I’m convinced the biggest problem in our lives is a lack of control.

Most people are passengers in their own story. 

We’re all on a quest for a good life.

Here’s how to take control of your online presence.

If you’re a small business owner, you need a website. 

Perhaps you’ve had a site for a few years - and it’s looking a bit shabby.

But the idea of designing your own website can be a bit overwhelming. 

And you’re aware that good design is about quality. 

It’s also about planning and preparation. 

But where do you start with all this?

Start here. 

In this guide, I'll walk you through five simple steps to help you design a professional website.

This is all about the work you put in before you start playing around with web building platforms. Because the clearer your vision at this stage in the game - the better the site.

You need a  website that works. 

A website you’re proud to show prospective clients. 

One that says who you are, what you do, and makes it easy for people to engage with your work. 

Whether you're looking to get bookings, showcase your business, start a blog, or launch your online store, these steps will help you get an overview. 

So that your site:

• Looks great 

• Stands out. 

• Is your best marketing asset.

• And achieves your goals.

All you need is a clear roadmap. 

So, grab a notebook or notes app, a cup of coffee, and we’ll start bringing your online vision to life.

Step 1: Define Your Website's Purpose and Goals

Before you jump into the heady world of colours and fonts, take a moment to think about the big picture. 

What's your website all about?

Identify Your Primary Objective

First things first – what's the main purpose of your website? 

Are you helping customers find your local service?

Marketing your agency?

Selling a course or other products? 

Whatever it is, make sure you have a clear idea of what you want your website to do.

Next, set some concrete goals. 

Do you want to generate leads for your business, make sales, or simply provide information? 

Having clear objectives will guide your design decisions and help you measure success later on.

When you make notes on this aspect of your - stick to one main goal.

Understand Your Target Audience

Now, let's think about who'll be visiting your site. 

Imagine your ideal visitors.

What are they looking for? 

What do they need? 

How can you help them get what they want?

Understanding your audience will help you create a website that speaks directly to them.

Pro tip: Consider creating user personas

These are fictional characters that represent your typical visitors otherwise known as ‘ideal customers’. 

Creating one or two of these can help you keep your audience in mind throughout the design process.

Make brief notes on the main characteristics of your ideal client.

You can even give them a name.

Then, when you write content for your site - you can imagine yourself writing to them, for them, and about them.

Step 2: Style - Gather Inspiration and Analyse Competitors

It’s time to get creative by:

• Collecting ideas.

• Analysing competition.

• Identifying trends.

  
  

Collecting Ideas

Okay, you might not love this as much as some of us… but trust me, mood-boarding is an excellent way to get the tone, style, mood, and voice of your design.

It’s just a collage really.

You can start a mood board by copying and pasting ideas you find online or in magazines. 

Search online for inspiration on places like Pinterest, Dribble, and Behance. 

Save screenshots, or even clip images from magazines. 

Look for:

• colour schemes,

• layouts,

• typography,

• characters,

• features.

Analyse Competitors

Now you’ve got some idea of the design direction you want to go, check out other websites in your niche. 

Make notes on the following:

What do you like or dislike about them? 

How can you make your site stand out? 

Notice how your competitors use colour schemes, layouts, content, and features.

Add any further ideas to your mood-board, or change anything that you now think has been overdone or won’t work.

Identify Trends

Look for common design elements in successful sites in your niche. 

Make brief notes on the following:

• Are they using bold typography? 

• Where is the writing positioned on the homepage/landing page?

• Are the layouts minimalist or busy? 

• How is colour used?

• Using animations or video in the homepage? 

• What kind of images grab your attention?

Understanding trends can help inform your design choices.

Think about how you could use some of these concepts in your design. There are plenty of ways you can incorporate ideas and make them your own.

You want to stand out online - so how might you do things differently?

Is there a trend you could catch that your rivals haven’t got round to using yet?

Remember, the goal isn't to copy, but to inspire your own unique design.

Step 3: Plan and Structure Your Content

With your goals, audience, and style concepts in mind, it's time to plan out your website's content.

Create a Site Map

Think of this as a rough overview of your whole website. It’s the the blueprint, the architecture of your site.

Make notes of  the main sections and pages you'll need. 

For example, you might have a Home page, an About page, a Services page, and a Contact page. 

Think about how your visitor will find their way round your site. Make sure your structure is logical and easy to navigate.

ChatGPT prompt:

“Create a sitemap for a website about [your business]. The goal of the site is [goal].”

