DIY Website Planning Guide

On Purpose Projects’
Do It Yourself
Website Planning Guide

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To register for our website planning course click here. To request consulting help with your
website planning/strategy email info@onpurposeprojects.com
INTRODUCTION
Why you need a website plan
A professional quality website (not a basic drag-and-drop site) is not an easy thing to do. A
great looking, high-performing website (although it looks easy and smooth on the front end)
is actually a very complex thing to create and requires the talents of multiple people and a
lot of complicated technology.
Having built hundreds of websites we know that some of the biggest landmines in the world
of website creation are that the job is not done the way you want, it turned out to be a lot
more expensive than you planned, took longer than you planned and/or the freelancer you
hired didn’t actually have the skills required for the job after all.
This can all be avoided by figuring out on the front end EXACTLY what your project will
require - how many pages, what does the site have to do etc. so that you can get an informed
quote on cost and time from whoever prices the project. Without a clear understanding of
exactly what the work requirement is, there is no way anyone can write an accurate proposal.
Avoid surprises and plan the job first. That is what a website plan will do.
This guide will show you the items you need to complete your website plan so that when it
comes time for you to hire someone to do your job, they will know exactly what you want
done leading to a stress-free, successful website project.
So today, we’re going to look at how to use this do it yourself guide to produce and fill your
Website Planning document for your website project. This process has the following steps:
● Define what type of talent/service you need
● Create your Project Summary
● Uncover all the relevant information of your future website
● Give detailed page by page scope of your future website
To complete your website plan there are three options:
1. You do it yourself by following the instructions in this free guide.
2. You hire us to help you fill it in at our hourly rate of $75 USD/hour. Both work, just
depends on what works best for you. If you want help, contact Natasha
at info@onpurposeprojects.com to book a time to get your plan started.
3. Register for our step-by-step website planning course

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Writing your Website Plan
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hBvtMp7qEA
In the following sections, we will outline step-by-step how to create your own website plan.
To ensure you get an accurate quote from the person you are interviewing the project (how
much your project will cost and how long it will take), please ensure you fill out all the
sections with as much detail as possible.
1. Basic Information
a. Business Name:
b. Your full name:
c. Your role in the business:
d. Name of website project lead (if not you):
e. Contact Number:
f. Contact Email:
2. About The Project
a. Project Brief:
Please briefly describe the website scope of work. Example: I want to re-design and
re-develop my business’ WordPress e-commerce website.
b. Project Goals:
What is the primary goal of this website? Examples: Make sales? Request more
information? Build credibility?
c. What is the impact that your outdated website is having on your business?
d. How would a new website fix this problem?
e. How much do you think your outdated website is annually costing you in terms of
lost sales, frustrated users etc?
f. What is a new lead financially worth to your business?
g. Have you ever had a website before?
(If yes) Tell me about your experience with the design / development process.

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h. On a 1-10 scale (10 being very important), how important is premium-quality
website to you to you? Why?
i. What’s most important to you about the company you hire?
j. What’s your biggest concern about redoing your website?
k. What is your business' mission & vision?
l. Target markets.
Please describe in as much detail as possible your ideal client avatar(s):
demographics, psychographics, why they hire you, what solutions they are actively
looking for, what your unique offer is to help solve these problems etc.
m. Company Background:
Background information on the company, product, or service.
n. Device Preference (if applicable):
Will your website visitors visit the site more on desktop or mobile devices?
o. Metrics for success for this website project:
How will you decide whether the project is successful (how it looks, how many leads
it generates, etc.)
p. Your top 5 competitors:
Please provide their website links
q. Project Budget:
Please indicate your approximate budget range. Please do not say TBD or leave
blank.
Check out the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQMgOCysy1k&
r. Target Completion date:
Please indicate your approximate target completion date. Please do not say TBD or
leave blank.
Check out the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQMgOCysy1k&
s. How will you determine whether the project was a success? How can the person
you hire be sure to deliver a 5 star experience for you?

