Summer is a great time for road trips. When was the last time you got the family packed up and hit the road without a destination in mind? Now, don’t get me wrong, a spontaneous trip without specific stops in mind is great. Not every time though.
Some of the best road trips are the ones with a few exciting stops in mind and a specific goal to see…you fill in the blank.
Creating your website is like a good road trip. Without goal(s) in mind from the beginning, time and resource will sadly be wasted.
General Business Goals
Most businesses will fall into one or more of the following goals.
- Less Administration, More Automation
- Showcase Products, Services, Portfolio
- Increase Revenue
- Maximize Profit
- Client Satisfaction
- Work Less Hours
Understand this list is not fully inclusive. Hopefully it has primed the pump and you are scratching down your business goals now. Go ahead, write some down, this article will be here when you get back.
A website is always open 24/7. That means, even when business is closed, your website is still making sales, still providing customer information, still showcasing your brilliant work.
Pretty awesome, right?
Well, it’s one thing to put all that information on the internet, it’s another thing to methodically plan out how that information will be consumed by your customer. In order to make sure your customer has the best experience on your website, your goals and objectives need to be SMARTER.
SMARTER Goals
Setting goals doesn’t need to be a “hit the lottery” process. There’s a simple and smarter way to set goals.
Specific – a goal should be well-defined. Remember that road trip, could you imagine saying, “meet me at the restaurant.” How would you ever end up at the same place? Giving specific instructions to meet at McDonald’s off exit 123 will assure that you are meeting at the same place.
Measurable – a goal that is measurable means there will be a metric involved. This will allow you to know the amount of success that was achieved with the goal.
Achievable – speaking of achieved goals, your goal & objective should be achievable. Setting unrealistic goals will only stall you and your team out.
Relevant – you’re a plumbing business and you set a goal to sell the best cupcakes. While that goal is sweet (see what I did there), it is not relevant to your business.
Time Sensitive – set goals across time. Set some in the short-term and few in the long-term. The short-term goals will give quick wins and keep morale high. Keeping the long-term in mind will help create sustainability.
Evaluated – ask yourself, what value will this goal bring, once accomplished.
Reviewed – once the goal is accomplished, go over the wins and losses from said goal. This review process will help contribute to smarter goals in the future.
Purpose, Purpose, Purpose
Before sketching out that website design, or talking about its features, can you answer this question…what is your organization’s purpose?
The purpose of your organization will be the backbone of your website.
What goals have been set for your website?
If you are struggling to refine your goals, we would be glad to help.
