How Can You Achieve the Web Success You Want with Wishy-Washy Goals?
The Sprocket Report
For a website to be successful, it needs to be goal-oriented. Since you are the only one who truly knows what those goals are, it’s vital that you work alongside your web partner to achieve them.
Too often, the website is just a checklist item that a business owner needs to get “done” without really examining what “done” means. Goal-setting is imperative because you can’t be successful without agreeing on what success looks like.
Grand goals are inspiring, but they apply more to your business as a whole rather than to your website. “Make $100,000 this year” is probably not a useful website goal, especially if you aren’t selling a product, but it could be a good business goal. To reach it, you would break down the steps that lead to that grand goal. Your website would be one of those steps and have steps of its own.
For example, to make that $100,000, you need to know how many sales must be completed. To complete that many sales, you need to know how many people must be contacted, and so on. Where does your website fit into the steps that lead you to the grand goal?
Every industry is different and what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. Keep in mind that selling a product is very different from selling a service. Marketing to the world requires a different strategy than marketing to a city. And standing out in a competitive market is much harder than in a niche.
You are the coach of your marketing team, one of which is your web partner. Think of them as the talented athletes on the field, but it’s your knowledge and experience that plans the strategy on how to win.
Take the time to determine a serious goal and break down the steps needed to get there. Is your goal to be a top result in a location search? To get emails for leads? To be the known expert in your field? The more specific you are, the better you can focus your efforts.
Once you’ve set a goal, you and your web partner can plan how to reach it. Competitive research might be necessary. Or writing keyword-specific content. Maybe off-site marketing is needed to drive traffic. Your input on this is vital because no one knows your business as well as you do.
Your web partner can share analytics and help you understand them so you both know whether you are moving in the right direction. Improvements may be subtle at first, but all those little steps forward will add up!
Last century, just having a website put you a head and shoulders above the competition, even if your goals were wishy-washy. That is certainly no longer the case. Thoughtful preparation and consistent effort is necessary to keep advancing. A little luck certainly helps, but luck goes even farther when you’re prepared for it to strike.
Sprocket Websites’ differentiator has always been that we want to be your partner, not just a hired service. Together, we can meet the goals you set. Contact us today to discuss how.
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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