Great websites are goal-oriented

Great websites are crystal clear about their goals.

Without defined goals, you’re designing in the dark. How do you know which content to prioritise? Which actions visitors should take first? What belongs on your homepage? These decisions become much easier when you know exactly what you’re trying to achieve.

Start by identifying your primary goal. What's the single most important thing you want visitors to do? This could be making a donation, signing up to volunteer, or booking to attend an event. The more specific your goal, the better.

You’ll likely have secondary goals too, but they shouldn’t compete with the primary goal. Think of them as supporting the main goal or catching people who aren’t yet ready to take the primary action.

Your goals should inform everything: your site structure, content, design, and even the metrics you track.

For example, if increasing donations is your primary goal, your donate button should be prominent, your case studies should focus on impact, and you should be tracking donation conversion rates.

Once you’ve established your primary and secondary goals, review your current site with these in mind. Does the design support your goals? Does your content guide visitors to take the actions you want? Are you tracking whether it’s working?

Get clear on your website goals and everything else becomes easier.