How to Organize Content for Your New Website

In this blog, I'm teaching you all about how to organize your website content so you can design it with ease. 

Related: 5 Tools to Help Your Website Convert

Make a master list of pages

Start with a pen and paper. When you're drafting out the list of your website Pages it makes it so much easier if you can draw it out. It gives you a sort of visual representation of what the website will look like in its finished form.  There are five key pages that every website means and they are The Homepage, The About Page, The Services Page, The Contact Page, and The Blog Page.  You can have more than these, however, these are the bare minimum - and a great place to start.  Try not to overwhelm yourself with a multitude of pages.  The number of pages will grow as your business grows, so take it easy on yourself and start small.  Don’t get shiny object syndrome and end up with 13 incomplete website pages, and then never launch the dang thang.

Start with the Homepage

This is arguably the most important page of your website, and your site’s main job is to ensure that the people that land there are the right people, and continue to work with you or buy your product or service.  The main things here that you want to keep in mind are:

Who do I serve?

How do I serve them?

What is the transformation?

If you can nail those three things within your homepage, you are leaps and bounds above the competition.

Draw out the rest of the pages.

Once you’ve hammered out the homepage, it’s time to draft your other pages.  Try to keep the focus of your other pages on your ideal client.  Sure, the about page is about you.  But its about you in the context of how you can serve your ideal client well.  If you’re struggling with how to put your thoughts into words, a communications strategist like Lauren Carnes or a copywriter like Jess Jordana can help you put what’s in that beautiful brain on paper.

Time to lay it out

For each page, create a task list of what you will need to accomplish to design each page.  An example for the home page would be:

Homepage:

1. Select headshot for hero image.
2. Write short bio
3. Choose testimonials for social proof.
4. Choose and resize images for web.
5. Choose CTA (call to action).

And so on.  I would also recommend writing out your goal for each page next to it.  Where do you want the reader to go next?  What do you want them to do?  These are all key things to keep in mind as you layout the content for your website.

Repeat the Process

Take the step above and apply it to each following page you have for your website.  Set yourself small, actionable tasks so that you can check it off.  You’ll be amazed at how being able to achieve those smaller tasks will make the whole project seem wayyyy less daunting.

Plan Your Launch

This is huge - especially if this is a brand new website.  You will want to plan a week or so to create buzz around your new website.  Social media posts, IG stories, FB lives - anything to hype up your brand new home on the web.  Provide value during your launch phase like a new freebie or guide that will help lead your audience to check out your website - annnnddd buy from you.  Also, give yourself a little cushion between your launch date and your actual site live date.  Things can and will go wrong, so give yourself time to comb over your site in detail.  Making sure links work, checking the mobile version, making sure your email forms are connected properly.  Grab your besties to help you go over it and test things out.  It will also be a good chance for them to get a little sneaky peek at your site to help you launch it!

Launch it BIG

Put it out into the world and share it boldly.  Get those biz besties we talked about earlier to be your hype squad to help you spread the news of the amazing website that just hit the interwebs.  Don’t be shy!  Only about 2-3% of your audience sees your stuff at any given time, so share that baby again and again.

And don’t forget to celebrate - you did the dang thang!