Successful web sites have extreme clarity on the outcomes they are built to achieve and which audiences they will need for success. These two factors are more important than almost any other element of the process: if they are off base you’ll never get anywhere no matter what you invest in design or technology.

Yikes!

Here are a few questions to consider for the next program, product or service you wish to support with the Web:

• What specific outcomes do we need to create to achieve our goal?
• What markets are relevant to those outcomes?
• Which of these high-value outcomes can best be supported or achieved online?
• Given that, which audiences among the relevant markets are important for those specific outcomes?

With those answers in hand, you are well on your way to creating a focused effort online that will produce results for your organization.