This is usually one of the first questions that I ask a potential client before starting to work on their site. I am still surprised by how many people don’t have any idea.
They know they should have a site because “it’s the thing to do” or “because everyone else has one” or they have “heard of people getting rich through their sites”
If you are just looking for people to read your site to learn more about you (a brochure on the web) that’s fine, but for a website to be truly effective I believe it should inspire the visitor to take an action. It could be to buy your product or service, but it could also be to sign up for your newsletter or even to give you a phone call.
The most important thing that you as a site owner need to decide before you do anything else is, what do you want your visitors to do? What do you want your site to do? If you don’t know what you want your visitors to do on your site how can you expect them to know?
Here are some ideas by Kimberly Krause Berg writing on the Search Engine Guide site. Her article is called “I’ve Come to Your Web Site To Do Nothing”.