What’s the purpose of your website?*

*Hint: keep reading for suggestions…

When it comes to running a business in 2018, you need a website. Sadly, though, such a simplistic view of why you need a website – to profit – is misguided. The best websites have much more reasoning behind it than merely to profit.

In fact, the best pages on your website may not be aimed at profiting directly. The profit is indirect; you help someone out and they’ll reward people with loyalty and purchases. From giving people advice and information on how to best help improve their own brand to offering intellectual stimulus, the aim of your website always has to be more than simply “to make money”! Don’t get us wrong, we love money. And if you’re business isn’t making any then it’s time to reevaluate. We’re diving deep here into how your website will end up making you that money!

With this in mind, what’s the primary aim of your website? What are some of the most important reasons that exist within the realms of trying to make a website work for you?

The aim of a website is…

To help a client. The first and most important aim is to help someone with a problem. From giving them access to a product/service to solve the problem, or showing them a DIY solution, your website is there to provide value in the form of giving customers solutions to move forward.
To educate the client. Another useful reason for a website is to help the customer understand the problem that they face. This is much easier to deal with, in that it will make it much easier for your website to grow – and keep growing – without issue. The more value you provide in terms of information, the greater the likelihood of lasting and genuine progress as a business.
To build a list. This is another very important objective for your website. It could be to build a list of people who listen to you and who respect the message that you have to provide. If you do this, then you can make sure that there is a genuine interest from the public in hearing what you have to say. Your website might be simply to help build a list so that you can sell to them later on. The best way to build a list – incentivise the opt-in. You do this by offering amazingly valuable free content in exchange for the name and email address of a potential future customer. Opt-ins could include, but are not limited to: free sessions or consultations, free ebook or worksheet, a discount on your services, a free quiz, a report, a webinar… use your imagination, make it relevant to your business, make it something that someone would happily pay for!
To handle sales. Sometimes, you do all of the selling and convincing on another platform before making sure that there is total belief in your product and services. Your business might be purely the point to process sales and subscriptions.
To form a community. Another popular form of website is to be a community hub. By being there to help form a community you can easily create the perfect experience with regards to bringing local or remote community members together and giving everyone an opportunity to learn from and help one another. As community lead, who perhaps has a business behind them, this community could also form the basis of a loyal customer base in future.

Of course it can be hard to know if your website is the correct platform for what you want to do. If you are not sure, it pays to turn to a website developer in a bid to help work out if the idea you have is actually going to be plausible to create! Why not get a quick website audit today to see if you’re on the Right Track!