If you’re taking steps to improve the digital presence of your business, you’re probably thinking about improving your website… or building one from scratch. And so it’s easy to think of a website as being your goal. After all, if you’re asked what you want to take away with you, the answer is clear:
A website!
But the truth is that ‘website’ is a bit of an umbrella term. There’s no one single type of site. Different sites achieve different things. Some inform. Some educate. Some entertain. Some sell. And the ability of websites to achieve all these different purposes is largely determined by how the site is designed.
This means it’s essential that you establish the right goal for your website from the very beginning.
Why goal setting matters
Websites are often talked about in terms of digital presence. And a huge part of what they do is ensure your business can be seen online. But they’re about more than that. They drive visitors towards a specific outcome, so you need to be clear on what outcome you want to achieve.
Goal setting is important for three core reasons:
1. It helps generate a plan
Every website starts off in exactly the same way: with a blank screen. There’s an infinite number of design elements and navigation options that can be used to create a website. Selecting the right elements really depends on what you want your website to do. The appearance of a website designed to build long-term client relationships will, for example, typically look different to a website designed primarily to sell as many products as possible. Knowing what you want upfront is one of the easiest ways to create a plan of action and start building the wireframes for your website.
2. It helps engage the right people
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is useful for driving the right traffic to your website. But it’s not foolproof. You’re always going to get visitors that don’t fit in with what your target audience should look like. It’s normal. But what’s important is that you don’t waste that visitor’s time – and you don’t waste your own time – building relationships with low-quality leads that are unlikely to convert. When you have a goal, you can design a site that engages with visitors that are displaying the right sort of actions that align with what you want them to do, whether that’s learn, consider, or buy.
3. It helps measure success
If you don’t know what you want your site to achieve, how will you know if it’s a success? Your site could be encouraging a huge number of visitors to download your ebook about lawn care… but perhaps what you really wanted to do was strengthen your position as a landscaping expert. Setting a goal is like establishing a baseline that you can keep referring back to. It’s a way to see whether the performance and results you’re seeing from your design are what you initially set out to achieve. And if not, it’s a chance to rethink your strategy and take steps to better align your site and your goal.
How to set a goal
Wondering how to establish a goal? Here are our 3 top tips:
1. Determine what’s non-negotiable: Every business will have a set of essential criteria for their site, whether that’s service descriptions, an active blog, or anything else. If you’ve made this list, then you’re well on your way to setting a goal. Look at how these criteria align with different purposes.
2. See what others are doing: Take a look at your competitor websites and see what sort of journey their own design elements are taking you on. Are you feeling a hard sell? Or are they trying to share their brand story? Is their goal making them a leader, or are they struggling to keep up?
3. Know what’s possible: Most goals – like expanding the customer base or selling services – are possible to achieve through web design. But remember that whatever goal you set should be something you can realistically reach via your site. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Ultimately, you should be left with one single, primary goal that will shape your approach to building your digital presence, and ensure you’re setting off to build a website that really works for you.