You’ll get a clear list of pages, with a rough idea about what visitors will expect to find on each one.

Refine this list until it fits with your ideas and the sitemaps of successful sites in your niche.

Develop A Content Strategy

Now, decide what type of content you'll need for each page. 

Will you be writing blog posts, showcasing photos, or creating product descriptions? 

This is also a great time to think about your brand voice – how do you want to come across to your visitors?

Friendly and casual?

Formal and professional?

A mixture?

Draft Content

Time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

Write some brief notes on the kind of copy you want for each page.

Keep your website goal in mind. 

What do you want your visitors to do - and how will your written content help them do this?

Make notes on various keywords and phrases so that search engines find you.

For example, if you’re a dog groomer, phrases like “dog grooming near me” or “mobile pet grooming” will help your customers find you.

This is the foundation of SEO - and the basis of digital marketing.

Knowing what keywords & phrases you want to use, will help you plan the navigation and content of your site when you come to build it.

When you’ve got an idea of how much written you’ll need, you can kickstart the process with this…

ChatGPT prompt:

“Write the home page copy for a website about [your business] with the goal of [your website goal i.e. for visitors to book a discovery call].”

NB.

The copy you get will be a bit tacky and generic. Remember, ChatGPT is just a writing assistant.

If you publish exactly what it gives you, you’ll sound like everyone else.

The point of having a website is to stand out - to let your future clients know why they should choose you. A professional website will have good quality written content.

So, you WILL have to rewrite this copy before you publish the site.

Step 4: Sketch Your Ideas and Create a Wireframe

It's time to flesh out your ideas.

Start by designing your Homepage. 

This is the most important page on the site. It’s where most people will land, and it also sets the tone for all your design ideas.

Rough Sketches

Grab a pen and paper and start sketching layout ideas. 

Don't worry about details – focus on the big picture. 

• Where will your logo go?

• How about the main menu? 

• Where will your title, tagline & introductory points go?

Sketch several versions to explore different layouts.

Create a Wireframe

A wireframe is a simple visual guide that outlines the skeleton of your website. 

You can draw this by hand or use a simple tool like Figma.

Focus on:

• Header and footer placement

• Navigation menu location

• Image placement

• Experimenting with colour

• Content location

• Call-to-action buttons
  

Wire-framing helps you experiment.

Try at least two different tones - one dark and one light.

You’ll be able to organise your content, play around with your ideas, and freely change things.

Wire-framing also helps you work out how the visitor will follow a logical flow through the content.

It’s best to do this now, before you get caught up in the details of design.

Step 5: Design Your Visual Style

Now for the fun part – messing about with colour and fonts..

If you’ve already got a fully developed brand, this bit will be straightforward.

You can use all your brand colours and fonts.

If not, now is the time to develop one. 

Here are some ideas as to how you can do this:

Choose Your Colour Scheme

Think about the psychology of colour and how it impacts your brand.

Select 2-3 main colours that reflect your brand and appeal to your audience. 

Use tools like Canva Palette or Coolors to find harmonious  combinations.

Think about accessibility and how this can affected by colour choices.

Also, choose an accent colour for buttons and calls to action.

This will make sure your visitors know where to go, and what to do when they want to book a call, buy a product etc.

Pick Your Fonts 

Choose 1-2 fonts that are easy to read and match your site's personality. 

Pair a distinctive heading font with a simple body text font.

Just as with colour, we all react psychologically to fonts - so spend your time thinking about what type of typography would suit your brand.

Decide on Imagery

Will you use photos, illustrations, cartoons, or icons? 

Choose a style that fits your brand, resonates with your audience, and is consistent.

Reimagine Your Mood Board

Revisit your mood board.

Make sure your colour scheme, fonts, and image style is updated to fit in with any new ideas. 

This visual guide will help keep your design consistent as you move forward.

Final Thoughts

You now have a solid plan for designing your website. 

Remember, good design is about solving problems and creating a great user experience, not just making things look pretty.

As you move forward, keep these things in mind:

• Always prioritise your users' needs.

• Keep it simple – sometimes less is more.

• Don't be afraid to experiment and do something different.

  Here are a few resources you may find useful:

  A book about assessing web design for beginners and business owners: Why Your Website Doesn’t Work  by Chris Davidson

  The wonderful freecodecamp have a free UI/UX Design Tutorial here: UI / UX Design Tutorial – Wireframe, Mockup & Design in Figma]

  Writing your own content is much easier when you feel in control. Here’s how: Content Mastery Book

Happy designing, and here's to your success online!