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10 Steps to Launch a WordPress Website for your Business

Matt Shearer

This is a guide I’ve written for friends & colleagues by email many times in the past. Here it is in WordPress form, to help future WordPress-ers.

Please tweet me at @completedespair if you have any suggestions, criticisms or additions!

The Challenge

I am starting a business and I need a website. None of the free services I find really hit the mark. What should I do?

Here are 10 steps* that have worked for my clients. Try to stay within “MAXIMUM TIME” recommendations – the best idea is to launch quick and early and get real learnings from your users¹.

By choosing WordPress you will free yourself up for future growth, and the opportunity to pick and choose from thousands of Web professionals for help, and benefit from millions of hours of open source developer contributions.

1 – Write down what your business is trying to achieve (your “MISSION”).

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 2 hours.

If you haven’t already, write this down. This is often referred to as your “Mission Statement.”

What’s my “Mission”?

Sit down, with your most trusted partner/colleague/friend if that helps you, and hammer it out.

Your mission statement must be short, and must answer these 4 questions:-

  1. What do we do?
  2. How do we do it?
  3. Whom do we do it for?
  4. What value are we bringing?

See more about these 4 questions in this Forbes article.

2 – Describe your Target Customer.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 2 hours.

To achieve your Mission, you must understand your target customer.

In order to create an optimised website that will boost business for you, it is essential to have your target customer in mind at all times. Don’t create a website for yourself, create one for THEM.

The first step is to describe your target customer. These descriptions are used extensively in web industry, and in Marketing in general, and are often referred to as “Personas“.

Make a start by describing them in general:

Our target customers will be time-poor 30-45 year old parents, who need a rapid, hearty hot meal, in a welcoming and comfortable setting for the kids.

Then work into more detail by making a couple of them, e.g. “Bob” and “Jenny” and go into their loves, hates, daily routine, and bring them to life.

Here’s a useful persona how-to guide.

It is ok to have a few Personas in mind, but do write them down and refine them.

3 – Describe what you want your Customer to DO on your website… their “GOALS”.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 1 hour.

When my customer gets to my website, they will…

Write a list of these down as your GOALS, and hold them in mind ALL THE TIME. NB – your goals should be rewarding to you in some way (revenue? warm fuzzy feeling?), otherwise you will later come unstuck.

Just 1 goal is fine. A few is OK. Don’t specify more than 5 to start with.

4 – Create your “Content”.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 1 day.

“Content” is the term used to describe the Words, Pictures, illustrations, Videos that are used to make your website.

Now that you have nailed points 1-3 above, you should be bullet-proof, and immune to shiny distractions…

…but here’s a reminder, you should always be thinking:

I am only interested in my MISSION, my TARGET CUSTOMER, and my CUSTOMER GOALS; I am focused!!

So let’s get started on your “Content”:

A) Get inspiration – have a look around.

Have a look at other websites in your business area.

Write this all down to help guide you in content creation later.

B) Do not obsess about your content layout.

When choosing aspects you would like to emulate, focus on the content rather than the website page layout. Why?…

i) Website Layouts used to be FIXED, like Magazines…

Back in the 2000s when nearly all users viewed the web on desktop computers, people obsessed and fawned over the static, magazine-like layouts of their websites.

ii) Now websites must be fluid and adaptable…

Now, in the 20teens, users will look at your website through a variety of different screen shapes and sizes, and they will use differing interaction patterns (point and click / touch and swipe / gesture and wave / …).

So, spending your resources on 1 particular view is a waste, and small details become very hard to manage across many screen shapes and sizes.**

iii) But don’t panic, we will ensure a good “layout”…

In “Step 7” below, we will choose a “theme”; this is the template that controls the layout of your website. Your “theme” will take care of making the layout look good on the myriad of devices your customers use.

C) For the LOVE OF GOD, do not plan “splash” pages, animations, flash interactives, or auto-play music.

But I quite like the whizzy thing that flies across the screen when I…

Careful! See here for a list of 10 design mistakes to avoid.

