Before you write a single line of code or buy a template, define these:

• Website goal: Do you want to sell? Introduce? Teach? Without a goal, design loses direction.
• Target audience: Age, job, tech level. A 20-year-old audience differs from a 50-year-old one.
• Page structure: What pages do you need? (Home, About, Services, Contact, Blog)
• Content: Are the texts and images ready, or will you produce them later?
• Budget and time: These two determine whether you go with a ready template or a custom build.

Without these, design becomes a messy stew you’ll have to redo every time.