The first two parts of this series talked about making your website easy to use and more efficient. These are nice but how do you know if your website is effectively achieving your goals?
To see if your site is effective, you need two key components: goals and measurements.
Effective Goals
User Goals
Make a list of the goals your customers would have when coming to your website. Then review your site and see if you can get those same things done.
If the information is there or the process is in place, examine it further to make sure it is easy to use.
Company Goals
Now, turn the focus to your company. What are some of the business objectives for your website? Is it to sell products or educate customers? Increase leads or provide tech support? Write down the goals for your site.
Balance
It is important to maintain balance in your goals for both your customers and business. Company goals can’t overshadow the customer needs and the customer experience must incorporate elements that lead to your business objectives.
Effective Measurements
Can you tell if you are reaching your corporate goals for your website? You’ll need to incorporate some reporting tools so you know exactly what is going on with your website.
With accurate reporting in place, you can compare reality with what you’ve recorded as your company and user goals. Seek out the discrepancies and focus in on what could be improved. Continually tweak and enhance your website so it can become a truly effective extension of your business.