Before you spend money on website development, be clear about what you want your website to do for your business. Without clear goals, you’re like a shop owner who doesn’t know if they want more customers, more sales, or just to look more professional. That uncertainty leads to poor results.

Your website goals should match your business goals. Every feature, page, and piece of content should work toward these specific objectives.

Primary Goals

These are the core things you absolutely need your website to do. Most small businesses have one or two primary goals.

Common Primary Goals

• Get more phone calls from potential customers
• Increase walk-in traffic to your physical location
• Let customers book appointments or services online
• Sell products directly through the website
• Look credible and professional
• Reduce time spent answering basic questions

Secondary Goals

These support your primary goals but aren’t your main focus initially.

Examples:

• Build an email list for marketing
• Show expertise through blog content
• Connect with customers on social media
• Provide customer support info
• Share business updates and news

Service-Based Businesses

Typical Primary Goals

• Lead Generation: Get phone calls or emails from potential customers
• Appointment Booking: Let customers schedule services online
• Building Trust: Look professional and established to build trust

Success Measures

• Number of inquiry calls or emails per month
• Online bookings vs. phone bookings
• Rate of website visits to actual customers

Content Focus

• Clear service descriptions with pricing
• Before/after photos of your work
• Customer testimonials and reviews
• Easy-to-find contact info

E-commerce Businesses

Typical Primary Goals

• Direct Sales: Customers buy products through the website
• Order Management: Make ordering and delivery smoother
• Market Growth: Reach customers beyond your local area

Success Measures

• Online revenue and average order value
• Rate of visitors to buyers
• Repeat customer percentage
• Geographic reach of customers

Content Focus

• Product catalogs with detailed descriptions
• High-quality product photos
• Clear pricing and shipping info
• Secure, easy-to-use checkout process

Local Service Businesses

Typical Primary Goals

• Increase Foot Traffic: Get more people to visit your physical location
• Reservations/Bookings: Let customers book tables, appointments, or services
• Local Awareness: Become known in your local community

Success Measures

• Increase in walk-in customers mentioning website
• Online reservation bookings
• Local search ranking improvements
• Geographic spread of website visitors

Content Focus

• Location and directions prominently featured
• Photos of your premises and atmosphere
• Opening hours and contact info
• Local community involvement

Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Vague Goal: “I want more customers”
SMART Goal: “I want to increase monthly inquiry calls by 30% within 6 months of website launch”

Vague Goal: “I want to sell products online”
SMART Goal: “I want to make £2,000 per month in online sales within 12 months, representing 25% of my total revenue”

Vague Goal: “I want to look more professional.”
SMART Goal: “I want to cut reference requests from customers by 50% since my website shows credibility upfront.”

Your goals should match customer goals:

Customer Goal: Quickly find a reliable service provider.
Your Website Goal: Offer clear contact info and promise quick responses.

Customer Goal: Compare options and pricing.
Your Website Goal: Show clear pricing and explain value.

Customer Goal: See examples of quality work
Your Website Goal: Show your best work through professional photos

Customer Goal: Book services easily
Your Website Goal: Provide easy online booking functionality

Essential Metrics to Track

For Lead Generation Goals

• Monthly inquiry calls or emails
• Website contact form submissions
• Rate of visitors to inquiries
• Quality of leads (how many convert to customers)

For Sales Goals

• Monthly online revenue
• Average order value
• Rate of visitors to buyers
• Return customer percentage

For Efficiency Goals

• Reduction in repetitive phone inquiries
• Time saved on administration
• Percentage of bookings made online vs. phone

For Brand/Credibility Goals

• Customer feedback about professionalism
• Reduction in requests for references
• Increase in higher-value project inquiries

Setting Too Many Primary Goals

Focus on 1-2 main objectives initially. Trying to achieve everything at once often results in achieving nothing well.

Unrealistic Expectations

A website alone won’t transform your business overnight. Set achievable goals based on your current business level and market conditions.

Focusing Only on Website Traffic

Traffic doesn’t equal success. Better to have 100 visitors who contact you than 1,000 visitors who leave immediately.

Ignoring Customer Perspective

Your goals should match what customers actually want and need, not just what you want to achieve.

No Timeline or Measurement Plan

Without deadlines and tracking methods, goals remain wishes rather than actionable objectives.

Goal Setting Template: “In [timeframe], I want my website to [specific action] to achieve [business outcome]. I’ll track this using [specific metrics].””

Examples: “In 6 months, I want my website to bring in 15 qualified inquiries each month. This will help me grow my client base by 40%. I’ll track this by monitoring contact form submissions and how many turn into actual clients.””

In 12 months, I want my website to manage 80% of appointment bookings. This way, I can spend more time on treatments instead of administration. I’ll track this by comparing online and phone bookings each month.”

1. Clear goals guide all website decisions: every feature should support your primary objectives
2. Focus on 1-2 primary goals initially: trying to achieve everything often results in achieving nothing well
3. Match website goals with business goals: your website should serve your overall business strategy
4. Make goals specific and measurable: vague goals lead to disappointing results
5. Consider customer goals too: your success depends on serving customer needs well
6. Plan for goal evolution: successful websites grow and adapt over time
7. Match goals to resources: ensure your budget and time availability support your objectives