Learn the essential prep work that makes your website clearer, stronger, and far more effective before you start designing.
Before You Build: The 8 Things Every Website Needs Before You Start Designing
Here’s everything to gather before you start building, so your website can become a strong, strategic, soul-aligned home for your business.
If you’ve ever sat down to build (or refresh) your website and immediately felt overwhelmed… you’re def not alone.
Most people begin *way* too early - diving into design before they have the clarity, structure, or strategy that actually makes a website work.
It’s like planting a garden before choosing the soil, the sunlight, or the seeds. You can do it... but it won’t grow the way you want it to. And your website is no different.
When you prepare intentionally, everything blooms more beautifully - your visibility, your client experience, your confidence, and even your sales.
Clarity is everrrrything. So, before you touch a template or choose a font, it can be so helpful if you spend time understanding:
🌼 who you want to reach
🌼 what they’re struggling with
🌼 what they desire
🌼 what they need to feel safe working with you
Your website should feel like a deep exhale to the people you want to serve - a space where they instantly feel seen, supported, and understood.
That becomes so much easier when you are clear on who’s visiting your garden.
1. Get Clear on Who You’re Creating For
Confusion is one of the biggest website momentum killers. So before building, make sure to outline your offers:
✨ What is it?
✨ Who is it for?
✨ What problem does it solve?
✨ What transformation does it create?
✨ How can someone get started?
When your offers are super clear, your website becomes 10x easier to design. Everything flows naturally because you know exactly where you’re guiding people.
2. Map Out Your Offers (Simply & Clearly)
This is THE HEART of your website - the energetic soil everything else grows from. Your core message should communicate:
🌿 what you stand for
🌿 what you help people embody or experience
🌿 what makes your approach unique
🌿 the feeling you want your brand to evoke
Think of this as the emotional tone of your website garden. Is it warm? Grounding? Expansive? Playful? Mystical? Professional? A blend?
Getting clear here keeps your website aligned, cohesive, and unmistakably “you.” Yay!
3. Define Your Core Message & Brand Essence
Most people open the website platform (my fav is Showit) and start dragging things around… and then wonder why it feels chaotic. Instead, outline the pages first:
🌼 Homepage
🌼 About
🌼 Services / Work With Me
🌼 Contact
🌼 Blog (if you choose)
🌼 Any important sub-pages
And then outline each page’s flow: headline, supporting copy, sections, CTAs, photos and testimonials.
It’s like sketching the garden layout before planting a single seed... everything works soooo much better.
4. Outline Your Website Pages Before You Design
No amount of beautiful design can’t fix blurry, inconsistent, or mismatched photos. So, before you build, gather:
🌿 brand photos
🌿 lifestyle images
🌿 product/service images
🌿 travel imagery (if relevant to your brand)
🌿 any visual that communicates your vibe
Ask yourself: Do these images reflect where my business is heading, not just where I’ve been?
Aligned visuals help your website tell your amazing story without saying a word.
5. Gather Photos That Actually Support Your Brand
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Writing after designing is the #1 mistake people make - and it can lead to soooo much frustration. Instead, write:
🌼 your homepage messaging
🌼 your “about” story
🌼 your offer descriptions
🌼 your FAQs
🌼 your CTA language
When you have the words first, design becomes effortless and more fun. You’re simply building a beautiful space to showcase your words now.
And this is where your clarity becomes magnetic.
6. Write Your Core Website Copy First (Not Last)
A website isn’t just a place for information for the viewer/visitor... it’s a path for them. So, before you build, it's important to understand and decide:
✨ What do you want visitors to do first?
✨ What’s the next step after that?
✨ How can you guide them with ease?
✨ Where does your freebie fit?
✨ Where does your offer fit?
✨ How do they contact or book you?
Gifting them a clear journey removes friction and increases conversions. This level of guidance before even working together also creates so much energetic trust and support.
7. Create a Simple Customer Journey
Most people build without knowing WHY they’re building. So, I invite you to take a step back, zoom out and choose your goals. What is your intention:
🌿 book more discovery calls
🌿 get more email subscribers
🌿 sell templates
🌿 increase traffic
🌿 elevate your brand presence
🌿 attract aligned clients
Your goals and intention will determine your design, your copy, and your flow. Everything will come together with so much more ease when you can see the bigger picture.
And your visitor/potential new client will be able to feel that. Clear intention = aligned outcomes.
8. Set Your Website Goals & Success Metrics
The truth is, a website isn’t just a project. It’s a reflection of who you are and where you’re going.
When you prepare intentionally - when you gather your clarity, your message, your offers, your images, your direction - your website becomes SO MUCH more than a digital business card. It becomes:
🌱 a magnet for aligned clients
🌱 a home for your brand
🌱 a garden that grows with you
🌱 a path that leads people toward transformation
🌱 an extension of your energy, devotion, and purpose
You don’t need to rush or force this. You just need to plant the right seeds. And you’re already doing that beautifully!
Your website is ready to meet your next chapter. 🌿✨ *HUGS* -Amy
✨ Final Seeds of Encouragement Before You Start Building
LET ME TURN YOUR VISION INTO A THRIVING DIGITAL GARDEN
Your website should feel like home-clear, inviting, and rooted in your magic. I’ll design a custom site that supports your growth,
amplifies your brilliance, and blossoms into real results.
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