Prioritize Website Function over Website Design

When we hear from potential new clients, one of the first things they often want to tell us is all the ideas they have for how they want their new website to look. And we definitely want to know about your vision for your new or revised website. That’s a very important step in the process and knowing what you like and what you don’t like is key to getting a site that you’ll be proud of.

But that’s not the first step.

Before we talk about design, we have to talk about function. What does that mean? That means we first need to know what your website needs to do. “Do?” you may say. “It’s not going to do anything.” But even if your end goal isn’t any kind of purchase or subscription, there’s still a goal to be had, and we need to identify that goal before we can begin designing.

Your website goals shouldn’t be an afterthought!

Before we talk about colors, logos, stock photos, or buttons, we need to talk about the process we’ll follow to try to funnel your site visitors into your goal. There’s a good chance that if you own a service based business or are a writer or blogger that you haven’t considered your website goal. Often times, folks tell us they just need an online place for people to find them. However, I argue that even the smallest business website can and should have a goal.

Examples of website goals:

Goal: Get customers to call for an appointment.
Result: If the goal for your website is to get people to call, then that means we need to make sure that the phone number is clearly marked on the page, at the top, and is clickable. Guess what, that’s something we have to plan into the design, which is why we need to know the goal first.

Goal: Get visitors to submit contact form.
Result: Having someone on your site submit your form is a measurable goal, because we can track those submissions in Google Analytics. So how do we funnel people into that step? We start with a call-to-action on the page with specific instructions to fro that goal. Which means, yes, we need to plan for that CTA in the design phase.

Goal: Get customers to buy a product.
Result: If selling products is part of your plan for your website, then guess what, we need to show some products on the homepage. Designing a site that doesn’t showcase products prominently when your goal is to sell products is a definite mistake. We need to know that’s the goal.

Goal: Get visitors to subscribe.
Result: Have a newsletter or blog you want to get readers signed up for? Guess what, you need a sign up box that is prominently placed and that means we need to plan for that in the design phase.

Knowing what you want to happen when people land on your site is the key to developing a site that will work for you and your clients and is a crucial step in the website design process. Once we know what we need your site to do, then we can talk about how to make it look how you want it to look. If your website doesn’t do what you  want it to do, then it doesn’t matter what it looks like.

Need help with your website? We can give you a new design or redesign your existing site. Contact us today for a quote!