When I first got into the business of building websites (late 90s), I would have to explain to people why their business needed a website. I was typically confronted with reasons and excuses about how their particular business or industry didn’t need a website. Much of my working time was spent on convincing people why they needed a website.
Somewhere along the way, people stopped asking why they needed a website. It’s become common knowledge that any person or organization that is engaging in the business of marketing must have a website. Today, people call me simply because they know they need a website.
You would think this was a favorable turn of events for someone in my business.
Unfortunately, the reality is most people still don’t know exactly why they need a website. Sure, they’ll agree they need one—a website line item has even become obligatory in most business plans today. But, press most people for why they need a website, and you’re likely to get a vague or generic answer along with a look that says ‘really?’
The problem is that the right answer will be a unique one for most people and not some golden rule that is transferable from business to business.
These days, I spend my time convincing people to ask themselves why THEY need a website, because knowing the answer to that is the linchpin to crafting a concrete web strategy.
Let’s start with the basics. What is the end result you are hoping for when someone visits your website?
Here are some typical answers our clients eventually reach:
- A sale.
- A warm and qualified sales lead.
- A satisfied customer service request.
- A visit to your store.
- A confident buyer who is in the sales process and researching the company.
We refer to these results as goals, and make every decision in the design and planning process around maximizing these goals. It’s OK to have multiple goals, just remember that each requires focused attention and measurement to achieve. However, the reality is that few people I meet have clarity on even a single goal. They simply don’t know why they need a website.
The bottom line is that you are not maximizing your investment if you aren’t increasing sales, growing your business or reducing costs in some way through your website. There is room for other types of sites in the interest of marketing and buzz, but your core website should be a results-driven website if results are what you seek.
Got your goal? Now get clear on it, very clear.
From experience, I can confidently say that the clearer a client can get on their goals, the better return we are going to get them on their investment. This may sound obvious, but few spend the time to narrow their goals to precise and measurable targets.
For example, what do you consider a quality lead? How many of those leads do you need on a regular basis to feed the sales engine? Knowing those answers will shape your website and marketing.
We’re going to write some follow up posts with examples of successful goals. In the meantime, you can start by asking yourself why you need a website.