Website Design

How to build your website

This project guide helps two Sky’s the Limit members work together through five meetings as they collaborate to make a website.

Meeting 1: Create a content outline

Before this meeting:

• Make sure that you’ve had an intro meeting. If you need help navigating your first meeting, visit this Guide to Your First Meeting.

• Review: How to Make a Website

In this meeting:

• Decide which pages you will need for your website

• Create an outline or Sitemap. Slickplan offers a free trial for creating a sitemap, which is a visual diagram of your site. 

• Note what content (words, images, video, etc.) you will need for each page.

After this meeting:

• Start to gather content in a Google Drive or Dropbox folder.

• Note any agreed-upon next steps.

Meeting 2: Gather and decide on content

Before this meeting:

• Review: Web Design & Layout

In this meeting:

• Write copy for each page and section. Include one main header for each page, and subheaders for any subsections of your outline. 

• Decide which photos or videos go on which pages and where they will go.

• Write captions for all photos and videos. 

• Try Unsplash for free stock photos.

After this meeting:

• Ask someone you trust to look at your outline and content and give you feedback.

• Note any agreed-upon next steps.

Meeting 3: Review and select a content management system

Before this meeting:

• Review: Getting Started with Squarespace and Getting Started with Shopify and any other CMS options you may be considering (Squarespace and Shopify are our favorites!)

In this meeting:

• Discuss the pros and cons of each of CMS you are considering. 

• Decide which will be the best for you based on: 

  • your type of business and needs

  • price and familiarity

After this meeting:

• Sleep on it! And look for coupon codes. 

• Note any agreed-upon next steps.

Meeting 4: Build your website

Before this meeting:

• Start a trial or subscription of your chosen CMS and start to play with the features so you know how it works. 

• Create the pages you’ll need based on your outline.

In this meeting:

• Share websites and pages you like. Discuss what you like about them and what makes them easy or difficult to use. 

• Discuss where things should go and how they should look based on a user perspective.

After this meeting:

• Finish adding your content to your site and designing your pages. 

• Note any agreed-upon next steps.

Meeting 5: Get feedback and revise

Before this meeting:

• Share your website with your collaborator. Share it with friends, family or anyone you know who is a potential customer and ask for feedback. 

In this meeting:

• Discuss the feedback you’ve received. 

• Make any necessary revisions. 

• Test your site by reviewing every page, clicking on all links, and viewing it on different devices and screen sizes. 

• Revise as needed.

After this meeting:

• “Launch” your website by emailing your contacts and promoting on your social channels.

• Be sure to mark your project complete, update your business tracker, and start a new project!