Treat your Website as an Investment
The objective of a business Website should be stated in business terms. All too often poor Website designers convince their clients that to get as many unique visitors as possible is the objective of any Website; But, just because many people visit a website doesn’t mean that that is good for the client. What matters is that the needs of the client are being served by their Website and this is usually best measured through defined objectives. For example, suppose I have a Website for my company that sells high price tractors. The primary objective of my Website may be to get two sales leads a week through the Website by visitors filling in the Online enquiry form. Getting several hundred Website visitors per day is largely irrelevant if those visitors aren’t looking to buy a tractor. If I’m getting three visits per day and this is resulting in two Online enquiries per week then my Website is a success. If however I’m getting hundreds of visits a day and none are resulting in sales then my Website is a waste of time and money.
This objective setting (and measurement) process is what often separates the good Website designers from the bad. Good Website designers try to understand their clients’ business objectives and model the Website to help in meeting those objectives. It takes experience, a service culture and business knowledge for the designer to understand and factor in these business objectives. Of course, designing a Website to meet the specific objectives of a client results in a more expensive Website. The investment in a Website however should be seen by clients as an income generating investment where a favourable Return on Investment (ROI) is necessary. Ultimately you are going to get a better ROI by engaging a good designer that aims to make your Website meet your business objectives.
