Buyer’s Guide: The Importance of Website Strategy

Author

Aapo Mäki

A website project should be approached just as strategically as any other aspect of business development. In other words, don’t go in blind if you want to achieve real results. In this article, I’ll explain what strategic planning means – and why it’s worth investing in.

Strategic planning is the foundation of success

We have been responsible for the strategic planning of websites for numerous businesses, organisations, unions and public sector entities. Some of the most notable logos include Huoneistokeskus, WorldVision, Teollisuusliitto, as well as the cities of Nokia and Kangasala.

Website design isn’t just about visual appeal or technical implementation. A website is the digital core of your business. The strategic planning phase ensures that your website supports business goals, guides users towards desired actions, and delivers measurable value. But what exactly does strategic website planning include?

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Why is strategic planning essential?

Without strategic thinking, a website is just a collection of pages, views and features. A well-designed website, on the other hand:

Supports business objectives – whether it’s sales, lead generation or strengthening brand image
Provides an optimal user experience – users can find the information they need quickly and easily
Is search engine optimised – attracting consistent visitors without large advertising budgets
Is technically robust and scalable – adapting to the company’s growth and the ever-changing digital landscape
Builds a competitive advantage – differentiation and a unique customer experience enhance results.

How does the strategic planning of a website progress?

During the strategic planning of a website, at least the following areas are addressed in every project:

1. Understanding the business and target audiences

Website design begins with analysing business objectives and target audiences. Who are your customers? How do they use or would like to use your website? What are their pain points?

Answering these questions, for example, will guide the entire design process.

2. Competitor analysis

Analysing competitors’ websites and their general digital presence helps to identify how the market typically operates. The key aspects to examine are:

How do competitors attract and engage visitors?
What keywords and content do they use?
How are their website usability and conversion paths designed?

However, it is important to remember that by imitating a competitor, you can only achieve results as good as those of the competitor. We don’t want that – we want you to succeed better.

3. Information structure and user journeys

A well-designed website guides users towards conversion. This requires a clear information structure and careful definition of user journeys:

What content are visitors looking for?
How do they navigate the site?
How can we optimize their experience?
In what contexts do we guide the user to take action?

4. Search engine optimisation and performance

The discoverability of a website is an important aspect to consider. After all, a website is useless if no one can find it. SEO-optimised websites include:

The right keywords, strategically planned and carefully placed
A reliable, secure, SEO-optimised, and fast architecture
User-centric content that engages and guides actions.

5. Analytics and tracking

The performance of a website must be measured and continuously improved. Tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, Hotjar, and Search Console help track visitor behavior and optimize the site:

Which content performs the best?
Where do users come from and how do they navigate?
Which elements generate the most conversions?
How is our ranking for important keywords developing?

Strategic planning for a website is the foundation of a successful service. Once the strategic plan is carefully crafted, the next step is to move on to service design.

Want to know more? Read about the stages of a website project or contact us!