D) Define your key “Pages”.

When thinking about how you are going to convert your target customers into real customers, you will need a page for each “GOAL”.

You will need 4 or 5 pages (beware of having more, especially if you are just starting out), including your homepage to achieve your goals and reach your target users.

Write each page in a text editor, like notepad, so that you focus on the words. It is essential that the editorial content conveys the message, and takes your target customers towards their GOALS. Do not think about presentation or imagery, just headings and paragraphs.

Test this on your friends and family. Does it read well? Will it have the desired effect on your target customers?

E) Get your pictures.

Establish which GOALs need photos. Ask yourself:-

Where MUST I use a photo to get the right message to my target customers to push them towards their goal?

PLEASE – do not reach for the stock photos; this is your business, and you are special. Create your photography yourself or with a professional, do it carefully, and make sure it looks brilliant.

Each picture must have a purpose.

F) Make the videos.

….if you need them. NB Videos require some decent production quality if you do not want to risk turning your customers off.

5 – Create your Marketing Strategy.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 4 hours.

You will need to promote your product or service. Do not leave this unplanned.

Don’t get stuck here, just make a quick pass and get some plans together. Once you have launched you can experiment and try different avenues.

6 – Choose your WordPress Webhost, with SSL.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 1 hour.

This is really important. Put your website in the wrong place, and you will be exposed to security risks, performance issues, and headaches!

These webhosts below take steps to keep your website up to date on software versions, and to protect you against common security threats.

They also provide integration of the free LetsEncrypt.org SSL certs, so that your website supports a secure connection (showing “secure” and https:// in the browser bar).

I use- and recommend- these WordPress hosts:

a) Planning a lot of traffic – WPEngine – from ~$29 per month.

b) Affordable – Siteground – from ~$5 per month.

Whichever you choose, you will be left with a “plain vanilla” wordpress installation, ready for Steps 7 and 8!

7 – Choose your WordPress theme.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 2 hours.

Choose flexible Theme templates that enable you to manage your own website without lots of Website Design and Developer support.

These themes are responsive, and highly customisable.

Whichever theme you purchase, download it (it will be a .zip file), and put it somewhere safe ready for Step 8!

8 – Build it.

A) DIY.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: 3 days.

You should have your WordPress login details from your new Webhost from Step 6, and your Theme zip file from Step 7.

Roll up your sleeves, enter the content, and hack it around until you are happy.

Here’s a good set of “How to build a WordPress website” documentation to guide you through using the WordPress admin interface.

Many people choose to do this themselves. If you’ve played around with many web interfaces, and use the above steps, you are well set to achieve your Goals and Mission.

This is fun. I could noodle and tweak my website forever. It needs to be perfect, so I will continue to refine it…

STOP it!! You need to Launch and Learn; Do it quick, do it early.

The faster you get your website out to your target customers, the more chance you have of capitalising on market advantage, and more importantly: the sooner you can learn from your customers’ reactions and optimise your product. A ruthless and rapid first launch is often referred to as a Minimum Viable Product, or “MVP”

Read about MVP here to provoke some thought.

B) Get some help.

MAXIMUM TIME ON THIS STEP: Whatever your “help” thinks :-).

You can’t wave an umbrella in a street without hitting a “Web Designer”. Thanks to WordPress’ success, there are a lot of people who can help you create or customise your theme and functionality.

[I will insert a list of my trusted contacts here … soon!]

  1. Consult a friend – word of mouth.
  2. Use a freelancer on a rated network.

9 – GO!… Launch, Promote, and WATCH WHAT YOUR USERS DO.

A) Launch.

Do not worry about any extra song-and-dance. Just get your website live.

B) Promote.

Follow your marketing plan.

A couple of tips to get you started:-

10 – Experiment, Measure, Inspect & Adapt !

My marketing strategy is live, what now?

Watch your stats, and see how your “Goals” are performing.

Here’s a helpful guide on a few techniques to use with Google Analytics from Kissmetrics.

A) Experiment.

B) Measure.

