Why is is important to have a goal for your website?
1. Setting goals eliminates the confusion of what to put in your website.
In a typical process, the goal is found at the end of a series of sequential steps. However, in creating a website with a specific goal in mind, the typical process is reversed. You build the steps starting from the end going backwards. Having goals enables you to plan the site structure and decide on what contents to include. Goals set the criteria for establishing site content based on an objective viewpoint. You only need to consider one question: Will this (content) help me reach my goals?
2. Goals can be used as the yardstick of the effectiveness of your website after it is completed and published.
Effectiveness or its lack is determined by the rise and fall of conversion rates. And improving a sluggish conversion rate is difficult if you cannot measure it in the first place. You will not be able to identify the improvements you need to introduce and you will not know if you have achieved that ROI you are after.
Primary and Secondary Site Goals
Business websites can have many goals. Thus, it is important to classify them by priority in order to give each one its due focus during the web development process. This also allows the results to be measured and compared accurately once the website is completed.
Primary goals are those that produce direct and tangible results. They are the goals that bring in the money and generate a return on investment. Primary goals that are appropriate for small businesses are:
Generating Leads
Selling Products Online
Producing Referrals
Secondary goals support the primary ones and produce less tangible benefits, but are important just the same. But, as its description implies, your site should not be centered on the secondary goals. Good examples of secondary goals are:
Building up Credibility
Sustaining Current Customers
Recruiting Affiliates
Goal-setting requires you to be self-centered and think in terms of what your site can do for your company, and not on how it can help other people by disseminating information. Although creating awareness of your company is a valid goal, a one-way communication channel does not generate sales.
These goals will be examined and referred to frequently as the site is being developed. They will be taken into consideration during the development of the critical features such as site structure, messaging, calls to action and graphic design. Primary goals will make up for the majority of the site’s contents and secondary goals will probably be single-page contents.
Questions that will help you set your site goals
What action do you need your visitors to take?
What are the secondary goals that you want your website to meet?
I sincerley hope this post will help you plan your website goals. If you liked this post, then why not subscribe to this blog. I hope you visit again. 
About BlogWorkz
