It’s a new year, and for many businesses that means it’s time to finally get to that new web site they’ve been meaning to create. But often creating a web site can feel like a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be that hard. If you start with a checklist, you’ll find the process goes much smoother, and you’ll be on your way before you know it.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you start to think about what you want your new web site to do for you.

1. What is the #1 reason for your web site?

This may seem obvious, but sometimes it’s not. For most businesses, the web site should first and foremost be generating leads by building your email list. That means that you want your web site to be able to collect names and contact information so you can build a relationship and trust with your prospects. Other goals for your site include selling your products and services, showcasing your expertise and credibility or perhaps booking speaking engagements or providing advice and tips. Come to a decision on the top goal of your web site and then the secondary reason. This will help you create the navigation, design and web site copy.

2. What pages do you need?

Standard pages for a web site include a home page, about us, products/services and contact. Other pages may include blog, media room, or store. Creative sites do creative pages like “a letter to my clients,” or a portfolio page. Keep it as simple as possible. One big mistake is to create a site with too many pages in an effort to provide great value. It’s an honorable mistake, however a large web site can be very confusing to people and you know what they say: A confused mind just goes away. You don’t want that.

3. Do you have an email marketing system ready to go?

We talked about this a minute ago, but your site should be generating warm leads for you with a signup form. Visitors to your site have already demonstrated interest in your business. Adding a form to your site where your visitors can add their contact information to your email marketing list allows you to keep in touch with those warm leads. The big players in professional email marketing systems include Constant Contact, 1ShoppingCart, Aweber, MailChimp and Infusionsoft. Each has its pros and cons so you need to understand them, their functions and pricing structure so you can use one of them to capture web site traffic by having an opt-in box for your newsletter.

4. Do you have a high-value free offer ready to give to your web site visitors when they opt-in to your ezine?

The days of people signing up for your newsletter “just because” are long gone. You must offer something of great value in exchange for their email address. It can be a written report, video series, webinar or some other creative way to provide high value.

5. Do you have an online shopping cart in place like 1ShoppingCart, PayPal or something similar?

If you aren’t opening an ecommerce site but still want to sell a few things from your web site, you will need an online shopping cart.

6. Do you already own the domain you want to use for your web site?

The domain is simply your web URL and will look something like yourbusinessname.com. You can buy a domain from sites like GoDaddy.com for as little $10. However if you go to RetailMeNot.com and look up GoDaddy, you can probably find a coupon code to save a few dollars more.

One word of caution here. Don’t let someone else register your domain for you. You want your name to be on the domain registration so that if anything ever happens, you have final say with your domain.

7. Do you have hosting?

If you think of your domain as the address that tells people know how to get to your site, then your hosting is where the site actually lives. The two go hand in hand, and if you don’t have both a registered domain and a hosting account, you can’t have a web site. It’s not required that you set up your hosting with the same company you purchased your domain from, but that’s often the easiest way to go. You can often find package deals if you buy both at the same time.

Like registering your domain, I strongly recommend that you purchase hosting yourself. There are web development companies that will offer to provide hosting for you as part of a package. However, an arrangement like that means they’re holding the keys to your kingdom. If your relationship sours, things can get ugly fast. We’ve talked with too many business owners who have had their sites held hostage by the developer/host they once trusted. Take a few minutes to set up hosting in your name so you have full control. It’s a worthwhile investment of your time.

Creating your new web site may feel like a daunting task, but take some time to go through these questions before you get started. Armed with answers to these questions, you will have identified the basic purpose and direction of your site, making the design and copy writing process that much easier. Now go forth and build something awesome!

© 2013 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, CEO of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RisingStarPublicity.com.

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