As the Ottawa Senators have recently learned, it doesn’t matter how much you change things up. If you don’t have goals, you can’t win.
Before spending money on developing a really nice looking site that functions well, make sure you know what your goals are. Although some websites have multiple goals, most ought to have just one. Here are 5 possible website goals. You should know which category your website needs to fall into and what you are aiming to achieve before moving forward with a website.
Website Goals
- Engage users and build awareness.
- Sales.
- Qualified leads.
- Information and support.
- Encourage users to frequently return.
Engage users and build awareness
If you’re building a branding website, this is your goal. You are creating an opportunity for visitors to learn about your brand and become interested in it.
e.g. Apple
Sales
If you have ecommerce site, you need sales. Your primary goal for an ecommerce website should be to sell.
e.g. Amazon
Qualified leads
An example of a site that would look for qualified leads is a landscaping company. It’s too difficult to sell your unique design and services online using package deals, so you’re looking for people to contact you. You want someone to fill out a form, send an email, or even call you.
e.g. Maize Inc
Information and Support
Most government sites and some associations would fall under this category. These are sites where the main goal is to get information to a user quickly and easily.
e.g. Confederation Line
Encourage users to frequently return
Everyone wants their users to come back, but that doesn’t mean it should be everyone’s main goal. Content publishers like bloggers and reporters should have websites that heavily push subscription and get them interested in what’s going to be written next.
e.g. CBC