Your website is often your first handshake with the world. Whether you’re running a small business in Nairobi or launching a startup with global ambition, your site sets the tone. So, how do you ensure it’s not just another pretty homepage but a powerhouse that actually delivers results? You follow a smart, proven checklist—like this one.
Let’s dive into everything you need to get your website ready to attract, engage, and convert.
1. Strategy Comes First: Plan Like a Pro
Before you even pick a theme or color scheme, stop and think. Why are you building this site? What do you want it to achieve?
Start by outlining your goals: Is this site meant to sell products, generate leads, build authority, or showcase a portfolio? Knowing this will influence everything from structure to call-to-actions (CTAs).
Identify your target audience. What are their pain points, and how will your site help solve them? Also, take a peek at competitors. What are they doing right? More importantly, what are they missing?
Lastly, choose a suitable platform. WordPress with Elementor is great for flexibility. Shopify is ideal for eCommerce. Simpler tools like Carrd or Wix might be enough for basic portfolios.
2. Brand Consistency is Everything
A cohesive brand builds trust. Pick your color palette carefully. Don’t just go with your favorite color—think contrast, readability, and emotion. Blue evokes trust; red creates urgency.
Your typography also matters. Limit yourself to two fonts: one for headings and another for body text. Make sure they’re readable on all devices.
Have a logo? Great. Make sure it fits neatly into your header and scales well on mobile.
This is also a good time to standardize your visual style: image filters, icon sets, button shapes—keep them consistent across all pages.
3. Navigation That Just Makes Sense
No one wants to feel lost on your website. Your main menu should be intuitive. Group similar items together: About, Services, Blog, Contact.
For larger sites, use mega menus or dropdowns to avoid clutter. Breadcrumbs are great for blogs or eCommerce sites with multiple categories. They help users retrace their steps—and Google loves them.
Stick to logical page hierarchies: Home > Services > Web Design. And always include a search bar. Your visitors will thank you.
4. Pages That Do the Heavy Lifting
Homepage
Your homepage should do more than look pretty. It needs to hook visitors within seconds. Use a clear headline, subheadline, and CTA button right at the top.
Add trust signals like testimonials, featured logos, or client stats. If possible, include a short explainer video or animation.
About Page
Tell your story. Humanize your brand with team photos, your mission, and a bit of backstory. People buy from people.
Services Page
Outline what you offer in simple, scannable sections. Dedicate a sub-page to each service for SEO and clarity.
Blog
Essential for content marketing. Structure it with categories and featured images. Make it searchable and shareable.
Contact Page
Should be friction-free: add a form, clickable phone number, map, and WhatsApp integration.
5. Design & UX: Looks Meet Logic
Good design isn’t just about beauty—it’s about usability. Your site must work beautifully on mobile. Test every page across devices.
Speed matters. Compress images, enable caching, and use a content delivery network (CDN). A slow site kills conversions.
Use white space to guide attention. Don’t cram too much into small sections. And make sure buttons are bold, consistent, and clearly clickable.
Accessibility isn’t optional. Add alt text to images, use high-contrast colors, and make sure everything is keyboard-navigable.
6. SEO From the Ground Up
Even the most stunning site is useless if no one finds it. SEO starts with keyword research. Know what your audience is Googling.
Optimize every page’s meta title and description. Use headers (H1, H2, H3) to structure content clearly. Keep your URLs short and keyword-rich.
Don’t forget schema markup for local business info, FAQs, and blog posts. It boosts your chances of landing in featured snippets.
And of course, link internally between related pages and blog posts. Google loves a well-linked website.
7. Technical Foundations That Just Work
You could design the best site in Kenya, but if your domain doesn’t resolve or your SSL is broken, you’re losing visitors fast.
Recommended Hosting Providers:
Get a solid hosting provider. Install your SSL certificate to ensure your site runs on HTTPS—this also affects rankings.
Set up a CDN like Cloudflare to handle traffic spikes and speed up global access.
Make regular backups. Use plugins or hosting features that auto-save your site. And beef up your security with tools like Wordfence or Sucuri.
Also, don’t forget legal must-haves: cookie consent, privacy policy, and terms of use.
8. Integrations That Supercharge Your Site
To get real value, connect your site to the tools that help you grow.
Set up Google Analytics (GA4) to track traffic and engagement. Connect Google Search Console to monitor indexing, keywords, and errors.
Install Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar to see how users interact with your pages. You’ll spot what’s working and what’s not.
Add WhatsApp chat, especially if you serve local or mobile-first audiences. It shortens the path from visit to conversation.
Use MailerLite, ConvertKit, or Mailchimp to start building an email list from day one.
9. Conversion Boosters: Turn Visitors Into Clients
You built the site. Now make it sell.
Add lead forms on high-traffic pages. Keep them short—name, email, and one message field. Place sticky CTAs in your header or sidebar.
Use urgency: limited-time offers, countdown timers, or scarcity badges for eCommerce.
Add testimonials, case studies, or client logos to boost credibility. Include trust badges like SSL, payment icons, or certifications.
And don’t underestimate copywriting. Your button shouldn’t say “Submit.” Make it say “Get Your Free Quote” or “Start My Project.”
10. Testing: Don’t Launch Blind
Before going live, test every corner of your website.
Try different browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Test on desktop, tablet, and smartphones.
Click every link. Fill out every form. Check loading speed using GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights.
Set up a custom 404 page that actually helps people find their way back. And ensure your favicon and metadata appear correctly when your site is shared.
11. Post-Launch Game Plan
Once you’re live, the work doesn’t stop.
Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. Announce the launch on social media, WhatsApp status, and your mailing list.
Monitor traffic, heatmaps, and conversions. Ask friends or clients for feedback and be ready to improve based on real-world use.
And keep building. Publish weekly blog posts. Add case studies. Tweak CTAs. Websites grow better when they’re active, not static.
12. Maintain Like a Boss
A neglected website is a liability. Run monthly backups and update your plugins regularly. Do quarterly audits for SEO, speed, and security.
Replace outdated testimonials and portfolio items. Fix broken links and monitor downtime.
Keep learning from your analytics and stay tuned to what users are clicking on—or ignoring.
Ready to Build?
A great website isn’t just pixels and plugins. It’s a carefully crafted machine built with purpose. With this checklist, you’re not just designing a site—you’re building a digital asset that works 24/7 for your brand.
And if you ever feel stuck or want an expert to handle the heavy lifting, reach out. Let’s build something brilliant together.
