This is the second article in series How to plan and manage your website . In this one I will explain types of website goals and tell you why they are important.

Don`t make a mistake before you even start!

You have the power to avoid No.1 mistake 90% websites today share on Internet. They failed to set clear goals. You have to define your goals! I cant stress enough how important this is.

There are two types of goals for every website:

1. Visitor goals
2. Publisher goals

Visitor goals

or goals of your target audience present their motivation for coming to your website. Do you know what your audience wants, needs?

No? Than ask them! The best way to satisfy your customers is by knowing them better. Identify their goals and satisfy them 100%!

Publisher goals

are your goals - reason for having a website. If you are a blogger or if you own a company website, you need to set your goals. Ask yourself what do you want to achieve with your website? Are you selling products, building a brand or is it something else you want to achieve?

Note: When developing a website for a client, you also need to take into account their stakeholders goals. The owner is usually interested in commercial effects (sales, branding, etc.), sales team is interested into getting leads, and customer support will probably have less calls if some FAQ are answered properly on the website.

Why goals are important?

Publisher goals

If publishers goals are not met, consequences can be very serious. People from sales will not get any leads, customer support will waste time with unneeded questions and lastly, if owner will not see any profit, the site may soon shut down.

Visitor goals

If visitors goals are not met, they will surely go elsewhere and they are definitely not going to buy from you.

Note: It is important to define both publishers and visitor website goals, because clearly defined goals are core of your website plan. The better you define your goals, the better your website will do.

How to define your website goals?

To help you define goals I recommend these techniques:

• team brainstorming (get your team on board),
• ask your stakeholders what they expect from new website,
• identify needs of your target audience: ask them, analyze their behavior,
• visit lots of websites to learn what you want, and what you don`t want on your website.

Further reading:

WebDesignFromScratch.com provides excellent tips on Goal-Oriented Design. They help you understand and set goals for your website project. Here is an article about Goal oriented Design.

Recommended Books:

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

by Brian Tracy. Eat That Frog! is a motivational book that will help you set and accomplish your goals. This book is not only useful for your website projects, but also for other things in life.