5 Goals to Set for a Successful Website

Let’s set your website up for success by defining clear and achievable goals. A successful website project starts by aligning your website’s purpose with your business objectives.

What is Your Website’s Purpose?

Setting clear goals for your website starts by defining its purpose. What do you want your website to achieve, and how can it support your business?

Are you looking to sell products or services? Do you want to generate leads and capture customer information? Or maybe you want to position yourself as an industry leader by providing valuable information and resources to educate your audience.

Before you begin setting goals, make sure that you’ve defined your target audience. This will help you tailor your content and design to meet their needs and expectations.

Learn how to plan your website from start to finish

1. Increase Website Traffic

One of the primary goals for any website is to increase its traffic because more visitors means more potential clients. There are a lot of ways you can drive traffic to your new website, so let’s go over a few!

First, make sure your website is optimized for search engines (SEO). This includes using relevant keywords in your content, optimizing page titles and meta descriptions, and improving page loading speed. 

Next, create high-quality and shareable content like blog posts or videos. Then, share your content on social media platforms and engage with your audience.

Pinterest is one of the best platforms to share your content and increase traffic to your website. However, it can take around 6 months of consistent pinning before you see any results. It’s worth the effort, so be patient!

Finally, consider investing in paid ads or partnerships with creators in your niche to attract your target audience. Research where your target audience spends their time (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and invest your resources there.

Increasing traffic to your website is an ongoing process. Monitor analytics from Google, Bing, Pinterest, etc. to track your progress and identify areas for improvement.

Which key performance indicators (KPIs) should you focus on?

To track data about your website traffic you can use free tools like Google Analytics and Bing Webmaster or use paid services like Semrush or Ahrefs. Let’s go over some of the most common KPIs that will help you understand how to increase traffic to your website.

Website Traffic Volume

Monitor the overall number of visitors to your website. This metric provides a broad overview of your site’s performance and helps track the impact of your marketing strategy over time.

Traffic Sources

Understand where your website traffic is coming from—whether it’s organic search, direct visits, referrals from other sites, social media, or paid advertising. This insight helps you identify which channels are driving the most traffic so you can use your resources effectively.

Organic Search Traffic

Analyze the number of visitors who find your website through search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Improving your search engine optimization (SEO) can increase organic traffic, making this metric important for determining the effectiveness of your SEO strategy.

Referral Traffic

Track the websites that refer visitors to your site. This data helps identify partnerships, collaborations, or content-sharing opportunities that drive traffic to your website. 

Social Media Traffic

Measure the traffic generated from the social media platforms you use. Understanding which social channels drive the most traffic allows you to tailor your content to maximize engagement and clicks.

Page Views and Unique Visitors

Monitor the number of pages viewed and the number of unique visitors to your website. Tracking these metrics helps gauge user engagement and identify popular content on your site.

Bounce Rate

Assess the percentage of visitors who navigate away from your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate indicates that visitors are not finding what they’re looking for or that there are issues with your website’s user experience and/or content. A good bounce rate is around 40% or below.

Average Session Duration

Measure the average amount of time visitors spend on your website per session. A longer average session duration indicates higher user engagement and interest in your content. Around 2-3 minutes is a good average session duration time.

Conversion Rate

Evaluate the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action on your website, like making a purchase, filling out a contact form, or subscribing to your newsletter. Improving your conversion rate helps turn website traffic into valuable leads and clients. Anything above 5% is considered a good conversion rate.

Keyword Performance

Analyze the performance of specific keywords in driving organic search traffic to your website. Identify high-performing keywords to guide your SEO and content creation strategy.

2. Increase Sales and Revenue

How can you optimize your sales pages?

Attract more visitors and convert them into paying customers with persuasive product descriptions, clear pricing, and social proof.

Product Descriptions

Optimize your sales pages by creating compelling and informative product descriptions for all of your products and services. Highlight the benefits, features, and unique selling points that set your business apart from the competition. Be sure to use high-quality images or videos to display products.

For example, suppose you’re selling a basic water bottle. Here’s a boring product description:

“Our stainless steel water bottle holds 20 ounces of liquid. Buy now!”

Now, let’s break down why this description isn’t compelling:

• Lack of Storytelling: The description doesn’t engage the reader. It states facts without creating any emotional connection.
• No Audience Consideration: It doesn’t address the needs of any specific audience. Who is this water bottle for? Why should they care?
• Minimal Details: The description lacks product specifics. Is it durable? Does it have any special features?
• No Benefits Highlighted: It doesn’t explain how the water bottle improves the user’s life. Does it keep drinks cold? Is it leak-proof?

Now, let’s fix these problems and create a more compelling product description.

“Introducing our Eco-Friendly Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Stay hydrated on the go! Created from food-grade stainless steel, this 20-ounce bottle keeps your drinks icy cold for hours. Whether you’re hitting the gym or exploring the outdoors, our leak-proof design ensures no spills. Plus, every purchase supports ocean conservation efforts. Join us in making a positive impact—one sip at a time.”

We’ve improved the product description with:

• Storytelling: We’ve woven a narrative about adventure, sustainability, and impact.
• Audience Focus: It appeals to eco-conscious individuals who value quality and purpose.
• Specifics: We mentioned stainless steel material, insulation, and leak-proof features.
• Benefits: It highlights keeping drinks cold and helping the environment.

A great product description connects with your audience and shows them how your product fits into their lives.

Clear Pricing

The cost of your product or service should be transparent and easily understandable for your clients.

Customers appreciate honesty, so clearly state the price without any hidden fees or surprises during checkout. I might get flack for this, but don’t use vague terms like “contact us for pricing”. I know this is a common practice in the service and consulting industry, but people like knowing the costs upfront. If you are targeting the right audience, your prices shouldn’t be an issue.

