What Is An Intentional Website?
Article courtesy of Noodlehead Marketing.
Intentional Website Introduction
According to Dictionary.com, Intention is to have meaning or purpose. You should consider this definition when you look at your existing and/or planned website. Before you decide to build a website you need to answer the question - what is the purpose of this website?
Noodlehead Marketing often comes across companies that would like to build a website for their organization but their only intent is to keep up with the times. They might already believe it can help their company grow in some abstract terms, but it is not until they are fully educated that they can understand the potential of an online presence. Below we have prepared several intentions you should consider when building your website.
The first intention, to inform, is the closest to a printed "brochure" as it gets. The intent is to inform the viewer about something. It may be about your company/organization or what you do. Most websites include elements of this intention at some level.
Intention 2: Teach
When a company intends to teach, the website is designed to educate the viewer about the topic at hand. The idea being, when the viewer leaves your website they know more about the topic than when they arrived. This is an effective tactic when a viewer is unaware about the benefits of the solutions you offer.
Intention 3: Support
The support intention is about building a website that will support people and/or systems. It could be as simple as a document repository or as advanced as a live chat system. The idea is to divert business operations to the website, alleviating time and costs for the company.
Intention 4: Entertain
While the entertainment intention may be thrown aside by a business owner as an impractical intention for their website, the truth of the matter is people like to be entertained. Your industry may determine how far you go with this intention. Just remember: at the end of the day, you do not want a viewer bored by your website. Keep it interactive, fun and interesting.
Intention 5: Generate Interest
This intention is appropriate to use when you want your viewer to become interested in talking to you about your products or services. A website built to generate interest can be used as a filter to help people qualify themselves before they engage with you. Once they determine a fit, your website should allow them to quickly and easily take the next communication step. This may be through a contact form or phone call.
Intention 6: Sell
With the intention to sell, websites are set up to sell products and/or services straight from the website. If your site is supposed to generate income, you should consider the intention of selling before you start your project. To take a cold relationship and facilitate a purchase with an individual you have never met takes strategic planning and implementation.
Intentional Website Conclusion
At the end of the day, you should ask yourself the following questions when you look at your website: When someone lands here, within 10 seconds, do they know who we are, what we do, why they should care, and what their next step for inquiring or purchasing is? If your website does not do this, you should consider making changes to more closely reflect your intention(s) and, ultimately, improve the site’s effectiveness.
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