Define the goal before the design
How do I define goals for a small business website before I start designing?
Write down the business goal, the service area, the ideal customer and the one action the site must get visitors to take, then design every page around that action.
Read the transcript
Lots of small business websites look fine, load fine, and nobody does anything on them. That's almost never a design problem. Nobody decided what the site was for. So before you design anything, ask one question. What's the job that pays the bills? Write it as one sentence. We sell this, to these people. Then ask what success looks like in six months. More booked appointments. Fewer calls asking for opening hours. Write their words, not yours. Now picture the customer. A parent on a phone at nine at night, whose kid just chipped a tooth, worried about cost and insurance. Pick one main action. Call, book, or ask for a quote. Just one. It gets the biggest button on the page. Ask what customers ask on the phone before they say yes. Price, insurance, parking. Those answers go right next to that button. Read the brief back to the owner, and get a yes in writing. When feedback turns into taste, you point at the goal. The full lesson, with a brief you can copy, is free in the Swokei Academy.
What you will be able to do
Turn a vague "we need a new website" into a one page brief that names the business goal, the service area, the ideal customer and the single action the site exists to drive.
Before you start
- A real or practice client.
- A blank copy of the Website specification brief.
Why this matters
Most small business sites fail quietly. They look fine and nobody does anything on them. That is a goal problem, not a design problem: nobody decided what the site was for, so every page tries to do everything.
A written goal also keeps feedback honest. Without it, feedback turns into taste. With it you can ask, kindly, "Does a bigger logo help more people book a cleaning?" and the conversation gets short.
Step by step
Tick each step as you do it. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
Ask what the business actually sells and to whom
Ask "what is the job that pays the bills." Write one sentence: "We sell X to Y." If the owner gives three answers, ask which one they would keep if they could only keep one.
Write down the business goal in plain numbers or plain words
Ask what would make this site a success in six months. Accept answers like "more booked consultations" or "fewer calls asking our hours." If they give a number, write their number. If not, write the direction and leave it there. Do not invent targets.
Pin down the service area
Ask which cities, neighbourhoods or zip codes they serve and which they do not. Write both. The service area drives page titles, headings and local search details later.
Describe the ideal customer in one short paragraph
Who are they, what just made them search, what are they worried about, and what device are they holding? "A parent in their 30s, on a phone, whose kid just chipped a tooth, worried about cost and insurance."
Choose the one conversion action
Pick exactly one primary action: call, book online, request a quote, fill in a form, visit the shop. Write it at the top of the brief in bold. Secondary actions get less visual weight. If the owner insists on two, ask which one they want to answer at 9am on a Monday.
Define what happens after the action
A form that lands in an inbox nobody checks is worse than no form. Ask who receives the message, how fast they respond, and what the thank you screen should say. Write the name of the person or the shared inbox.
List the three objections the site must answer
Ask what customers ask on the phone before they commit: price ranges, insurance, parking, how soon, licences. Those answers become content near the call to action, not buried on an FAQ page.
Note the proof you are allowed to use
Ask for real reviews, licences, years in business and photos of real work. Write down only what the client gives you. If they have nothing yet, write "none yet." Never fill the gap with made up quotes.
Read the brief back and get a yes
Send the finished page and ask the client to reply "approved" or correct it. Save that reply for when feedback wanders.
Example
Say you are pitching a fictional family dental clinic in Austin, Texas.
BAD BRIEF
We need a modern, clean website that shows off our clinic
and our services. Should have all our info and look professional.
Maybe a blog. Want it to rank on Google.
GOOD BRIEF
Business: Family dental clinic, two dentists, one location.
We sell: New patient exams and cleanings to local families.
Goal (owner's words): "Fill the new patient slots we have open
on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons."
Service area: Central and South Austin. Not Round Rock.
Ideal customer: A parent on a phone, often in the evening,
looking for a dentist that takes their insurance and can see
the whole family. Worried about cost and wait times.
PRIMARY ACTION: Book a new patient appointment online.
Secondary: Call the front desk.
After the action: Booking request goes to the front desk inbox,
checked by the office manager each morning. Thank you screen
says "We will confirm by phone within one business day."
Objections to answer: Which insurance do you take? Do you see
kids? Is there parking?
Proof available: Owner will send their public review link and
licence details. No testimonials provided yet.
Approved by: Owner, by email.
The good brief tells you what the hero says, what the main button does, which questions sit under it, and who answers the booking.
Common mistakes
- Letting "look modern" be the goal. Modern is a style, not an outcome. Ask what it is supposed to achieve and write that down.
- Two or three primary actions. When every button is important, none are.
- Inventing proof to fill the page. Fake testimonials can break consumer protection rules and destroy trust when spotted.
- Skipping the written approval. A verbal "sounds good" fades in two weeks. A saved email does not.
Try it yourself
Pick a real local business, or the fictional dental clinic above with a different city and specialty. Fill in a Website specification brief with all nine items from the steps. If it is a practice business, mark every assumption with "(assumed)" so you can see how much you would need to ask.
Time: about 30 minutes.
Deliverable: a brief that fits on one page.
Resources
- Website specification brief the one page brief used in this lesson
- Plan the sitemap and content the next step, turning the brief into pages
- Build with an AI coding assistant where the brief becomes your best prompt
Finished this lesson?
Mark it complete to track your progress through the course.
Last reviewed October 18, 2026. Prices, laws and tool terms change, so check current terms before you rely on any figure.