We define your goals, map out your pages, and create a clear outline that guides everything else.
No project can be successful without a plan—a shared understanding of how to approach the work. Not a mood board. Not a template. A real plan based on your business goals, your audience, and the actions you want visitors to take when they visit your site.
Making a plan is the first phase of our process, and in the Waterfall method, nothing else happens until this step is complete. Why? Because skipping ahead without a plan leads to rework, delays, and blown budgets. We don’t do that.
What happens during the planning phase?
We work with you to define the foundation of your site:
- Goals What’s the purpose of your website? What should it do for your business?
- Audience Who are your site visitors? What do they care about?
- Key actions What do you want people to do on your site—buy something, contact you, sign up?
- Site structure What pages do you need? What belongs on each page?
- Tone and voice What should your site sound like? (Friendly? Expert? Approachable? Bold?)
We’ll also gather any materials you already have–logos, style guides, old copy, and brand assets–and identify what needs to be created from scratch.
Most importantly, we’ll create a clear, strategic content outline for your site—so you know exactly what needs to be written, and where it goes.
Why it matters
The time we spend planning saves you time and money everywhere else. A solid plan means:
- We don’t have to guess when we write, design, or build.
- Your content has a structure before anyone starts typing.
- Your design serves your message, not the other way around.
- Development moves fast, because we already know what we’re building.
This is how we avoid the endless revision loop that derails so many web projects.
What about the writing?
You can write your own content or bring us in to help.
Many of our clients like to take a first pass themselves, and we’re happy to guide, edit, or write from scratch as an optional add-on service.
Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer or ready to hand it off, we’ll make sure you’re never staring at a blank page.
Planning phase deliverables
At the end of this phase, you’ll have:
- A site map and content outline,
- A shared understanding of your goals, audience, and voice,
- And the confidence that your website is built on solid ground.
Smart process = better website
If you want predictable timelines and no surprise costs, the waterfall project management method is the way to go. It keeps your project focused, efficient, and on track.