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3. Technical Project Set Up
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvHO96XscZo
a. Server / Hosting / DNS Environment Setup:
Do you currently have your web hosting set up? Are you happy with your host or are
you looking for a new hosting company for your new website?
b. Website Domain:
Do you have a domain name already purchased?
c. Vanity email addresses for my domain:
example: info@onpurposeprojects.com or do you need help setting up any vanity
email addresses for your domain?
d. Email marketing:
Do you use any service for email marketing? If yes, which one?
e. Functional specifications:
Does your website have to do/integrate with anything 3rd party tools, CRM programs,
eCommerce, LMS, user portals, multiple languages, email marketing tool integration,
etc.? If you have a specific plugin or tool you’d like to use, please list it here.
f. Do you have a preferred way in which you’d like the website to be built?
(Wordpress, Shopify, Drupal, etc.)
g. Will your website project require:
 Ongoing website maintenance / management once the site is built
 Training on how to use the site once it is finished
 Help setting up web hosting / domain name
 Online live-chat plugin setup
 Email opt-in pop-up design and setup
 Blog setup
 Help writing / reviewing website content
 On-page search engine optimization
 Off-page search engine optimization
 Android / iphone app
 other (please specify)
h. Which type of service are you looking for?
 Simple websites for businesses with a smaller budget and just want something basic. In
this plan we help you create something that looks and works great, is created using a
strategically laid out template to maximize conversions and goes up quickly.

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 Premium, custom websites for more established businesses with a marketing budget. In
this plan, we work alongside you to create something completely unique and high-end.
We make sure the site is optimized for conversions, search engines and looks absolutely
spectacular.
 Reliable, experienced web support and maintenance to help you with edits, bug fixing,
speed optimization etc for your existing website. As a full-service team, we can handle
anything from front-end design and development changes to back-end work, web
security and more.
i. Do you have Google Analytics installed on your site?
And know how to access your traffic reports to know which are your most / least
visited website pages etc.?
4. Pages Overview
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZYPQ98kB6M
The most important consideration for a freelancer or a team quoting your project will be the
number of website pages and length of each page (number of sections) and the functionality
requirement for each respective page.
Some examples of pages (for a non-ecommerce site) that you may need to include are:
 Home page
 About Page
 Our Team (main page)
 Individual team bio page
 Services Page (main page)
 Individual Service page
 Portfolio or Our work page
 Individual portfolio page
 Blog archive page
 Individual blog article page
 Careers
 Contact us
 Privacy Policy
 Terms of Use
 Disclaimer

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5. Page Goals & Sections
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tUq_PkY5A
From the pages you identified above, in this step please break down each page into the 1)
page goal 2) number of sections that should be included in each page 3) general notes 4)
functionality requirements (if any)
Page Goal and Sections Breakdown
Page Name PG8: Services
Page Goal
Introduction to services. Similar/same message from home page
which ties our services together.
Page Sections
section 1 Header
Section 2 Hero section
Section 3 Overall services description
Section 4 4 Blocks (showing 4 services)
Section 5 Case studies
Section 6 Call to action
Section 7 Footer
Notes Each service box in section 4 will open up to an individual service
page
Functionality
requirement(s)
Must fully integrate with current custom content management
system. This calls a database which returns the details and renders
HTML results.

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6. Site Map
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKl9Y9PUN9g
A site map is a list of pages of a website showing their hierarchy and structure to help with
the planning process. Typically shown as a visual diagram. One of the key roles a sitemap
has to offer is to help everyone involved in the project have a simplistic way to gauge the
size and scope of what is being undertaken. You can both edit it on the doc or use a diagram
tool as www.draw.io
Home Page
About Us
Contact Us
Services
P1
P2
P3
Products
P1
P2
P3
Blog

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7. Website Styling References
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhThP0e4TQg
a. Please list 3 sites you like and what you like about them
Example:
● www.reference1.com – Easy to use, clear call to action
● www.reference2.com – Clean site; largely visual with limited text.
b. Image style:
Please go to www.123rf.com and provide a few examples of the image styles you like
(you can either provide the image link or the image ID#)
c. Fonts:
What kind of font pairing would you want for your site? Usually you would need to
choose a font for headings (titles) and the body text font. You can go to
https://fonts.google.com/ to select your fonts
d. Colors:
What kind of website color palette would you like for your site? Usually there is one
main punch color and then 2 supporting colors. We would not recommend using more
than 3 colors in a website palette (this does not include white and black). You can check
out some color schemes here and indicate which ones are close to the palette you’re
going for: https://www.canva.com/learn/website-color-schemes/
e. Do you have a preference as to using a template to set the design direction or would
you prefer to create a custom design?
Working with a template is faster (and therefore cheaper because of less labor required)
because we're working within an existing pre-built framework; however, it doesn't allow
for complete creativity. Custom work takes longer (more developer hours) but allows
the designer full creative control to build exactly what YOU want that no one else has.

