Websites: Goals

I don't know how many times I've said that every business needs a website, but that truth still stands and can be a vital asset to a company. However, a bad website can arguably hurt a company as much as not having one. That's why there needs to be goals and a plan for the site.

Questions to ask yourself?

• Why are you creating a site?
• What are you trying to accomplish?
• Who are you trying to reach?

These questions may seem similar, but they cover very specific areas. For starters, just like choosing a path for the business you need to know why and the why needs to be focused. Otherwise, the site could easily become disorganized and unfocused. This is different from what you're trying to accomplish. What are your goals? Do you want to sell on the site? Are you looking to start a blog? These questions will help determine design and setup of the site. Lastly, the demographic is extremely important. Along with helping tp determine design and setup, this will also help determine the marketing and SEO aspects of the site.

What to remember: Planning is key. Before you ever start to develop a site, whether with an outside developer or with someone in your organization, create a plan.