Webclick did an audit of about 100 random websites in Nigeria. It is interesting and shocking to note that about 90% of these websites do not have a clear website goals & objectives. It is no wonder then that many of these websites go out of existence after their first year of hosting. Worst still, many of the websites remain stagnant after one year of design. If you haven’t defined exactly what your website goals are when creating a website, or you have not set realistic website objectives, it will have an impact on your business.

When planning a new website, it’s understandable that many clients want to jump ahead to the “fun stuff” and brainstorm ideas for advanced features or look to other websites for ideas of digital bells and whistles. But features and graphics should not be your starting point—you should first list your goals and objectives for the site. While increased website sales or traffic may seem to be obvious marketing goals, they are meaningless without assessing the objectives necessary to achieve results.

Defining and implementing goals for your website will create a measurable metric which can be then analyzed to see if you are getting the results you want. To ensure what type of goals and objectives you can create, we will look closely at the common goals and objectives for most websites and more importantly, how these can be measurable.

Website Goals & Objectives

If you haven’t figured out what your website goals & objectives are, a good start is working out the difference between the two. A website can have a goal which can be it’s general intention. For example, what is the overall aim of your website? Is it to promote products? Sell directly? Or simply provide information? It can be a number of things, so establishing the overall aims of your website is a good starting block in discovering your objectives.

An objective, on the other hand, is something that is measurable. You can see if a business goal (e.g selling second-hand cars) has reached it’s objective by looking at the measurable data (or sales).

When creating your goals for your website you must define what measurable objectives can be analysed and monitored within it. For example, if your overall aim for your website is to increase your web presence, an objective might include increasing social media users on Facebook and Linkedin or increasing your newsletter subscribers within six months.
Therefore, an objective must be specific, have a time limit and be measurable. In business marketing and management terms this is called the SMART criteria. Meaning, an objective is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

Marketing goals will differ depending on the nature of your business. For example, a primary goal for a business offering professional services to other businesses might be to generate more leads, while an art or photography site might focus on showcasing work in an attractive way or selling it online.

Where to Start

Regardless of your business, start by listing specific website goals and corresponding objectives that fit your overall marketing strategy and capabilities.
Examples might include:

Goal: Increase sales.
Objectives: Search engine optimization, well-organized content, user-friendly site, effective calls to action, increase conversion rate.

Goal: Becoming an authoritative resource.
Objectives: Providing quality content on your website, regularly adding new information, establishing trust, marketing your site on other websites and social media.

Goal: Improve interaction with existing and potential customers.
Objectives: E-mail marketing lists, online support (live chat), webinars, and content designed to give your visitor a reason to come back.

The objectives shown above are examples, and not exclusive to the listed goals.

Conclusion
An attractive website is not enough to achieve your marketing goals. While your web designer can help you create an effective online presentation, you need to start by listing the strategic goals and objectives for your website.

Submit your website goal below and I will tell you what your objectives should be.

The Overlooked Goal
In developing your website goals, it’s important to consider your ideal visitor. Clients often fall back on “our buyers are diverse,” but a website aimed at everyone may attract no one. Your content needs to instantly appeal to your ideal visitors, convince them you are worthy of their time, and make it easy for them to take the next step.

For example, if you sell highly technical products to engineers, artsy slide shows or animations are not likely to succeed. The engineer will be more interested a bullet list of key features, detailed specifications and/or dimensional drawings that can be downloaded, and an easy means to request a quote.

Bring on your ideas and let's work on it together