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8. Decide on the type of talent you need
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ejLhYSt5CA
Now that you have your website plan written, the next step is to make sure you hire the right
person for the job. Below is a list of simplified website-related job descriptions - which does
your project need? It may be one or a few, please check all that apply.
 Web designer:
A web designer is the MACRO design person on the team who will take all your ideas
and turn them into a comprehensive, functional, technical document for a developer
to build. Most of the time a great web designer will not be able to develop a website
because their skills are creativity and art and not coding / programming.
 Graphic designer:
A graphic designer is normally a MICRO designer who specializes in items like custom
images, infographics, logos, icons, print pieces etc. Most of the time a graphic designer
does not have the technical training to design a website (even though they may have
excellent creative and artistic abilities).
 Web developer (front-end/back-end/full-stack):
A web developer is the technical individual who takes the design from the web
designer and turns it into a website. A great web developer normally is not a strong
designer as their skills are related to coding and analytical tasks, not creative ones.
 Quality assurance expert:
If you've ever seen a site that looks perfect across multiple devices and browsers, every
button and functionality works as planned and everything looks exactly like the
mockup - that is the work of an expert quality assurance person. After a website is
developed, the next step is for a QA pro to check their work to make sure everything is
on-point and that no detail of the build was missed.
 A generalist:
A website generalist is someone who markets themselves as having the ability to
design a website, do the graphics and then be able to build the website. In the world of
professional calibre websites, this skillset is extremely uncommon as design and
development are completely different skills (one creative, one technical). For a basic
site a generalist may be fine but if you want something that looks professional grade,
you will need at least a designer AND a developer - 2 different people.
 Programmer:
In website building, a programmer is an expert in computer programming language,
who specializes in creating third party web applications, for example, payment
gateway systems, custom plugins, and others. The duties of a web programmer are
similar to those of a web developer; they are both tasked with creating applications for
the website under development. However, there is a very distinct difference between
the two in that the programmer will handle the more technical stuff that is outside the
scope of a web developer’s skills.

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 Content / copywriting:
A lot of people think that content creation is part of a web designer or web developer’s
job description, however, a copywriter or a content creator is a writer, not part of the
website technical team. Effective copywriting is a specialized skill that can take years
to master and a crucial part of your website’s success strategy. Make sure you hire a
copywriter with experience in your niche for maximum results.
 SEO Expert:
A person specialized in search engine optimization is usually separate from the web
team (they work together but are not normally the same person). Search Engine
Optimization does not involve a web designer or web developer but is centered
around advertising, keywords, analytics, data analysis and marketing.
 Project manager with a team option (what we do):
If you ever see a great looking, high-performing website, it is almost a guarantee that
it was built by a team run by a project manager. The project manager is a person who
is assigned the responsibility of successfully managing the planning, executing,
monitoring, coordinating, controlling, and finishing of a project. When it comes to
website building, the project manager plays an important role of coming up with a
feasible plan on how the website will be built, and coordinating all the people involved
with the project (see all 5 roles above) to ensure that your website is built successfully
and delivered in time. In addition, the project manager acts as a link between you and
their team by providing you with updates on how the project is going and relaying
your wishes, questions, and concerns to the team.
9. Next Steps
Video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MCqe4QSeS4
Together with the website planning document you should also send the folder if you think
it is necessary to quote your website development.
While you're preparing your website planning, also do these below items (if applicable) so
that you will be ready to get started right away:
a. Get your logo design started (if you don't have one). Need to know how to get a
painless way to get a logo done? Message us at info@onpurposeprojects.com.
b. Already have a style / brand guide for your business outlining your company’s
colors/ fonts, etc.? Great! If not, get one made. Have a brand-guide made that
puts all your brand details in one place.

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c. Set up web hosting (if you don't have it). If you haven’t yet, you will need to set
up web hosting. Not sure where to start? We’d be happy to offer consulting at an
hourly rate. Message us at info@onpurposeprojects.com
d. Register a domain name (if you haven't already). Once you have hosting you can
register your domain name if you haven’t already.
e. Decide whether you also want to get quotes from a freelancer or team who will
help you with SEO, online marketing, copywriting, content creation, etc. so that
you get a complete quote for the successful completion of your project.
f. If your head shots are over 2 years old, consider hiring a professional
photographer to help you get an up to date high resolution head shot.
Feel overwhelmed by the volume of planning a professional grade website takes?
We get it and we can help. Save yourself countless hours and tons of headaches
by partnering with one of our expert project managers to prepare your website
creation blueprint. It will be a separate service and billed hourly.
info@onpurposeprojects.com www.onpurposeprojects.com
Top Rated Web Team
100% JOB SUCCESS

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