SWOT Analysis is a widely used tool for auditing an organization and its environment. What makes SWOT a powerfull tool for business’ is that, with a little thought it can help you uncover Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of your business. By evaluating yourself and your competitors using the SWOT Analysis, you can build a strategy that helps you distinguish yourself from your competitors.

SWOT  involves identifying the internal and external factors which could prove favourable or unfavourable for your business.  Strenghts and weaknesses are internal factors wheras opportunities and threats are external factors.

How to use SWOT Analysis for your website?

The following examples may not suit your business/website, but will give you a general idea about the process. There are two approaches for SWOT analysis, you may start with things under your control (internal factors) or with things not under your control (external factors). The later is also called as TOWS which is extremely similiar. It simply looks at the negative factors first in order to turn them into positive factors. While conducting both you should be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses. You can print  & use this SWOT Template for a more structured study.

Strengths:

These are some  example questions you should ask yourself to find your websites strenghts.

• What do you offer  different from your competitors?
• What do people in your market see as you strenghts?
• Do you have a strong online reputation?
• Do you respond requests and feedback quickly?
• Is your market a niche?
• Is your website faster than your competitors?
• Is your website looks better than your competitors?
• Is your website easy to navigate?
• What unique or lowest-cost resources do you have access to?
• What do people in your market see as your strengths?
• Does your website has a good ranking in Search Engines?
• Do you offer localized content to your users?

Weaknesses

The negative questions to the questions about strenghts may be considered as questions for weaknesses. Additionaly you may consider answering these;

• Does your website invaded by ads & banners?
• Do you have required number of staff with appropriate skills?
• What do customers/visitors look for that you don’t provide?

Conducting a survey, or getting feedback from your customers/visitors is an additional & essential source to find Strenghts and Weaknesses of your website. You can also ask your friends, relatives and link partners about their oppinions. Just don’t ask to a specific group of people. A regular user may think different than people on a webmaster forum.

Although you may need help from outside resources you have direct control over streanghts and weaknesses, this is why they are called as Internal Factors. Opportunities and Threats on the other hand is not under your control, however you can decide on your possible reactions if you are aware of them.

Opportunities

Opportunities are external elements that are outside of your control but favorable to you website.

Some examples of opportunities

• You may have few & weak competitors on foreign markets that you can beat or takeover.
• You may have business partners for content creating, link generation and product offerings.

Threats

Threats are external elements that are outside of your control and may have a negative effect on your business/website.

Some examples of threats

• Competitor actions can be a threat (Like the Partnership of Bing & Yahoo threatens Google)
• Legal issues including foreign countries laws. (Like sites especially with user posted illegal content was blocked blocked by some countries)
• Faster Internet (It is an opportunity for the development of sites like Rapidshare, but how about the sites that offer downloading & shipping files on a cd, they are not popular as before.)

The changes in technology, demographics, legislation and the competitors may result new opportunities and threads.

The internet itself was a big opportunity 15 years ago for many business owners, but it was also a threat for traditional media. They didn’t have direct control over internet, but could react and/or reposition themselves.

My Swot is done? How much do I earn?

The SWOT is worthless until you plan & act. It is just a source for your strategic decisions & plans that will results real market share, visitors, sales, whatever you want to achieve. In other words conducting a SWOT analysis is the first decision you have to make before going further.