Photo by James Cridland

Increasing numbers of shoppers begin the research stage of the buying process by searching the web for info on the product a service that will meet their needs. In and effort to stay current, many small business owners I’ve worked with will post an unattractive, poorly planned website so they’ll have a URL to put on their business card. The end result, though, often poorly represents the small business’ brand and actually does more harm than god.

Now, the title of this post assumes your small business does, in fact, have a website.  If you don’t have a website for your small business, this is a great place to start thinking about one. If your site is already live, use these points to diagnose what you already have.

What is the purpose of your small business’ website?

• How does it fit into your overall marketing strategy?
• Is it for lead generation?
• Is it used for direct selling?
• Is it used to raise brand awareness?
• Is it used for interacting with customers?

What do you want the website visitor to do?

• Download your white paper or request a demo (lead generation)?
• Buy a product (direct selling)?
• Join your mailing list, visit your social media property, or watch a video (brand awareness)?
• Comment in your forum or on your blog post (interacting with customers)?

Who will visit your website?

• What do you know about your target audience?
• Are they experienced web surfers (e.g. teens; young adults)?
• Or are they new to the web (e.g. senior citizens)?
• Are they new to the site or are they repeat visitors?

What are your technical requirements?

• Will you need a shopping cart?
• Database interactivity (i.e. forums, blogs, mailing lists)?
• Will you need video or Flash support?
• Is your content in a single languages, or multiple languages?

This website planning checklist for your small business is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point to help you begin thinking strategically about your website.