Website Architecture

Website architecture helps small business owners understand the importance of strategic planning for their website.

Over the many years that I’ve worked with small businesses and entrepreneurs, I’ve found that the hardest message to get across is the importance of a website. Building a website that attracts and keeps visitors, functions perfectly and promotes your business in the way you want it to takes thought, planning, expertise and money. There are no shortcuts.

Anyone who has ever built or remodelled a house knows that you don’t start with a pile of lumber. You start with an expert, and together you and the expert come up with a design. Then you work out the cost and shop around for quotes of comparable value, knowing that cheaper does not always mean better value. If you trim your budget, you will have to do less, though if you’re smart, you can design the project for upgrades later.

Even if you’ve never gone through this, you, as a business owner or entrepreneur, know that the more you skimp and the more shortcuts you take, the more you are wasting your time and money in the end.

It’s always been a mystery to me why, when people start a new business or rebrand an existing one, they don’t get the importance of high-quality website development and they don’t understand that a website, like a house, has its own, unique architecture.

Here are the basic steps of website architecture. Every business owner needs to understand how important these steps are:

1. The foundation of every website is the website software. You cannot skimp of the website software, because if you do, you will not be able to upgrade later without huge expense. Much like the foundation of a house, the website software has to be solid and appropriate for what you want to build. If you don’t have the money to buy the right software now, wait.

2. The navigation concept will make or break the website’s functionality. When you design the space in a house for functionality, you can plan for upgrades within your budget. For example, suppose you want three bathrooms but can only afford one for now. You rough in the plumbing for the other two and finish them when you have the money. With the right website software, you can rough in future upgrades and do them when the time is right.

3. Your website is your show home, and like the outside of a house, your home page is the first thing people will judge. Would you walk into a show home that was run down, with peeling paint and confusing architecture? First impressions count. If you want to attract new visitors to your website and your business, they have to see you as a professional right from the beginning.

4. Even if you’re planning on upgrading, the interior of your website has to be attractive and in order. Prospectivepurchasers of your product or service, just like potential buyers of a house, want to believe that you are reliable. The best way to assure them that you are a professional is through strong visual appeal, excellent navigation and well-crafted content.

I hope I’ve convinced you of the importance of website architecture—or persuaded you to build your own house!

If you want to know more about how to develop website architecture, book a complimentary session with me. I’ll give you a personalized consultation on what will work best for you.

XOXO, Monica