Defining Website Business Objectives

Begin with the End in Mind

Before the first stroke of artistic design or any line of code is committed, the single most important step in developing a new website, is defining its business objectives. Not artistic desires or selection of specific web technologies, but defining the hard business objectives your company desires to accomplish in relation to this new website. As Stephen Covey would say, "Begin with the end in mind".

The reason is simple, if you don't know where you want to go, even the best map will become nothing more than expensive kindling when you're lost in the forest of possibilities. Where as clearly defined business objectives will help keep priorities in perspective as you manage the production of your new website. Specific features such as a clean simplified design, rotating header images, HTML5 media players, advanced animated image galleries, Email newsletter sign ups, RSS feeds, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Social Media integration or developing member's only exclusive content are all great tactics, but they are not business objectives.

Master what is Measured

Equally important, is ensuring the website's business objectives are not so vague, its results cannot be measured. To illustrate, imagine a business plan who's stated objective is to "maximize profits"; as compared to the objective of "increasing annual revenue by 15%". Yes, both business objectives are defined, but which can be measured?

After calculating what 15% equates to, you now have a hard target number which is spread over the course of one year. It's then simple to divide this into smaller quarterly, monthly, weekly or even daily target numbers. It also becomes clear whether this business objective is realistic. To your delight, or dismay, you may discover 15% was too modest, and 20 or 25 percent is where the company needs to be. Either way, you now can build a master strategy around the numbers because you've measured how success will be defined.

Applicable to your Website

The same is true for your company's website. For instance, the website's business objective could be to produce three qualified leads per week. In pursuing this objective, we first need to clarify who would be considered a qualified lead. The best way to start this process is to describe your ideal customer or client. Where do they live? What is their profession? What media do they consume on a regular basis? Are they male or female? Approximate income level?

In the coming weeks, Cascading Media will publish an article focusing exclusively on defining your target market. Please check back for further information on this subject, or contact us to sign up for email alerts to newly published articles.

Then, based on the target market you've defined, and media types individuals from such a market are likely to consume, it will become obvious where to focus your marketing dollars. If, for example, individuals of your target market are likely to spend part of their day on a social network like Facebook, it's then logical to run ads in such a setting. If they are active in search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and/or Bing - then SEO coupled with paid search engine advertising are a good fit. However, if individuals of your target market are unlikely to spend time in such environments, it is unlikely your business will see much return on investment from such efforts.

Bottom Line

The success or failure of your website begins far from the details of any web technology or fancy design mock up. It boils down to how well defined the website's business objectives are from the start. Clearly defining your website’s business objectives will save time, money, and a great deal of frustration while keeping your priorities in perspective as you manage the production and marketing of your new website.