Building a Business Website: Step 3
Step 3 in Building A Business Website:
Know Your Audience
The first step to building a successful business website is to determine what you want your website to DO for your business.
The next step to building a successful business website is to perform a SWOT analysis of your business- including your competitors.
Now, we’re to what may be the hardest part of building a business website: Knowing Your Audience
This is your business website. You are not designing this website to please you. You’re not designing this website to please your spouse. You’re designing your business website for your TARGET AUDIENCE.
I once had a client who had previously hired a gifted web developer to create her original website. The original web developer correctly “nailed” this client’s personality and developed a site with the client in mind. The site was funky and fresh. I featured photos of the client in a very Audrey Hepburn type of attire/attitude. The colors were dark purple and orange and the art work was very hip and modern.
Unfortunately, this client was providing goods and services to individuals in the financial sector.
So, for the first six weeks after her website was launched, this client was happily cold calling prospective clients. She happily provided her URL for her website to those who showed and interest in her services - and when she did she noticed an alarming trend. When she gave her website address to prospective clients, she noticed that they suddenly refused to take her phone calls. At first she wasn’t alarmed, but when she quit giving her web address and landed a couple of clients, she contacted me in a panic.
We redesigned the site and toned down the “hip” vibe. The original web developer would have said the new site was “stuffy” and “boring”. We went from using purple and orange to navy blue and gray. She got new head shots and this time, she wore a suit and assumed a traditional “formal” pose.
The result was amazing. When she began giving the URL of her new website to prospective clients, she landed 10 of the next 12 prospects who visited her website.
This is an essential Web Site Success Story which clearly illustrates the “design your website with your audience in mind”.
You’re designing this website with your AUDIENCE in mind.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- WHO is coming to your site? (Current customers? Prospective customers?)
- WHY are they coming to your website?
- WHEN will they be coming? (Before the sale? After the sale?
- WHAT do they expect to find when they get to your website?
- HOW can you make your website easier for them to use?
The only perspective that is important when it comes to your website is your visitor’s perspective.
With this in mind, ask potential users to “test” your ideas for your website before you begin the work of development. A potential user’s opinion can offer valuable insight throughout the process.
By asking for your customer’s input, you’ll not only get a better idea of what you need to do to create a successful website for your business, but you’ll also be demonstrating your commitment to them, your customers.
Just be forewarned, you may not always LIKE what you hear. In my business, when I asked my clients how they wanted their website tutorials delivered, I had video in mind for the delivery. Creating an online video is faster and easier than creating a written version. Unfortunately, my clients overwhelmingly “voted” for a hard copy of the tutorials so they could print out the tutorial as they went through it.
It’s all about the customer. Make sure you design your business website with your customers needs in mind!
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