Website Planning

<img src="../../img/article-images/b15_converted.jpg" alt="b15_converted.jpg" width="800" height="800"> ### Define Clear Goals and Make Your Website a Growth Engine Many people see building a website as a “must-do” task, but often end up with a site that gets little traffic and few conversions—a digital placeholder rather than a real business asset. Setting clear goals is like deciding what dish you want to cook before stepping into the kitchen. Only by defining your website’s purpose can you make sure every step serves your business growth and personal development. ### Why Set Clear Goals? Clear goals give your website direction and measurable standards from the start. If your goals are vague, everything from content to features and promotion may lack focus, wasting time and resources. Good goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example: - “I want to sell 100 self-published textbooks through the website within six months.” - “I want my company site to generate at least 30 qualified inquiries each month.” - “I want to collect 1,000 email subscribers to support future marketing efforts.” ### How to Make Goals Specific and Actionable Use proven frameworks to turn broad ideas into clear, actionable plans. Start with the **SMART** framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). For instance, “Generate 300 qualified leads through the website within six months” ticks all SMART boxes. **Brainstorming** is valuable for teams: gather everyone’s ideas on possible website goals and user needs, then group, filter, and prioritize them. Another approach is **User Story Mapping**, where you step into your users’ shoes and describe their journeys and expectations—for example, “As a parent, I want to quickly find suitable courses on the site so I can sign up my child for a trial.” This user-centered thinking helps you avoid assumptions and focus on real needs. **Break down big goals into phases and tasks.** For instance, “Sell 100 textbooks in six months” can be split into: - Month 1: Launch the website - Months 2-3: Publish 10 high-quality blog posts and optimize SEO - Months 4-6: Run email campaigns and attract 50 new leads each month Assign each task to a person and set deadlines to ensure progress. Modern tools help teams and individuals manage goals effectively. [Trello](https://trello.com/) is ideal for breaking down goals into boards, lists, and cards—create a “Goals” board, use columns like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done,” and assign tasks with owners and due dates. Trello’s Inbox feature lets you capture ideas and to-dos anytime, and the Planner helps you drag and drop urgent tasks into your calendar for better time management. Automation, integrations, and Power-Ups let you connect email, Slack, calendars, and more, creating a unified workflow and reducing manual follow-up. [Notion](https://www.notion.so/) is perfect for documenting your goal-setting process, thought paths, and regular reviews. Create tables to track goals, criteria, progress, and post-mortems. Collaboration is seamless, and you can centralize all your strategic planning in one place. <img src="../../img/article-images/b11_converted.jpg" alt="b11_converted.jpg" width="800" height="800"> ### The “5 Whys” Method Start with your initial goal or problem, such as “I want to build a company website.” This first level usually reflects only surface motivation. 1. **Why do you want a website?** To make it easier for potential clients to find us. 2. **Why do you need clients to find you?** Because without proactive client contact, we can’t secure new business. 3. **Why can’t you get new business now?** Because we currently rely on referrals and have no other channels. 4. **Why is your channel so limited?** Because we lack any digital presence to attract new leads. 5. **Why do you lack digital presence?** Because we haven’t used digital tools to reach the market. Each “why” forces you to dig deeper, moving from surface-level thinking to the core business need. By the end, you see that your true goal isn’t just “having a site,” but “building an online lead generation channel to diversify and scale customer acquisition.” This clarity guides you to prioritize contact options, inquiry forms, SEO, live chat, and other features that actually drive conversions. You can combine the 5 Whys with OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to set concrete metrics. For example: - **Objective:** Build an effective online lead generation channel - **Key Results:** 30 new inquiries per month; 20% increase in conversion rate over six months Team brainstorming and user stories can further flesh out details, ensuring goals are practical, relevant, and trackable. Setting clear goals is the foundation of a successful website. By combining SMART goals, brainstorming, user story mapping, the 5 Whys, and modern project management tools, you turn abstract ideas into concrete action steps—making your website a true engine for business growth and digital value.