5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Investing in a New Website

You keep hearing that a website is essential for your business. But right now, yours is not doing much. 

You have a website, but it is not bringing in new clients. You definitely do not encourage people to visit it, and you cringe when someone says they have had a look at it.

Or, maybe you do not even have one yet, and you don’t even know where to start and the whole thing just feels overwhelming.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of having a website that just exists, it is there, but it is not getting found on Google, it is not making it clear why someone should work with you and it is not giving people a reason to take action.

A website is not just another business cost, and to make it worth it, you need to be clear on what you need it to do. Before you commit, ask yourself these five key questions to make sure your new website will actually support your business.

#1. What Do I Actually Need My Website to Do?

Your website is not just a place to say, ‘? Hiya, I exist!’ It should have a job, a clear role in your business that makes running things easier and brings in more clients. Otherwise, it is just an expensive online brochure that nobody takes action on.

Start with the end goal

Think about your business. Right now, how do clients usually go from finding you to actually working with you? What steps do they take? Your website should be designed to support that process and make it easier for both you and your potential clients.

For example, if you spend a lot of time answering the same questions about your services or going back and forth to schedule calls, your website can take care of that for you. A well placed FAQ section, clear service descriptions and an automated booking system could cut out hours of admin and help potential clients take action faster.

If your website does not support the way you work, it is creating more work for you instead of saving you time.

Ask yourself:

• What is the main thing I want potential clients to do when they visit my website?
• Am I making it as easy as possible for them to do that?
• Are there any repetitive tasks my website could handle for me, like answering FAQs or booking appointments?
• What steps do people take before they work with me and how can my website guide them through that process?

Make it easy for them

Once you know the main thing you want people to do, your website needs to guide them to it. That means:

• Removing distractions, no unnecessary links pulling them away from the action you actually want them to take
• Making it ridiculously easy, your enquiry form, booking button, or call to action should be obvious, not hidden in a menu somewhere
• Setting the right expectations, if they are about to book a call, do they know what will happen next? If they are filling out an enquiry form, do they know when they will hear back?

You do not need a fancy website with a million features. You need a website that does its job, whatever that job is for your business.

So take a step back and ask yourself: What do I need my website to do for me? Because if it is not helping to streamline your business, it is just adding to your workload.

#2. Who Do I Actually Want to Attract?

It is easy to think, I want my website to appeal to everyone, but trying to speak to everyone usually means you end up speaking to no one.

Your website should be built for the right people, your ideal clients, the ones you actually want to work with. If your messaging is too vague or worse, trying to please everyone, you will attract the wrong people, waste time on enquiries that go nowhere and struggle to get bookings from people who truly value what you do.

Get clear on your ideal client

Take a step back and think about who you actually want to work with.

Ask yourself:

• What kind of clients do I love working with?
• What problems do they have that I can solve?
• What would make them look at my website and think, ‘Yes, this is exactly what I need!’

Your website should make it obvious that you get them. That starts with using the right language, addressing their specific struggles and making it clear how you can help.

For example, if you are a coach helping female business owners build confidence, your website should not just say, I offer coaching services. That is too broad. Instead, it should speak directly to the challenges they are facing, whether that is imposter syndrome, self-doubt or struggling to show up online and position yourself as the solution.

Make sure your website filters out the wrong people

Your website should not just attract new enquiries, it should attract the right ones. If you keep getting enquiries from people who are not ready to invest in your services or are looking for something you do not offer, your website is not setting the right expectations.

The clearer you are about who you help and how, the easier it is for the right people to say yes and for the wrong people to move on.

You can do this by:

• Being upfront about who your services are for. Spell it out. If you work with established business owners, say that. If you only offer 1:1 services, make it clear.
• Showcasing your expertise and authority. When you position yourself as an expert, you will naturally repel people looking for cheap, quick fixes.
• Adding full pricing or at least a price range. This instantly filters out people who are not ready to invest, saving you time on enquiries that go nowhere.

The more specific your messaging, the easier it is to attract people who are ready to invest, so you can spend less time with leads that go nowhere and more time running a profitable business.

#3 What Content Do I Need?

Your website should not just look good,it needs content that moves people from interested to ready to work with you.

If your messaging is too vague, too broad, or all about you, potential clients will not stick around. So what do you actually need?

