What job should your website do?

FIELD GUIDE 01 · START HERE

A website can do many things, but it should have one primary job. When that job is unclear, the home page tries to speak to everyone, every service gets equal weight, and the next step becomes vague.

Begin with a business result, not a website wish

Replace “we need a new website” with a sentence about the change you want in the business. You may need more qualified inquiries, fewer repetitive pre-sale questions, a clearer way to introduce a specialized service, or a dependable way for current customers to find account help.

Choose the primary job

Most small-business sites primarily generate qualified inquiries, help a visitor choose a service, demonstrate credibility, support existing customers, or make a purchase or account action easier. One should shape the home-page message, navigation, and first call to action.

Name the evidence a visitor needs

List the evidence a visitor needs before acting: a clear service description, examples of the process, relevant experience, pricing context, or answers to practical questions.

Write a working job statement

Use this formula: “This website helps [specific audience] do [specific action] by giving them [the information or confidence they need].” Keep that statement visible while you make page, feature, and content decisions.

Before you plan pages

• Write one sentence describing the website’s primary business job.
• Name the main audience in plain language.
• List the questions they need answered before acting.
• Choose one clear next action for the home page.