Companies and organizations of all sizes struggle with their website. After all, everybody knows you need to have a website, but how do you make it work for you? The lack of real investment in a website shows the lack of confidence a company and/or person has in the use of a website. (The result of this is that people put up inexpensive or free websites, and that can cost you. See my articles here.) Oh sure, we use “hits” like a banner. We put a hit counter on our website to show the world how many hits we have.
The reality is that “hits” refer to the number of times a file has been accessed from your website. These days a web page can contain dozens of files. One person looking at one page on your website can account for 12-15 hits, or more! If that is the case, then why are we counting “hits?” A better question to ask is, “What is the purpose or the goal of your website?”
Often companies and organizations aren’t sure what the goal is for their website. It is widely assumed, now, that having a website is indispensable. We see the stories of websites who bring in business for it’s owner, but we figure that it is rare since it doesn’t happen for us. But, what if we took the time to decide our goal for having a website? Website owners learn after a while that simply having a website does not mean that thousands of people will show up every day!
What is your goal for a website? To look cool? To communicate with your team or organization? To generate revenue or leads? This is the first question to ask. Everything else flows from this question. It will determine everything about how you design your website from the function, the look, the architecture of the website, everything. It is the beginning of your online strategy. If you look past this, you will be spinning your wheels.
How can you decide the goal or purpose for your website? That, of course, starts with your marketing plan or strategy. What role does the website play in your larger marketing strategy? What do you want the website to accomplish? Do you want it to function as a team communication hub? Do you want it to keep fans updated? Do you want it to be a news outlet for all things related to your team? Do you want it to help you fill the stands? All of these are questions you need to ask yourself in regards to your website.
Remember, if you are looking for help, you can always contact me. I talk about using online tools for businesses at my blog, www.toddejones.net.