The must-have pages

At a minimum, your website should have:

• Homepage – The first thing visitors see. It should instantly show them who you help and how you help them.
• Services Page – A clear breakdown of what you offer so people immediately understand how they can work with you.
• About Page – This is not a place to list your qualifications. It should make people trust you and feel confident that you are the right person to help them.
• Contact Page – Make it ridiculously easy for people to get in touch.

You might also need:

• FAQs to handle common concerns and speed up decision-making.
• Case studies or testimonials to showcase real results and build credibility.
• A blog or resources page to boost SEO and position you as an expert.

The must-have pages

Having the right pages is not enough, what you say on them matters just as much.

For example, if you are a coach, your Services Page should not just say:

❌ 1:1 coaching sessions to help you grow your business.

That does not tell them why they should care. Instead, focus on the result they will get:

✅ Struggling with self-doubt and second-guessing yourself? My 1:1 coaching helps you trust your decisions, stop overthinking, and take action with confidence.

This shifts the focus from what you do to why it matters to them.

If writing content feels overwhelming, simplify it.

Your website content should:

✔ Be clear and direct – No jargon, no fluff, no over-explaining.
✔ Focus on your ideal client – Speak to their struggles and goals, not just about yourself.
✔ Guide them towards a next step – Whether that is filling out a form, scheduling a call or booking an appointment.

Because at the end of the day, your website should be bringing in the right clients, making sales easier, and helping your business grow.

#4. How Will People Find My Website?

Sadly, a website simply existing doesn’t mean people will magically find it.

If you want your website to bring in clients, you need a plan to get it in front of the right people, otherwise, it is just sitting there collecting digital dust.

Ask yourself:

• Do I have a plan for getting people to my website?
• How are my ideal clients currently finding people like me?
• Am I relying on referrals or do I need to show up on Google, social media or somewhere else?

SEO: The long game that pays off

If you have decided that your ideal clients are turning to Google to find solutions to their problems (and considering that Google processes around 8.5 billion searches per day, they probably are), then ignoring Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) means your website will stay invisible.

SEO is not just about throwing 12 town names near you on a page and hoping for the best. It is about making sure Google understands what your site is about and why it should show up when someone searches for a service like yours.

That means:

✔ Using the right keywords – The words your ideal clients are actually searching for, not just industry jargon.
✔ Making your site fast and user friendly – If your website is slow or clunky, Google will push it down the rankings.
✔ Creating content that answers your audience’s questions – Blog posts, FAQs and service pages that make it easy for people (and search engines) to find you.

If SEO feels overwhelming, you have two choices: learn the basics or work with someone who knows what they are doing. But ignoring it? That is not an option if you want people to find you on Google.

Beyond Google: How else are people going to find you?

SEO is not the only way to get traffic. If your ideal clients are hanging out somewhere else, you need to be actively sending them to your website.

Think about:

• Social media – Are you actually linking back to your website in your posts and profile?
• Email marketing – Do you have a way to drive traffic back to your site through newsletters or lead magnets?
• Paid ads – If you are running Facebook, Instagram or Google Ads, are they leading to a website that converts?

Your website is not a ‘build it and they will come’ situation. If you want it to bring in clients, you need to actively send people to it somehow.

Think of it as your best salesperson, it works, but only if you get it in front of the right people.

#5. How Will I Maintain My Website?

Just like your business, it needs regular attention to keep things running smoothly.

If you have ever landed on a website that looked outdated, loaded painfully slowly or had broken links everywhere, chances are you did not stick around. Keeping your website in good shape means making sure that does not happen to yours.

Ask yourself:

• Will I manage updates myself or do I need ongoing support?
• Do I have time to refresh my content, blog or portfolio?
• What will I do if something goes wrong?

Keeping your website running smoothly

Websites need regular check-ins to stay secure, up to date and performing well. That includes:

✔ Updating WordPress, plugins and themes so everything stays secure and working properly.
✔ Backing up your site regularly in case anything ever needs restoring.
✔ Refreshing content – whether that is updating services, tweaking copy or adding new testimonials.

It does not have to be complicated

Website maintenance does not mean spending hours in the backend of your site every week. A few regular check-ins will help keep everything running smoothly. 

If you prefer a hands-off approach, make sure you have someone you can go to when you need support.

Because the best time to keep your website in good shape is before something needs fixing, not after.

A new website is a big step, and it is worth taking the time to get it right. By thinking through these five questions, you will be clear on what you need, avoid common mistakes and make sure your website actually supports your business.