Why Are You Here? The Key to a Strong Web Presence Is a Clear Purpose

Posted On: October 09, 2014

 Websites can do just about anything these days, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Trying to be a jack of all trades will leave you master of none — and in today’s competitive business world, mastery is essential. One of Google’s guiding principles is “It’s best to do one thing really, really well,” and nowhere does that hold truer than online.

When it comes to creating your company’s website, then, the first thing you need to determine is what its “one thing” is. Even if your company has multiple products, divisions, or client bases, your website needs to have one clear purpose. In other words, you need to ask of your website, “Why are you here?” After all, that’s the first question any potential client is going to ask, with just a slight variation, which is, “What can you do for me?”

You Need to Know Why Before You Decide How

You’ve probably heard the saying, “The end justifies the means.” But when it comes to website development, the end doesn’t just justify the means, it determines it. In other words, you have to know what it is you want your website to do before you can decide how it should look and function.

There are many ways a website can support your business. It can act as an ambassador, telling visitors what you do and what makes you unique. It can draw visitors into the sales cycle as a lead generation tool, or it can be used to as a sales support tool where customers can customize products or track orders. It can even be an outright sales tool, allowing visitors to complete the entire sales cycle online (e-commerce). Or maybe you just want a powerful back-end where employees can share documents, track inventory and sales, and perform other key business tasks. 

Obviously, an informational website is going to have a completely different look and feel from an e-commerce site or custom web development, which in turn would differ greatly from a website geared to employees. For that reason, you need to what you want your website to do before you can begin the design and development phase.

 

Pick Your Purpose with the User in Mind

Another of Google’s principles is, “Focus on the user and all else will follow.” While your ultimate goal is to have a website that supports your business, it’s important to remember that your business relies on customers or clients. The best way for your website to support your business, then, is by supporting your customers or clients. If your website speaks to them with an attractive design and the functionality to support their needs, they’re far more likely to do what it is you want them to do (complete a contact form, call a telephone number, place an order, etc.), making your website a success.

 

Associated tags:  Web Development, Website