Stage 02 · Consideration

Build your online presence

A digital home that signals quality, clarity, and authority in under five seconds.

One focused weekend, then small revisions over two weeks. 4 steps

Your presence is not your logo. It is the first impression a stranger forms in the time it takes to read one sentence and one image. This stage gives you a small, opinionated structure so that impression is honest, calm, and aligned with what you actually do.

What you'll have at the end

A one-sentence positioning statement
A homepage with five sections in the right order
A consistent visual identity — type, two colors, one shape
One quiet piece of proof placed above the fold

The work

Step by step

01
Write your one-sentence position
Fill in this template, then rewrite it until it sounds like a sentence a friend would say, not a brochure: I help [specific person] do [specific outcome] without [the thing they fear or hate]. Read it aloud. If you flinch, it is honest enough.
Do this
- Draft 10 versions, keep the one that sounds most like you talking
- Test it on one friend — can they repeat it back accurately?
- Paste it at the top of every page on your site
A prompt
"If I removed every adjective, would the sentence still be true?"
02
Architect your homepage in five sections
In order: (1) the one-sentence promise, (2) who it is for and who it is not for, (3) the three problems you solve, (4) proof — one quote or one number, (5) one clear next action. That is the entire page. Resist adding more.
Do this
- Sketch the five sections on paper before opening any tool
- Cut anything that does not belong to one of the five
- Make the next action a single button, not three
A prompt
"If a stranger only read the first section, would they stay?"
03
Choose a visual identity you can keep
Pick one serif and one sans, two colors (one dark, one accent), and one geometric shape you will use as a motif. Constraints make a brand recognisable. Recognisability builds trust faster than novelty.
Do this
- Lock your type pair and two hex values in one document
- Use only these on the homepage for one full week
- Choose one shape (circle, arc, line) and use it as the through-line
A prompt
"Would I still be proud of this in 12 months?"
04
Add one quiet proof
Even one is enough at the start. A real quote from one person, a number you can defend, a screenshot of a message. Place it directly under the promise. Proof early earns the right to be read further.
Do this
- Ask one past client or reader for a single-sentence quote
- Place it above the fold
- Attribute it with a real name and role — anonymous proof is no proof
A prompt
"What is the smallest piece of evidence that would have convinced me?"

Worksheets

Exercises to sit with

Print these or open a fresh document. They are not quizzes — they are quiet pages where the real work of this stage gets done.

The five-second test

20 minutes

Show your homepage to three people for exactly five seconds, then hide it. Ask them three questions and write the answers verbatim. If two out of three can't answer the first question, rewrite the hero before doing anything else.

Sit with these

"Who is this site for?"
"What does it help them do?"
"What would you do next if you needed this?"

The cut-in-half edit

30 minutes

Open your homepage copy in a plain document. Delete half of it. Read what remains. If the page still makes the same point, keep the cut. Repeat once more. Calm is a feature; brevity is what creates it.

Sit with these