Before we start, let us just point out that we no longer do web design except in very rare instances because we discovered that we’re able to help our clients make more money through SEO, SEM and proximity marketing than we can through web design. Instead we work with other companies that build websites.
However, what we know best is how attract targeted visitors by properly researching your business and creating a blueprint for success. In the site building process, think of hiring us as hiring an architect to design the house… we design the foundation and structure to make sure the house lasts and then hand it off to other experts to put it together and make it look amazing.
Step 1 to Build A Website – Pick The Perfect Niche
The biggest mistake that most website owners make (and web designers allow them to make) is that they pick a topic with either too much competition or not enough demand. Ideally, the perfect niche has less than 30,000 competing pages and also receives more than 80 visitors per day for a particular phrase.
For example, “hockey” would be too competitive and “Nantucket high school hockey” wouldn’t have enough demand but “Massachusetts high school hockey” might be “just right.”
Now, “30,000″ might sound like a lot of competition but the 30,000 only refers to indexed pages that have the particular keyword phrase anywhere on the page. It doesn’t mean that every page is about the particular phrase. In fact, in most cases you’ll probably find that only the first 20-30 listings are really about the particular phrase.
And just because a phrase only gets 80 visitors per day doesn’t mean that you’re limited to that. It just means that the #1 site will receive 80 visitors who are looking for that exact phrase. At the same time, it’ll receive traffic for other keywords as well.
Basically, think of Goldilocks… you’re looking for porridge that is not too hot or cold and a bed that’s not too soft or hard… you want everything to be “just right.”
Step 2 to Build A Website – Create A Solid Foundation
Once you think you’ve found your niche, make sure there are at least 20 related keywords that have less than 30,000 competing pages and receive at least 10 visitors per day. Anything less than 20 keywords will not be enough to build a website that truly thrives.
Step 3 to Build A Website – Create A Framework
Many times, web designers have clients think about the look of a website before they design the structure that is going to hold it all together. We think that’s nuts!
After all, if you’re building a new house, you don’t pick wallpaper first. You determine how much land you got to work with… you decide how many rooms… how many bathrooms…
Well, when it comes to websites, the framework is basically how you are going to lay out your content (your pages). The most important pages are your cornerstones and the less important ones build the walls. If they’re not designed right then the house won’t last long.
Which is more important? The structure or the painting?
Step 4 to Build A Website – Graphic Design
Of course, a house that’s built but has no paint looks bad. The paint and decor puts your personal touch on the whole thing. Well, through graphic design is how you get to reveal your emotion and personality to your visitors.
Color choice, such as green for money and red for romance, become very important. And laying everything out on the screen is like deciding where to hang your family photos. Are you the type that likes to put them over the mantle or on the wall heading up the stairway?
I like to think of graphic design as the thing that makes people go “Wow!” Think of it like The Sistine Chapel. Without Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement “Wow” factor, The Chapel would just be another chapel at the Vatican. On the other hand, without The Sistine Chapel then The Last Judgement wouldn’t exist at all. So, while it gets people going “Wow”, it’s not as important as The Chapel itself.
If you want to build a website that will make you money, give us a call for a free consult and then hire us to design the foundation and structure first!
Related articles
- Creating a Website That Attracts and Keeps Visitors (valenciawebdesigner.com)