C) Inspect & Adapt.

D) DO NOT LOOK DOWN!!

Trust in your plan and focus, and do not worry about blips or setbacks.

Remember from the steps 1-3 above:

  1. MISSION – what you are striving for, and your differentiator.
  2. TARGET CUSTOMER – who you are aiming your website at.
  3. GOALS – what they want to achieve on your website.

Focus and optimise on these 3 items, continuously and iteratively, and you will succeed.

E) BEWARE of content marketing distractions and promises!

The world of content marketing will suck you in, with its listicles and offers and “top 10 dead certain ways to [insert your challenge here]”.

One million million content marketers are trying to make their living by playing on your weaknesses, hopes and dreams. IGNORE THEM and focus on your Mission.

Thanks

Footnotes & Appendix

* 10 Steps is simplistic,… but it feels about right.

** See our page on Responsive Web Design, we’ve been looking at this since 2010.

*** Goal conversion is a term used to describe when one of your users completes the target objective, or “Goal” that you have set. E.g. “make purchase” or “sign up to newsletter”. Read more about conversion at Google here.

¹ It is really very tempting to tweak forever when creating your website. Please resist and focus on launching quick.

Marketing Channel List

† Here’s a really good “starter for 10” Marketing Channel List from David Sealey at SmartInsights. Use it to prompt some ideas:

  1. Advertorials
  2. Affiliates
  3. Aggregator inclusions
  4. Amazon/Ebay store
  5. Blog/microblog
  6. Content marketing
  7. Desktop app
  8. Digital banners and signage
  9. Display remarketing
  10. Email
  11. Email signatures
  12. Events
  13. Facebook advertising
  14. Facebook page
  15. Film/TV product placement
  16. Forums
  17. Images & Infographics
  18. In-game ads
  19. Influencer outreach
  20. Interstitials
  21. Kiosks
  22. LinkedIn advertising
  23. LinkedIn company profile
  24. LinkedIn group
  25. Local search marketing
  26. Loyalty card
  27. Marketing email
  28. Member get member’/Recommend a friend
  29. Microsites
  30. Mobile advertising
  31. Mobile app
  32. NFC (Near field communications)
  33. Paid placements
  34. Paid reviews
  35. Pay per click
  36. Peer to peer support
  37. PR Stunts
  38. Presentations
  39. Press releases
  40. Prizes/Exhibitions
  41. Product listing adverts
  42. Push notifications
  43. QR codes
  44. Receipts
  45. Relationship marketing
  46. Report sponsorship
  47. Research paper
  48. RFID tags
  49. Search engine optimisation
  50. Smart TV/Xbox/Console app
  51. SMS
  52. Songs
  53. Tablet app
  54. Telephone automation (IVR)
  55. Transactional email
  56. Twitter account
  57. Twitter advertising
  58. Video Chat
  59. Videos
  60. Wearable technology
  61. Webchat
  62. Website via desktop
  63. Website via tablet/mobile
  64. Wifi
  65. YouTube ‘pre-rolls’ and TrueView
  66. Youtube channel
  67. Account team
  68. Barkers
  69. Beermats
  70. Billboard adverts
  71. Blimps
  72. Bookends’
  73. Brand hijacks
  74. Brand to hand
  75. Call centre
  76. Carrier bags
  77. Catalogue
  78. Celebrity endorsements
  79. Concession in larger store
  80. Door-to-doors
  81. Fax
  82. Field sales agents
  83. Hold music
  84. In-box ads
  85. Inserts
  86. Jingles
  87. Magazine adverts
  88. Onserts
  89. Partner sales
  90. Pop up stores
  91. POS displays
  92. Postal/White mail
  93. Product packaging
  94. Program sponsorship
  95. Promotional items
  96. Radio advertising
  97. Sandwich boards
  98. Signage
  99. Smells
  100. Sports sponsorship
  101. Stores
  102. Street vendor
  103. Telephone on hold messages
  104. Telesales/marketing
  105. TV advert
  106. Wearables
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