Design With Purpose

If your website is falling through the cracks, the chances are that the site has no message, no central core to build traffic or a core readership. Websites that try to do everything usually fail.

We begin every web site evaluation by helping you define your web site goals. You can do this yourself. Knowing what your site is supposed to accomplish should be the first step in your design process. Your website success starts with understanding your site's purpose and goals.

Start by grabbing a notepad and pencil and begin brainstorming your website's purpose. Write down everything that comes to mind. Some common goals include:

  • direct sales
  • customer support
  • branding
  • lead generation
  • information/community service
  • solicit donations
  • indirect sales
  • expanded brochure
  • establish credibility with online presence
  • online advertising
  • ???

Now ask yourself what is most important? Prioritize your web site goals so you can prioritize your web site's needs. Sometimes your list will not be linear, it may look more like a bubble chart or be structured more clearly. Your priorities should be reflected in the site organization. Do you lead with you top priorities or are they shyly hidden within your site map?

It's time to get real. Once you understand your goals go to your site and see how close you are to achieving them.

  • If you expect to make online sales you need to offer online ordering. Printable forms just aren't enough.
  • If your site's purpose is to provide information and your site has no content, you can't meet your goals.
  • If you need to get potential customers to contact you ? is it easy or do they have to click a link to find a phone number or email link?
  • Does your text content effectively communicate your site's purpose?? Do the images on your site reflect your purpose and your site text?
  • Do you link to websites your visitors would actually be interested in or are your links only reciprocal link building schemes?

Your website content should reflect your site's purpose and nothing else. Start a blog if you want to offer your poetry, opinions or family photos. Don't try to sell widgets and cats on the same site. Focus your attention and you'll grab the attention of the search engines and your target audience alike. A web site evaluation that doesn't begin with these basic questions is doomed to be useless.

Don't waste your time fixing anything on your site until you know what it is supposed to do!

JoMarie Thomson of crucible designs has been designing websites since 1997. She offers website success strategies on crucible designs for do-it-yourself website makeovers.

car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a malware app called SpyLend is posing as a financial tool, hitting 100,000-plus downloads.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Clone Robotics’ Protoclone mimics humans with 1,000 muscles – too human for comfort.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson urges you to use Apple’s App Privacy Report to see what your apps are really up to.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how to smoothly transfer your data from an old laptop to a new one using cloud storage or external drives.
Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips to safeguard your personal information as scammers become more sophisticated with scam texts and other methods.
WeRide's unmanned electric delivery van, the Robovan W5, has 194 cubic feet of cargo space and can carry payloads up to about 2,205 pounds
Kurt the CyberGuy recommends deleting 16 browser extensions immediately in response to a report saying more than 3.2 million web users were affected by a security breach.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
A robotics firm in China claims a robot has performed the world's first humanoid robot front flip, which is significantly more difficult than a backflip.
A digital ID may be even more secure than a physical ID. Storing your driver's license in your Apple Wallet is an ideal solution for commuters.
A cybersecurity firm has shed some light on just how common tax scams have become. Kurt the CyberGuy offers his advice for how to protect your refund.
Lifesize Plans offers immersive walk-throughs that allow customers the opportunity to tour a home's design before construction actually begins.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
A man invested $4 million in bitcoin and lost it all with a single click when he was targeted by a vishing scam, which uses phone calls to trick people.
Expandable's Touchdown is a designer trailer that promises a luxury off-grid living experience and unfolds into a home in about 15 minutes.
Major employee screening company data breach affects 3.3 million people. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains what happened and gives five ways to protect your data.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals mind-blowing tech that gives you sunlight on demand.
New malware "FrigidStealer" targets Mac computers. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how lab-grown muscles power a biohybrid hand for scalable prosthetics and research.
Reports of task scams have significantly risen in the past four years, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some red flags.
iPhones have a hidden folder that eats up storage without you knowing it. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some tricks to free up storage on your device.
A recent ransomeware attack targeted Zacks, an American investment firm, and a cybercriminal claimed to have stolen records for millions of customers.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Researchers unveiled a new soft prosthetic hand that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.
Accidentally deleting a text message on your iPhone or iPad is not a problem if you still need the message. Apple has a built-in way to recover it.

Ten Fatal Mistakes That Make Web Sites Stink

Since you'll spend lots of time and money to create... Read More

Color Scheme for Your Website?

Yes, in a world that is obsessed with makeover madness,... Read More

How To Improve The Professional Look And Feel Of Your Website

Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success.... Read More

Are You A Bill Clinton Webmaster?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked about... Read More

Understand Your Color

Any design on a web application involves the effective input... Read More

Tapping Into The Visual Stimulus Of Your Web Site Visitors

"Oh, my eyes, my eyes! What an eye sore. Quick,... Read More

How to Avoid the Biggest Mistakes Member Sites Make in Their Marketing Copy

If you have a web site to which people pay... Read More

Mini Site or Content-based Web Site?

Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini... Read More

Flash Web Design - The Wave of the Future?

There are two camps when it comes to flash web... Read More

Moving Things Around

How often, men, have you come home to find the... Read More

Free Online Tools to Design (and Maintain) Your Website

These days, it seems that everyone has a website. Unfortunately,... Read More

.htaccess to Mask Errors on Your Website

The .htaccess file is a control file located in your... Read More

A Website Checklist

If you've just finished building your new website (or revamping... Read More

14 Ways to Add Content to Your Web Site - Part 1

When I surf the Net, I often see web sites... Read More

Usability Lessons from the Hospital

Usability isn't only for Web design. It's also applicable in... Read More

10 seconds is all it takes? (How to grab the attention of your audience with your web site)

FACT: 30 to 60% of visitors tend to drop off... Read More

Its No Good Having A Killer Product If You Dont Have A Killer Website

Read the title of this article over a couple of... Read More

Quality Web Copy is the Key to Success

Many websites make the mistake of being all flash and... Read More

Designing Your Web Site For ALL Browsers

Let's face it. Building a web site that browses consistently... Read More

Website Maintenance: What Does it Take to Manage Your Website?

Every action has a beginning phase where you launch your... Read More

Every Website is a Human Being?s Attempt at Achieving a Goal or Obtaining Happiness

Have you ever thought about the real stories behind all... Read More

Get Rid of Your Frames

A few years ago a lot of websites utilized frame... Read More

The Contrast And Similarities Between A Web Designer And Web Programmer

The concept of web designing based on the nature and... Read More

Speed Up Or Lose Out! How To Improve Your Websites Download Speed

So your web site's online and you've got high rankings... Read More

What Happened to My Website when I Deleted the Home Page by Mistake?

There is a widespread confusion among lots of new website... Read More

Granger limo Chicago ..