Creating a website outline template is an essential step in planning your site’s structure, organizing content, and ensuring a smooth user experience. A clear website outline provides a roadmap that helps you visualize your site’s layout and makes the design and development process easier. Here’s a guide on how to create a website outline template with essential steps and a sample structure.
Step 1: Define Your Website Goals and Audience
Before creating your outline, clarify the website’s purpose and target audience. Ask:
- What is the primary goal of the website? (e.g., selling products, sharing information, building a community)
- Who is the target audience? (e.g., age, interests, needs)
- What action do you want visitors to take? (e.g., signing up, purchasing, contacting)
Knowing these answers will guide the structure and help determine the most important pages and content.
Step 2: Identify Key Pages and Sections
Most websites have core sections, but the specifics will depend on the site’s goals. Here are some common pages:
Home Page: Introduces your brand, highlights key offerings, and guides users to other sections.
About Page: Provides background information on the company, team, or mission.
Services/Products Page: Showcases the main services or products with details and, if applicable, options to purchase or sign up.
Contact Page: Offers ways for visitors to reach out, often with a form, email, phone number, or address.
Blog/Resources Page: For sites sharing articles, updates, or educational content.
FAQ Page: Addresses common questions and provides clarity on policies, services, or other areas.
Step 3: Organize Pages into a Hierarchy
Decide on a primary navigation structure that will make it easy for users to find content. Arrange your pages from most important to least important in the navigation bar. An outline typically has three levels:
Primary Pages: Main sections, like Home, About, Services, Blog, and Contact.
Secondary Pages: Subsections within the primary pages, like individual services under Services or blog categories.
Tertiary Pages: Detailed or specific pages under secondary pages, such as blog posts under a specific category.
Step 4: Draft Content Ideas for Each Page
Outline the content structure for each page by noting the main points you want to cover. For example:
Home Page: Include a hero image, a short intro, value proposition, services overview, and a call to action.
About Page: Describe your company, mission, team bios, and possibly a call to action.
Services Page: Briefly outline each service, including details, benefits, and links to more information or booking options.
Contact Page: Add a contact form, contact details, location (if relevant), and social media links.
This approach makes it easier to build content in a way that aligns with the user’s journey and needs.
Step 5: Sketch a Visual Layout (Optional)
If you want to take it a step further, you can create a basic wireframe of the main pages to help visualize the layout. This doesn’t have to be highly detailed—it’s just a sketch to outline where different sections and elements will go on each page.
Step 6: Review and Refine
With a complete outline, review it to ensure it aligns with your website’s goals and audience needs. Make adjustments as needed to simplify the navigation or to ensure each page is clear and purposeful.
Final Tips:
Keep it User-Friendly: Don’t overload pages with too much content or too many links.
Prioritize Mobile Accessibility: Ensure that each page and section is mobile-friendly.
Focus on Clear CTAs: Make it easy for visitors to understand what action to take next on each page.
This website outline template gives you a structured roadmap to organize your content, streamline the design process, and improve user experience. As you work through it, customize each page to fit your unique brand and goals.
