Latest News > July 2008

Defining your Business Website Goals

A successful website has defined goals, together with the ability to measure how well the website meets those goals and then tweak as necessary to improve its performance. But what can your business website really accomplish?

Here are five goals that businesses use their websites to achieve, which you can adapt to fit your own company.

1. Making Money

Many business websites are designed to directly increase the profits of the company by generating money. A few ways that business websites can achieve this are: Direct sales – offering goods and services for purchase.

Advertising – bringing in money from other companies.
Affiliate sales – selling products for other companies in exchange for a cut of the profits. A website that generates more revenue for your business is a clear asset.

2. Saving Money

Business websites can do more than generate revenue; they can also decrease the costs of running a business. Some examples of cost savings you could achieve for your business include:

• Saving employee time – offering frequently asked questions, training manuals, and online instructions can answer your customers' questions without tying up the time of your employees.

• Reducing overhead – answering questions online reduces the need for expensive free phone numbers and operators. By moving some or all of your direct sales online, you can save money on rent and utilities for offline locations.

• Reducing marketing costs – many people prefer email newsletters to catalogues and brochures sent by mail, and online marketing is significantly less expensive.

3. Building Marketing Lists

Whether you generate sales through email or direct marketing catalogues, you can grow your marketing lists through your company website. Online registration is quick and easy, removing barriers that could prevent interested customers from subscribing. Your website also gives you the option to make registering for a marketing list even more attractive with previews, white papers, and bonuses.

4. Lead Generation

Your website is a powerful tool for encouraging potential customers to request more information. It can answer preliminary questions, outline benefits, and clarify procedures for purchasing and using products. A well-crafted website can drive a significant number of leads to sales people, who can then close the deal.

5. Branding and Loyalty

Your website is a powerful tool to help make your business a household name, and to build loyalty among customers. With offerings like industry news, prize promotions, sales, games, and community forums, you can give your customers a reason to keep coming back to your site. This will also make your company the first they think about when planning a purchase, and will increase the likelihood that they'll recommend your company to their friends.

Not every company uses their website for all of these purposes. However, if you are only focusing on one or two website goals, you might want to consider how you can make your website work for you more effectively. If you would like a no-obligation consultation to help define your website goals, please call 020 8238 2401.

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