Creating a Website Outline For Web Development

Creating a website outline can be a very simple and quick pre-production step that a developer, designer or any type of person can take. An outline can be in all different types of formats. Bullet points, small paragraphs, some even use their sitemaps. It really matters on the type of person and what their work flow. Having a website content outline gives you can idea of where your website is heading after the homepage.

How to Start

There really isn’t a how to outline a website, you can be as creative as you want. If you’ve done your brainstorming you know what niche or idea you want to portray. And if you’ve thought of a site map in your storyboarding process then you have even more information. You have your main category, sub categories and a page structure for you site.

Your Structure Can Be Anything

Most website content outlines start with your main category at the top of the list. Then follow down into the different sub categories and pages from there. Usually you have a bullet point structure for the outline, with indents for the different categories, subcategories and pages. Your website design outline layout can be anyway you want. Just focus on what works for you and what you will understand.

Website Outline Example

• HomePage
  • Category 1
    • Sub Category 1
      • Page 1
      • Page 2
      • Page 3
    • Sub Category 2
      • Page 1
      • Page 2
      • Page 3
    • Sub Category 3
      • Page 1
      • Page 2
      • Page 3

  • Category 2
    • Page 1
    • Page 2
    • Page 3
  • Category 3

    • Sub Category 1
      • Page 1
      • Page 2
      • Page 3
    • Sub Category 2
      • Page 1
      • Page 2
      • Page 3

  • Site Map
  • Contact Page

Used to Help You Keep Track

There isn’t a set way to do it or a standard way to create an outline. The purpose of a website outline is to keep track as you build your different pages for your website. It also can help you visually see how your categories and subcategories are set up. Maybe you’ll see something that won’t work. Or you find yourself with have extra categories or you could add more categories. Either way it’s a good exercise to do before jumping into development.