Goal Setting: The Key to a Profitable Website

What's the first step towards a profitable website? Setting sensible goals.

My first job after university was working at a small publishing company. One of my boss's favourite sayings was, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there."

It was a reminder to his staff that the first step in any project is to establish what you want to achieve i.e. set goals or targets.

In my experience few websites have any goals. Often they're built on the reasoning, "We've gotta have a website because everyone else has one."

Even now, many people think a website is a kind of marketing silver bullet. They think that by simply putting a website up they'll be deluged with sales enquiries. Unfortunately it ain't so.

Realistic and achievable goals for a website fall into the following five categories:

1. Sales Lead Generation

A website can be an excellent source of qualified sales leads.

2. E-commerce

Many products and services can be sold online, from MP3 players to accommodation.

3. Customer Service

You can serve your customers better by providing customer service online. This can range from FAQs on common customer queries to a 24/7 online help desk.

4. Building Brand Equity

People now expect businesses to have a website. And they expect the same respect, responsiveness and customer service on the web as they receive from other touch points. A website can have a powerful effect on customers' brand perception.

5. Process Automation

You can cut costs by automating processes on your website e.g. online billing, data gathering, delivering information, and human resources procedures.

One, or a combination, of these goals should be the primary focus of your website. Once you've selected your goals you can develop strategies to achieve them.

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