Plan the decision path first.
Write down who will use the site, what they should understand, and the action they should take. A consultation business may need service clarity and booking. A commerce business may need product discovery and fulfilment. A network needs identity, availability and trust between parties.
1. Define the offer
- List audiences, regions, languages, services, prices and delivery formats.
- Write one clear primary action per page: book, enquire, buy, join or learn.
- Separate evidence you can substantiate from aspirational claims.
2. Map the website
- Group pages by services, practitioners, resources, about and contact.
- Write distinct content for each useful page; avoid city or tradition pages with near-identical copy.
- Plan the booking, cancellation and support journeys before visual design.
3. Specify the operating system
Record required CRM fields, payment methods, calendars, email automations, consent, access roles and integrations. Decide who updates each part after launch.
4. Test with real tasks
Ask someone unfamiliar with your business to find a service, see its price, complete an enquiry and recover from an error on a phone. Verify keyboard access, contrast, form messages, analytics and redirects.
Launch checklist: offers and owner approved · page map and copy approved · forms delivered · tracking verified · mobile checkout or booking tested · backups and ownership documented.
Model the website scope ↗
Assign launch ownership
Give one person responsibility for approving final service copy, pricing, contact channels and legal text. Name a second person who can resolve failed enquiries and booking issues after launch. A website without an owner tends to accumulate outdated hours, prices and availability quickly.
Prepare migration and measurement
If a current website exists, export a URL list and decide where each important page will go. Map redirects before changing structure; check analytics on the new enquiry, booking and payment paths. Define what counts as an actual lead or sale so an accidental tap is not recorded as a success.
Run a launch rehearsal
Test on an ordinary phone connection. Ask a person who has never seen the design to find a service, understand its cost, use the primary action and recover from an error. Check the same flow with a keyboard and at larger text sizes. Fix these failures before investing in promotion.
After release, review search coverage, successful enquiries, payment or booking completion and support contacts weekly. Prioritise broken journeys and unclear content before adding another section.