New Website Content Strategy Checklist

Identify Your Purpose, Website Goals, and Audience

Begin by thinking about the primary purpose of your business. This also ties into branding (Mission, Values, Purpose) which we’ll go into next, but firstly, think about the main goal you are trying to achieve with your website.

Will your website be informational (for instance, to promote brand awareness and your services)? Or will it be to sell products?

Of course, many businesses will fall into multiple categories, but these goals are important to define so you know which platform is best to build upon (WordPress vs. Shopify vs. Wix, etc.); how you’ll plan out your content strategy; and whether you’ll need specialized features like a booking app, a blog, and so forth (next).

With all that in mind, you’ll also want to define your target audience. This involves thinking about who you’ll market your services or products to. The more detailed you can provide, the better. Begin thinking about demographics, where they live, where they shop, what sorts of hobbies they’re into, and other psychographics.

Define Which Website Features You’ll Need

In terms of website features, it helps to know in advance whether you’ll need basic features (such as a contact form) to more advanced features like a booking app, newsletter integration, a shop, or more. The website cost will also heavily depend on these customizations. If using WordPress or Shopify, you may need additional plugins which enable these features, some of which are going to cost extra since they are from a third-party.

Sample Features:

• Booking App
• Newsletter
• Live Chat
• Shop / Payments Integration
• Photo/Video Gallery
• Testimonials Slider

Develop Your Content with Intention (Strategy)

The content development process will be made up of writing copy, finding high-quality stock photos (or hiring a photographer), coming up with your brand identity (or refining it), and more. You’ll want to do all this with a clear intention about the design (functionally and aesthetically) so that you attract your ideal / target audience.

Your branding, both visual and conceptual (mission, values, purpose) should all complement one another. It’s also helpful to conduct a competitor analysis to see what others are doing well and how your brand can improve upon what’s already out there. This all dovetails into Search Engine Optimization as well, such as keyword research and analysis which is important when writing your copy (i.e., main Headings, paragraphs, and Call-to-Actions).

Think back to your primary goals (#1), and your website features (#2), and how all that will work together on the website when planning out your pages:

Home Page: Highlight your main offering; often the top layer-slider is your primary introduction to the world with a clear tagline or call to action. You may also introduce your services and have a link to learn more.

About Page: Your brand story; what makes you different from the competition; consider including your mission, values, and purpose.

Services/Products Page: Include features and benefits and provide detailed descriptions.

Blog Posts: An invaluable component of organic Search Engine Optimization since it’s a great way to showcase your expertise, gain credibility, trust, and domain authority.

Contact Form: This is generally a simple form for clients to contact you. Consider whether you also need more custom forms, such as an in-depth questionnaire or booking form.

Call-to-Actions (on each page): This dovetails back to your primary goals. Do you want customers to call you? To book an appointment? Are you trying to sell products first-and-foremost?

Your Top Navigation Menu

The links to the main pages of your website live at the top of each page (often called the header). This is called the top navigation or primary menu. You don’t want to over-clutter the menu with long words and it’s best to keep it simpler for optimal user experience. If you have a lot of pages, this can also be achieved by having sub-pages under the main page that drops down when hovering over the menu.

For example: Home | About | Services | Products | Blog | Contact

Domain and Hosting

You’ll need to makes sure your website domain (.com/.org, etc.) is available, and then to choose a reliable, secure, and fast hosting provider. In the case of DIY website builders such as GoDaddy, Wix, Squarespace and so forth, the domain and hosting provider may be one in the same. Alternatively, you might purchase your domain at GoDaddy and then need to point the domain to a server such as Siteground or Elementor Cloud. Personally, I’ve found both of the aforementioned hosting providers to be reliable, and even more important, to have prompt customer service. As your website designer, you have the option to either host your own website or I can provide hosting services which entail regular backups and security updates and website maintenance.

Information and Content Checklist

When getting started, it’s helpful to have the following information handy. At the end of this list is an in-depth checklist you can download.

Don’t worry if you don’t have everything ready yet. If hiring Anna Maria Media, we can work together to refine these details throughout the design process.

Website Checklist:

1. Business / Website Information

What is your domain name (website URL / www.domainname.com)?
What is your business / company name?

2. About Your Business (Company)

1-2 paragraph description: what makes you / your business different; your mission/values/purpose, etc.

3. About You (Personal Brand / Business Owner)

1-2 paragraph description; if personal brand, not just company.

4. Team or Employee Bios

List with brief description of each member.

5. Services or Products You Offer

List with detailed (and short) description of each. (Short description will go on Home page as introduction; and detailed description goes on Services/Products page).

6. Features and Benefits of Your Product or Service

List as one word or brief description.

7. Featured Product / Service on Home Page

What is one product, service, or offering you’d like to feature on the home layer-slider? Is there an associated photo you’d like to feature? (ex: photo with Call-to-Action)

8. Call-to-Action You’d Like to Write for Your Product or Services

Example: “Contact me for a Free Consultation Today”

9. Featured Client Contact Details on Top Navigation/Header

The name, address, phone, email, etc. you’d like accessible to your website visitors at the top and bottom of the website (and Contact page).

10. Your Brand Aesthetic

Do you already have an established brand? (Logo, Colors, Fonts, etc.) If yes, list the Hex #’s of your colors, including your logo. If not, are there any particular shades of colors that appeal to you? We can work together to refine this.

11. Favorite Websites

Do some competitor/market research and find 1-3 websites that appeal to you, in your field (ideally) for reference.

12. Top Navigation Menu Details / Website Pages

What pages would you like on your website? Example: Home, About, Services, Contact, etc.

13. Content / Photos

Find 5-10 high-quality photos (original and/or stock) you’d like to feature on your website. (Your company / bio / team photos, and photos for headers, etc.)

14. Social Media Handles

List any social media handles you’d like to link on your website (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.).

15. Keywords

List at least 5-10 field, service, or product-specific terms (keywords) you would like to rank for in the search engines. These should all be relevant to your business.

16. Additional Information

Is there anything else not listed here you’d like to include on your website?