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Planning: Defining your Goals - Why Build a Web Site?

This is the most critical question to answer before you begin building your Web site. A builder would not begin construction on a building without first determining its use. Will it be a warehouse, a home or a business? The use of the building directly determines its structure, type of building materials, location, etc. Think of the construction of your Web site in much the same way. Invest time into the planning phase, and you will ultimately be rewarded with a robust, functional and valuable tool.

The first step to identifying the goals of your Web site is to answer some basic questions:

• What is the mission or vision of your agency?
• Will the medium of the Web force you to reconsider your agency's mission statement?
• What goals or objectives will allow you to achieve your mission?
• What are your site's immediate goals? (What problems will the site solve?)

Tip: Ask for input from your entire staff!

• How do you envision your Web site one to two years from now?
• How will success be measured?
• Decreased phone calls?
• Adoption rate of users ?
• Reduced costs of distributing printed material?

Once you have compiled a list of goals, arrange a meeting with all of your stakeholders, including your Executive Director. Review the entire list of goals you have compiled with your team, possibly in the form of a brainstorming session. You may find some goals can be combined, modified or even eliminated.

Once you have the final list of goals, write a short paragraph about each one stating why it is important. Make the final list (your blueprint) available to your entire team, and use it as a road map throughout the construction of the Web site.