offer full online payment options.
• Automated notifications: timely emails, SMS, or WhatsApp alerts about appointments.

For those clients who need to refill or apply a new full set on a regular basis, they can easily schedule recurring visits with this booking plugin.

Conclusion: Start an Eyelash Business with Confidence

Starting a beauty business means joining a profitable, thriving market, so even if you start small – do it with confidence.

Test things out with the brand messages, salon and website design, and the selection of services you can offer as an eyelash practitioner to find your ground. Last but not least, many challenges of starting a beauty business as an eyelash practitioner can be solved with technologies – POS in your salon for contactless payments, automated online appointment bookings in advance, and AI automation .

Brian is a WordPress expert with a decade of developing experience & technical-writing. He enjoys blogging, movies & hiking.

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