What Is the Real Purpose of a Company Website—and How Do You Define Yours?

January 31, 2018 | 5 minute read

The real purpose of a company website is to support your business goals by attracting the right visitors, building trust, and guiding them toward the next step—whether that’s contacting you, learning more, or buying. Your website is not just “an online brochure” or “a place to get leads.” It’s a focused tool within your larger marketing and sales strategy, and its job depends on your business model, growth stage, and ideal customer. When you clearly define what your website is meant to do, you can design content, navigation, and calls-to-action that actually move visitors closer to becoming customers.

🔍 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the purpose of a company website?

The purpose of a company website is to support your business goals by attracting the right visitors, answering their questions, and guiding them toward actions like contacting you, booking a call, or making a purchase.

2. Is the purpose of my company the same as the purpose of my website?

No. Your company purpose is your big-picture mission, while your website purpose is the specific role your site plays in achieving that mission—such as lead generation, education, or direct sales.

3. Does every website need to sell directly online?

Not necessarily. Some websites act as digital "business cards" that build credibility and make it easy to contact you, while others function as full online stores. The key is aligning your website's role with your overall sales process.

4. How do I know if my website has a clear purpose?

If you can answer who it's for, what you want visitors to do next, and how each page supports that goal, your website has a clear purpose. If not, your content and navigation may feel confusing or unfocused to visitors.

5. Can my website support multiple goals at once?

Yes, but one primary purpose should lead. You can still support secondary goals, such as recruitment or education, as long as they don't compete with the main action you want visitors to take.

Find out exactly how to make your website attractive to leads

What is Your Company Purpose Vs. The Purpose of Your Company Website?

What you hope to achieve with your website is a goal within your larger vision for your company. So your company purpose is the overall objective for your business. The purpose of your company website is a smaller goal that makes this objective achievable. By knowing this difference, you can see where your website fits into your overall inbound marketing strategy, and how your website content can bring in sales. Although these two purposes aren’t the same, they need to be in sync for optimal results.

The clearer your website’s purpose is to you, the clearer it is to your customers.

A website with a clear purpose is more focussed, and more likely to attract visitors online.

If you're tired of reading but still have questions, talk to Alysha to get the answers you're looking for faster.

3 Questions To Determine Your Company Website Purpose To Better Attract Visitors Online

During website redevelopment or if it’s a new website, the development process, ask yourself the following questions to help your company determine your website’s purpose:

What kind of relationships are you hoping to build? No matter the business you’re in, you’ll want to share your knowledge and expertise with as many potential consumers as possible to earn consumer trust. Determine the relationship you want—like B2B or repeat customers—before creating your website. Knowing the relationship you’re writing for will inform the purpose of your site to make it easier to create content that converts leads to sales –like an impressive “About Us” Page.
Will your website make direct or indirect sales? Perhaps you want your website to simply serve as a business card with contact information so consumers can find you. Or, perhaps the purpose of your website is to be your online store. Remember, your website is one component of your marketing strategy. Knowing the role it plays in achieving your overall sales and marketing goals will help you to focus its purpose.
What is your company’s current stage of growth, and how big do you want to get? Websites or website content created for (or by) a company just starting out with a modest budget may look quite different than the website content of an established business with funds to spare. The purpose of your company website needs to reflect both your overall vision and the resources that are available to you.

rebuilding a website for your company Knowing the difference between your company’s purpose and the purpose of your business website is crucial to creating content that attracts visitors online.
So get your sales and marketing staff together to create a document that defines: