Free Website Planning Worksheet for Your New Website

Updated October 26, 2022

Creating a new website can be quite a formidable task if you’re building a successful website without a template. It is doubly hard for those who have not done so in the past. Let’s alleviate the stress a bit with the use of a website planning worksheet like the one that can be found here.

With this worksheet, you have a helpful guide on how to develop a website that will fit your needs and establish a proper workflow. 

Hire a web development company to build the webpage of your company’s dreams. 

Here are 4 steps to launch your new site: 

4 Steps to Launch Your Website - Free Worksheet

1. Planning
2. Content 
3. Style
4. Marketing

1. Planning

At this stage of your website design project, you must begin by planning. At this point, you must be able to identify: 

• What are the primary and secondary motives for creating the website?
• Who is your target audience? Describe them in detail.
• What are the possible domain names for your site?
• What is the budget for building the website?
• What is your project timeline? 
• What is your target launch date for the website?

What is the website’s main objective?

Before embarking on the actual creation of the website, you must know why you are building it. Ask yourself: what is the main objective? Are you looking to gain more recognition, sell a product online, or engage your potential customers? 

The answers to these questions may impact what functionalities or design elements you need to include. 

At the same time, be sure to rank your priorities. Build your website around your primary goal, but keep secondary goals in mind during the design process. 

Who is the target audience?

Understanding your potential users makes it easier to tailor your website to engage those who will visit it most often. 

Your website should have a seamless user experience to keep your target audience coming back.

Additional Reading: ‘UX Design vs Web Design: Key Differences’

What is your preferred domain name?

Think about what your website will be called and what the web address will be. Choose more than one just in case your first choice is not available. The URL for your website defines your brand and impacts your SEO. 

At the same time, it needs to be unique and available for trademark. 

What is the budget for the website?

Building a website can cost money so figuring out early how much you want to spend on it can shape how your site will look like. It doesn’t have to be an exact monetary value. A ballpark figure will do. This will ensure that you do not spend more than you are willing on it. 

What is your target deadline?

Once you’ve identified your goals, audience, and budget, you must determine your project timeline. If you need to launch the website by a specific date, backtrack from there and plot out when each milestone should be accomplished. 

If you’re pressed for time, you may need to outsource part or all of the website design and development process.

Be sure to do your research about how long web design projects take and talk to your team about what resources they can provide to ensure on-time delivery. 

2. Content 

Your content defines your website by engaging potential customers. Additionally, it informs search engines about your website so it can be properly indexed. Before creating content for your site, ask yourself: 

• What content do you want to have on your site?
• What do your users want to see on your site?
• How do you wish to convey your information to the user?

What information do you wish to tell your audience?

Think about what you want to convey to your target market. Make a list of the things you want to see on your site. Product description, company background, contact information, and the like. Don’t worry if you miss something. You can always add it later.

What do your users want to see on your site?

Again, make a list. Remember: engagement is key. If you can predict what your customers want to see on your home page and then give it to them, they will come back again and again. 

How will you convey your information to the intended audience?

You cannot dump all the content you want to convey to your users on a single page. What you need to do is to map it out. Categorize your content and include the most important information on your main page while providing navigation elements to your site’s subpages. You can think of this step as an outline for your website. 

If your company wants to target specific keywords within your copywriting, make sure to have a separate planning phase for that. 

Additional Reading: ‘How to Avoid Keyword Research Mistakes on Google’

3. Style 

In addition to providing information, a website needs to be visually appealing to attract and engage users. Because of that, your website’s visual design is very important.  

Here are some things to consider:

• What color scheme do you want for your site?
• What font do you use?
• What visual elements should be integrated into the site?

Most website hosting providers offer pre-made web templates for use by their customers, but if you prefer, some can create a bespoke website that meets your specific needs. 

Think about what additional features you wish to include on your website. This could include navigational elements such as menus, color palettes, visuals, content pages, animations, and more. 

Consider the clothing brand, asos. Their website features a bar menu and search bar across the top for easy navigation, filters to help customers find what they’re looking for, a shopping cart, and a grid layout.  

Source: asos

They clearly designed their site to display their products. However,  they kept their customers in mind and made a great user experience. 

Once you’ve figured out all the design elements you wish to use, make a mockup of your site so you can see what works and what doesn’t.

Using your mockup, you can determine how intuitive the design is and what can be improved. 

Read this: ‘What are Annotated Wireframes & Why Use Them?’

4. Marketing 

Once your website is complete, you must market your site. Your new website is all but useless unless you can attract people who are interested in what you have to offer. 

The following can be used to market your site once it is up and operational:

• Social media
• Traditional media
• Influencers
• Blog
• Advertising
• Posters and fliers

Through market research, you can determine the best way to reach your target audience. 

Use This Web Design Planning Worksheet

Having a business website is no longer optional. It’s a necessary tool that can help you grow your company, engage with customers, and boost brand awareness.  
Developing a website can be a stress-free process with the help of this easy-to-use website planning worksheet.  
As you begin working with a web development partner, utilize this website planning worksheet to ensure a successful partnership. 

Website Planning Worksheet

Planning

• What is the primary motive or purpose for creating the website?
• Does it have any secondary purpose?
• Who is your target audience?
• What are the possible domain names for your site?
• What is the budget for building the website?
• What is your project timeline? 
• What is your target launch date for the website?

Content

• What content do you want to have on your site?
• What do your users want to see on your site?
• How do you wish to convey your information to the user?

Style

• What color scheme do you want for your site?
• What font do you use?
• What design elements should be integrated into the site?
• Most website hosting providers offer pre-made web templates for use by their customers. Do you wish to use those or make your own?
• What additional features do you wish for your website?

Marketing 

• Social media
• Traditional media
• Influencers
• Blog
• Advertising
• Posters and fliers

About the Author

Hannah Hicklen Content Marketing Manager at Clutch

Hannah Hicklen is a content marketing manager who focuses on creating newsworthy content around tech services, such as software and web development, AI, and cybersecurity. With a background in SEO and editorial content, she now specializes in creating multi-channel marketing strategies that drive engagement, build brand authority, and generate high-quality leads. Hannah leverages data-driven insights and industry trends to craft compelling narratives that resonate with technical and non-technical audiences alike. 

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