Website Goals: Where do I start?

My grandpa often teased me by saying most things get better with age. In fact when we look at most of the technology around us, many of us would tend to agree. Remember when Apple first showed us the iPhone? [iPhone Keynote 2007 ] Just 7 years later we have smartphones that rival the power of most computers we used just 5 years ago. It seems time has been good to our desire for the new tech gadgets.

What happens to our websites with this changing technology, design, and our evolving businesses? Many go through the redesign or updating of their website each year. Others utilize software like Showit to make the changes themselves to quickly freshen up their site. Although all too often we forget why we have a website up in the first place.

Stop for a moment. Why do you have a website? What goal does it help accomplish in your business? If you just thought, ” To bring me more clients ” go deeper. How does it bring you more clients?

Everyone should have clear website goals, and know how those goals are accomplished.

Here is where we face a sticky wicket. Each of us is going to have a different story, passion, desire, and vision for our business. We fear being wrong, but will often defend our mistakes rather than learning from them. In order to discover or set your own website's goals, consider the following ways many websites are used.

• As an informational resource.
• Direct selling a product or service.
• As a central marketing hub.
• To collect information on clients.

It's likely your site is currently doing several of the items above and that's great! The important thing is to focus each of your online ‘faces' to meet a need your business may have. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help get started on your website's goals.

Questions to help set website goals.

1. Why would people visit your site?
2. Would they need to come back to your website?
3. Who do you want to visit your website?
4. What action do you want visitors to do?
5. How does this action (from #4) help meet a need your business has?

When we start planning any task it can feel really overwhelming. However, don't over think things too much. There is a happy medium between simple answers and long philosophical answers. Trust yourself. After all, this is your business and it should accomplish what you want it to! Once you have a few answers to these questions, try it out on your friends, family or business coach. Let them help focus your goals.

How do you use your website's goals to meet a business need?