Before hiring a professional web developer, wise entrepreneurs will take a moment to ask themselves, “What do I want visitors to do when they come to my site?”
The answer to that oh-so-crucial question is what we developers consider website objectives, and they will dictate the set-up and functionality of your pages. By communicating these goals with your professional web designer, you are setting yourself (and your website) up for success. These objectives will guide the design of your pages and optimize them for your business’s unique needs. Read on to learn about a few common website objectives to consider:
Increase Awareness of an Opportunity
According to Hubspot’s Buyer’s Journey of the Inbound Methodology, would-be customers need to “have realized and expressed symptoms of a potential problem or opportunity.” In the next stage of consideration, they can identify in clear terms what that problem may be. Here’s your opportunity to talk about said challenges and how you can help them fix it with your product or service.
This objective calls for an up-to-date blog or research page. Talking about challenges or the areas of opportunity that your product or service can solve is a fantastic way to reach potential customers in the awareness and consideration stages of the buyer’s journey.
E-Commerce
If selling products from your page is a primary goal, then optimizing the e-commerce function is crucial. What steps do visitors have to take to purchase an item? (The fewer steps, the better!) Do you offer a guest checkout option? If first-time visitors have to create a full profile in order to purchase the goods, then they might click-off before completing the transaction.
Are cookies on your site enabled to store information for repeat shoppers? Is it easy to choose the quantity of an item or remove them from the shopping cart? Do you provide shipping information in an easily-seen location? Put yourself in the shopper’s shoes and make the e-commerce process as seamless as possible. Web developers with previous e-commerce experience can help guide you and will know the right questions to ask to facilitate visitors’ shopping experience.
Lead Generation
Perhaps the main objective of your website is lead generation. In that case, the Contact page or “Contact Us” form should be especially well-executed. Personalize the text, add the form to several places within the site, and make sure the call to action is clearly visible. For inspiration, check out these 11 examples of excellent Contact pages.
Interested in learning more about website objectives? Let us help explore your options and create an optimized website for your business goals.
