What you will learn
- Define the purpose, audience and main action for your website
- Map the pages and navigation in a simple sitemap
- Gather and organise content before you start building
Good websites start with clear answers to three questions. Who is the site for? What should it help them do? What one action matters most, such as placing an order, booking a call or viewing your work? Write the answers down in a few sentences. Choose a real or realistic subject, such as a portfolio, a local shop or a community group, so the decisions feel concrete.
Next, list the pages the site needs and how they connect. A small business site might have Home, About, Services, Contact and a page per service. Sketch this as a simple tree, which acts as your sitemap and your navigation plan. Keep the first version small. A focused site with five finished pages is far better than twelve half-built ones.
Gather your content before you design: headings, text, images, prices and contact details. Writing real text early shows you how much space each section needs and stops you designing around placeholder words. Note any features that need back-end work, such as a contact form or a product list from a database. Finally, break the work into small tasks you can tick off.