Did you create a strategy before building your business website? Perhaps you skipped this step to save time or because you weren’t sure why it was needed. However, creating a website without a strategy can leave it aimless and ineffective. Let’s talk about why you need a website strategy and what it should look like.

Why is it important to have a strategy before building a website?* So you build the website for the right reasons. * A common way to spot strategy-less sites were clearly built for the business, not their customers. * Think about what information your audience needs before you even begin.

But doesn't that slow the process down?* Absolutely, but that’s ok. * Speed isn’t the goal here. Or if it is, that’s a different conversation. * You could go on Squarespace right now and literally have a site in a matter of minutes. * Slowing yourself down can be a good thing to get the content right.

What should the website strategy include?* It’s a deeper process, but it comes down to understanding who you’re trying to serve. * Who are they? * What are you trying to help them with? * Why should they listen to you? * What do they need to do to get started?

How can you implement this strategy into the site build?* One, clearly, is the content. Speak to them in the right way—don’t use internal jargon (unless it helps with your audience). * The other is the site hierarchy, the sitemap. Knowing your audience will give you a better insight into what kind of content would be beneficial on the site.

How does this benefit your company in the long run?* We get a lot of clients that come to us with sites that you can tell were solid when they started, but they didn’t have a clear direction. * The navigation has become overcrowded, there are a bunch of CTAs on the home page, three or four big buttons at the top, each trying to overpower the other. * With no direction, it’s hard to know what to prioritize. * A strategy gives you a road map for how to build and grow your website.