Make sure to display the price prominently on product pages. It should be one of the first things visitors notice. Consider placing the price near the product image or title.

User Reviews and Ratings

Reviews provide social proof that your product or service is legitimate and valuable. When potential clients see positive feedback from others, they’re more likely to trust your brand.

How can you create effective calls-to-action (CTAs)?

A call-to-action (CTA) is designed to cause an immediate response from your visitors. It guides them toward a specific action, whether it’s making a purchase, subscribing to a service, or reading your blog posts.

The primary purpose of a call to action is to engage your visitors, aligning their actions with your business goals.

Tips for creating effective CTAs:

• Position CTAs where they’re most visible – near product descriptions, on landing pages, and during checkout.
• Create a sense of urgency (e.g., “Limited Time Offer”) to encourage immediate action.
• Motivate people to act with action verbs like “Get,” “Download,” “Join,” or “Start.”
• Explain what users gain by following the call to action by highlighting the benefits – “Join now to start your fitness journey!”.

How do you streamline the checkout process?

A smooth and frictionless checkout process will significantly impact your conversion rates, reduce cart abandonment, and increase customer satisfaction.

The first step to creating a smooth checkout is to understand the checkout flow. This describes the series of steps a client takes to finalize a purchase on your website.

Key stages in a typical checkout flow

• Review Shopping Cart: Users review the items in their cart before proceeding.
• Initiate Checkout: Users click a descriptive call to action like “Proceed to checkout.”
• Fill Client Information: Users provide personal details (name, email, shipping address).
• Include Shipping Method: If applicable, users choose their preferred shipping option.
• Payment: Users enter payment details.
• Order Confirmation: Users receive confirmation of their order.

Best practices for your checkout flow

• Single-Page Checkout: Minimize the steps required for checkout. Ideally, users should complete their purchase on a single page.
• Simplify Form Fields: Only ask for essential information. Use auto-fill features where possible.
• Guest Checkout Option: Allow users to check out without creating an account.
• Progress Indicators: Show users where they are in the process (e.g., “Step 2 of 4”).
• Clear CTAs: Use specific and action-oriented call-to-action buttons (e.g., “Place Order,” “Continue to Payment”).
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure the checkout process works well on mobile devices.
• Security Assurance: Display trust badges and reassure users about secure transactions.
• Error Handling: Provide clear error messages if users make mistakes.
• Shipping Estimates: Show estimated delivery times and costs.
• Multiple Payment Options: Make sure your payment gateway supports various payment methods (credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.).

Lastly, use analytics tools to measure things like conversion rates, cart abandonment rates, and time spent at checkout. Tracking conversions can help you identify which marketing campaigns or strategies are driving the most sales and which ones need to be tweaked.

Monitoring cart abandonment rates will allow you to identify any friction points in the buying process. Analyze the time clients spend at checkout to understand engagement and potential areas for improvement in the checkout flow.

3. Generate Leads

If generating leads is a goal for growing your business, you should focus on offering valuable content and incentives to visitors in exchange for providing their contact information.

By capturing this info, you establish direct communication channels to continue engaging with these potential customers.

Some popular lead magnets include free e-books, access to webinars, PDF downloads with valuable checklists or templates, and discount offers.

Once you’ve captured their information, use it wisely! Send targeted emails with relevant content to educate, entertain, and build trust. Tailor your communication based on their interests and behaviors. Be sure to address them by name, and automate a series of follow-up emails to nurture them over time.

You should provide value upfront (through your lead magnets) and continue to deliver value through personalized communication. Building relationships with potential customers increases the chances of them becoming paying clients down the road!

4. Enhance Brand Awareness

Building brand awareness is important for establishing a strong presence in your market and attracting customers. Your new website can serve as a central hub for showcasing your brand and values.

First, design your website with consistent branding elements, like your logo, color scheme, and typography, to create a cohesive brand experience.

Next, incorporate storytelling into your website’s content to effectively communicate your brand’s story and values. Use high-quality images and videos to capture your visitors’ attention the moment they land on your site.

Be sure to implement social sharing buttons to encourage visitors to share your content and spread awareness about your brand. 

Additionally, engage with your audience on social media platforms to increase brand awareness. Regularly share valuable content, respond to comments and messages, and participate in relevant conversations. 

Lastly, consider collaborating with influencers or industry experts to expand your reach and gain credibility.

Consistency is key when it comes to increasing your brand’s visibility. Maintain a cohesive brand identity across all your platforms, including your website, social media profiles, and marketing materials. 

By consistently delivering a positive and memorable brand experience, you will increase brand recognition and loyalty.

5. Educate and Inform

Providing informative and engaging content will help establish your position as an industry expert and build trust with your visitors. Identify topics and questions that are relevant to your target audience and create comprehensive and well-researched content around them. This content could be presented as blog posts, downloadable how-to guides, and tutorial videos.

Implement a blog section on your website to regularly publish high-quality content that showcases your expertise.

Engage with your audience through comments, forums, social media, or live chats to share your knowledge and build a community.

Make sure your content is easy to read and understand and use images, infographics, or videos to enhance user engagement. Encourage your audience to interact with your content through comments, social shares, and subscriptions. 

Building trust and authority takes time so be patient! 

Continuously research trends and popular topics in your industry to stay relevant and up-to-date. Analyze your website’s analytics to track your most popular content then adjust your content strategy accordingly.

Pro Tip: Use Google Alerts to stay on top of industry trends and popular topics!

Final Thoughts

Setting clear and achievable goals before you start your website project will set you up for success. By defining your website’s purpose and understanding your target audience, you can set specific goals that align with your business objectives.

Be sure to continuously monitor your progress, analyze data, and optimize your strategies to ensure your website continues to achieve its goals and support your overall business success.

And remember to be patient 🙂