"Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. "
Seneca
When starting out on any venture, it's always best to know your goals before you begin. Having a goal in mind not only makes the path to reaching it clearer and smoother, but gives you a point at which you can say "YES! We have achieved!".
Websites are no different, nor is any type of advertising. Before you invest the money, know what you are investing it TOWARDS. As a business owner/manager, you should be aware of what the goals for your website are before you begin the process of building/redesigning it.
Here are some questions to ask yourself - knowing these answers and being able to offer them to your designer or developer will not only ensure you are both on the same page, but also give you mega brownie points with them!
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Who is the target audience for our website?
When asking yourself this question, think about the following factors:
• Who are my current clients?
• What sort of people am I likely to reach on the internet?
• Is my website targeted towards my current client base, or am I aiming to attract new clients with my investment?
• What is the age group, sex, income, and education level of my target audience?
• What needs does this group have from my business?
Once you have identified your target audience, you can better tune your design, written copy and site structure to appeal to and meet the needs of this group.
What is/are the goal(s) of my web site?
There are a number of different reasons you might want to create a website - but knowing the main goal of your site can make a significant impact on the success or failure of your internet presence. Some business will make more than one website, or will offer "landing pages" to more confidently address their numerous online goals. Here are some goals you might be aiming for:
• Increasing Brand Awareness/Offering information - We think of this as a "brochure site"
• Increase Customer Loyalty - This can be done through offering special services for loyal customers, technical support, stock levels, and "listening platforms" where customers can easily converse with you about your product.
• Gain new customers/Increase Leads - Offer detailed product information, testimonials, case studies, and an easy way for customers to contact you.
• Market Research/Surveying
• Reducing paperwork/increasing productivity - Many websites include employee login sections with information such as work schedules, business updates, or event notifications
• Make Sales Online
• Recruit new employees
How will I measure success?
The last step in making goals is of course, knowing when you've reached your target! How will you measure the success of your website in terms of your goals? There are many online tools that can help measure information such as traffic and how people navigate your site, but you might want to get creative and think of other ways that you can measure your specific goal. Will you do a post sale survey with your client? Offer a specific promotion and count the number of people who take advantage?
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Consider these questions, and bring them to your website designer or developer. They will be grateful that you have taken the time to think about it. Your end result will be a website that not only meets the needs and goals that you have set for yourself, but also appropriately meets the needs of your target audience.
A website that has wisely taken these things into consideration can be pretty much guaranteed success!
