Digital blog header image featuring a workspace with a printed website planning cheat sheet, notes, and laptop wireframes in a clean navy and blue color palette. Represents FlowCommerce’s structured approach to website planning.

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INTRO: Don’t Build a Website. Build a Plan

Most people rush into building a website before they know what it needs to do.
They pick a platform, grab a template, and launch, then wonder why it’s not working.

Here’s the truth: your website should be the result of your strategy, not the start of it.

That’s why I built this quick, printable cheat sheet. A one-page guide to get your foundation right before you write a single line of copy or pick a theme.

Step 1: Understand Who You’re Building For

u can’t design for everyone. You have to build for someone.

Write down:

  • Who your ideal customer is

  • What problem they’re trying to solve

  • What success looks like for them

This becomes the filter for your copy, visuals, and flow.

Step 2: Understand Why You’re Building It

What’s the real purpose of your site?

  • To sell online?

  • To collect leads?

  • To build trust and credibility?

Write that down. That’s your “why.”
If your pages don’t lead people toward that outcome, they’re distractions.

Step 3: Understand the Competition

Pick three competitors in your space.

For each one:
What do you like about their site?
What do they do well?
What’s missing that you could do better?

This gives you an instant roadmap for design, messaging, and differentiation.

Step 4: Download the Printable Cheat Sheet

I’ve put everything into a single, fillable PDF so you can get clarity before you build.
No fluff. Just the questions that matter.

👉 Download the Free Website Planning Cheat Sheet

It’ll save you time, money, and frustration — and help you build a site that flows.

Author

Sean Wolf

With over 16 years of eCommerce leadership, I specialize in architecting and scaling Direct-to-Consumer brands across both established and emerging markets. Most recently at Johnson & Johnson’s Kenvue division, I spearheaded the end-to-end launch of a startup women’s health platform targeting the menopause segment—driving a seamless omnichannel experience through enhanced UX/UI, strategic 3PL partnerships, and the successful rollout of Salesforce Marketing Cloud to automate and optimize the full CRM lifecycle. These initiatives not only elevated customer engagement and on-time delivery metrics but also delivered double-digit improvements in conversion rates and customer retention.

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