10 Steps to Build a Business Website for Under

$100Andy McIlwain @ WordCamp Hamilton 2015

Saturday June 6, 2015

Hello! I’m Andy.

Andy McIlwainFront-End Developer, Brainrider

Co-Organizer, Toronto WordCamps & Meetups

Instructor, Camp Tech

twitter.com/andymci

linkedin.com/in/andymci

slideshare.net/andymci

What We’re Covering

1. Profile Your Client2. Identify Challenges & Objectives3. Profile the Audience4. Create a Sitemap5. Determine Calls to Action6. Gather Information7. Layout & Design8. The Build9. Launch & Post-Mortem10. Maintenance & Support

You’ll walk away with an actionable list of to-do items to

build a business site in WordPress!

Not teaching you how to code a WordPress site, use specific

plugins, or customize themes!

Step 1:Profile Your Client

“Who is your client, and what do they do?”

Step 1: Profile Your Client

Sum this up in a paragraph or two to describe your client:

• Who are they?• What do they sell?• What problems do they solve?

For Example:“Misk Technology Services (MTS) provides on-site and remote tech support to small businesses. They help their customers manage IT issues without needing an IT department.”

Step 2:Identify Challenges &

Objectives(Note: Probably not nihilists.)

Step 2: Identify Challenges & Objectives

• What problems are your client facing?• What’re the goals for the site?

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary• How will we determine success?

What are the metrics?

Create an itemized list. Keep it simple.

Example:“MTS wants to reduce low-value support calls by 20% (tracked via helpdesk) by directing customers to a self-service knowledge base for common issues.”

Step 3:Profile the Audience

Step 3: Profile the Audience

Describe three segments in detail:Primary, Secondary, Tertiary

• Who are they?• What problems do they have?• How can your client solve those problems?• Why is your client a good fit for that segment?

Remember: Always, always, always have the client’s audiences in mind.

Example:“Small businesses in the GTHA with 10 or more employees struggling with day-to-day IT issues. We have a local helpdesk and on-site personnel to dispatch for them.”

Step 3 Cont’d: Understand the JourneySymptoms

• What pain is the audience feeling?

Condition

• What is the source of the pain?

Remedy

• What do they need to do to stop the pain?

Early-stage prospects (leads).

Late-stage (hot!) prospects (leads).They’re learning!

Tip: “Prospects” and “leads” are terms for potential customers.

Example: Tech Support

Symptoms

• “We keep wasting time troubleshooting our technology.”

Condition

• “We don’t have the in-house expertise to manage IT.”

Remedy

• “We need on-call IT support that can come to our office.”

Example: Web Agency

Symptoms

• “Potential customers can’t find us on Google.”

Condition

• “There’s nothing about us on the web.”

Remedy

• “We need to build a website for our business.”

Example: Financial Planning

Symptoms

• “We’re having a hard time paying our bills.”

Condition

• “We’re wasting money on things we don’t need.”

Remedy

• “We need a financial plan to guide our spending habits.”

Example: Home Contractor

Symptoms

• “Water is leaking through our ceiling.”

Condition

• “Our roof is old and decaying.”

Remedy

• “We need to replace the roof and repair damage.”

Step 4:Map It Out

Step 4: Create a Sitemap

Map everything out. What pages are going to be created? A simple spreadsheet is good to use for this.

Consider:• What content exists already?• What segment does it speak to?• What else do you need?

Example SitemapPage Audience Purpose CTA

Home General Introduce business, showcase promotions

Navigation

Products Office Managers Lists all products we sell. Purchase/Order

Services Office Managers, CIO Services offered, rates, pricing, availability.

Request a Quote

Blog Public, Employees, Partners

Recent company news, events, alerts, updates.

Subscribe for Updates

About Us Public, Employees Corporate information, careers, press releases.

Contact Us

Resources DIY Troubleshooters Guides, FAQs, templates, tools, calculators

Download

Customer Support Existing Customers View support terms, request support

Contact Support

Step 5:Determine CTAs

CTA = Call To Action = Asking the site visitor to do something.

Step 5: Determine Calls to Action (CTA)

• What CTAs are appropriate to each page?• What’s the most important CTA across everything?• Don’t overdo it with the calls to action.

Step 5 Aside: Climbing CTA Mountain

• Book a n Appointment

• Request a Quote

• Buy Now

Sell

• View Demo

• Download Information Sheet

• See Pricing

Evaluate

• Download Guide

• Read Tutorial

• Subscribe for Updates/Discounts

Educate

• “How do I…?” (SEO)

• Share on Social Media

• Link To Us

Attract

Step 6:Gathering Intel (Forms!)

Step 6: Gathering Intel (Forms!)

Many of your CTAs will require prospects to fill out a form. In a spreadsheet, list out the forms you need to build, the fields, and the information that you need to gather.

• What information does the client need?• What information does the client want?

Rule of thumb: The more you ask for, the less you’ll receive.

Step 7:Layout & Design

Step 7: Layout & Design

• Gather & incorporate assets. (Client logos, colours, fonts, brand guidelines, etc.)• User expectations have been set.

(You aren’t building an art installation.)• Using a theme or building from scratch?

Doesn’t matter. Keep your pages fast and focused.

Step 7 Aside: What layouts do you need?

Home Page Archive (Index) Post

Gateway to all the things. One focus per page. Posts, search results. Engaging & shareable.

Step 8:The Build

Step 8: The Build (“The Shopping List”)Item What? Cost

Hosting, Domain A Small Orange (plans start at $35/year) $35

Theme Refer to layouts, I like Genesis as a foundation to build on. $60

Pages Refer to sitemap, use CMS Tree View to map out $0

CTAs Refer to CTA plan, use plugins for controlling visibility $0

Forms Formidable (Plugin) $0

Lead Tracking LeadIn (Plugin) $0

Email Service Provider MailChimp (Service) $0

SEO Optimization WordPress SEO by Yoast (Plugin) $0

Backups BackWPUp or Updraft Plus (Plugins) $0

Security Wordfence (Plugin), Members (Plugin) $0

Analytics Yoast Google Analytics (Plugin) $0

Grand Total $95

Step 9:Launch & Post-Mortem

Step 9: Launch & Post-Mortem

Launch• Go live when people are there to fix bugs.• Go live when there’ll be minimal impact.

(Check Analytics for traffic trends.)

Post Mortem• Internal huddle! What went well? What

could be improved?

Step 10:Maintenance & Support

Things to keep in mind…

• Monthly Retainers = Recurring Revenue• Tie into reporting; show clients their

money is being spent on something real.• Set limits on what you cover in

maintenance (new projects have a way of sneaking in…)• Have clear expectations.

Recap!

What We Covered

1. Profile Your Client2. Identify Challenges & Objectives3. Profile the Audience4. Create a Sitemap5. Determine Calls to Action6. Gather Information7. Layout & Design8. The Build9. Launch & Post-Mortem10. Maintenance & Support

The Takeaways

• Building a business site involves more than just building the site.• Planning, expertise, guidance,

execution, support – this is what you’re paying for when you hire a professional.• Each step of this session is actionable.

Download the worksheet @ www.andymci.com/website100/

Thank You! Questions?

Some calls to action for ya:• Each step of this session is actionable! Download the plan template @

www.andymci.com/website100/

• Are you a WP developer who loves this approach to sites?www.brainrider.com/about-us/become-a-rider/

Find Me Online!• twitter.com/andymci

• linkedin.com/in/andymci

• slideshare.net/andymci