Content planning removes guesswork. When you know what you need and where it goes, writing becomes straightforward. This guide covers how to plan content for a WordPress or Shopify site.

Define your website’s purpose

Your site exists to achieve goals. Get clear before planning content:

  • Generate leads?
  • Sell products?
  • Educate customers?
  • Build authority?
  • Showcase portfolio?
  • Reduce support enquiries?

Every page should support at least one goal. Purpose drives structure.

Identify key pages

Most sites need:

  • Homepage
  • About
  • Services (or products)
  • Contact
  • Blog or resources (if used)
  • Legal pages (privacy, terms, cookies)

See What pages your website needs.

Understand what your audience wants

Plan around customer questions. List your top 10 questions, assign each to a page, and use them as content anchors.

Examples:

  • What do you do?
  • Who do you work with?
  • How much does it cost?
  • What results can I expect?
  • Why should I trust you?
  • What’s the next step?

Create a page-by-page outline

For each page, outline:

  • Headline
  • Subheadline
  • Main points
  • Benefits and features
  • FAQs
  • CTA

See How to write homepage content, How to write about page content, and How to write service page content for structure.

Gather assets before writing

Collect:

  • Logo and brand colours
  • Images and photography
  • Testimonials and case studies
  • Existing copy or notes

See How to gather website images.

Write in a consistent voice

Tone should match your brand. Clear, direct, and consistent across pages. Avoid jargon.

Add CTAs

Every page needs one primary CTA. Examples: “Get in touch”, “Book a call”, “View services”, “Start your project”. See Calls to action.

Optimise for SEO without overdoing it

Focus on:

  • Clear page titles
  • Descriptive headings
  • Helpful content
  • Internal links

See How to write blog posts for SEO.

Review before build

Before design or development:

  1. Read drafts aloud
  2. Remove fluff
  3. Confirm one clear purpose per page
  4. Add internal links
  5. Ensure CTAs are present
  6. Check consistency

Use the checklist

See Website content checklist before your project begins.

Start with a website audit →

Need help with content structure or strategy? Get in touch →