Planning A Website: Building for your visitors and customers

What do your customers want?

You might imagine that the first thing to consider when planning your website is:

“What do I want my business website to do?”

If you did then you're making the first fatal mistake.

Of course you are developing your business website with a goal in mind ... “you’re not! ... well that’s fatal mistake number two (more on that in a moment).

So the first question you want to be asking is:

"What is it that my customers want to do, see, buy, find?"

If you don’t define what those visitors want then when they arrive they’ll be confused, lost or just not interested ... whatever ... they will, leave never to return.

 

Websites are designed for people to visit

Imagine that you are planning on building an hotel.

What sort of hotel is it?

• Chic Cosmopolitan Boutique
• Middle Range Business District Chain
• Country House
• Bed Factory

 

Each of these hotels can be very successful and popular in their own right but not everyone will want to stay in them.

Business men on expenses won't be interested in the Bed Factory style hotel and country ramblers wont be booking into the Chic Cosmopolitan Boutique.

 

Who is your market?

The first thing to do is to define ‘who’ or ‘what’ is your target market:

• Age
• Sex
• Social/demographic breakdown – upper, middle, working class etc
• Race
• Regional/global demographic breakdown – Local, national, international etc
• Knowledge on the subject
• Specific interests – marriage, babies, fishing, gardening, mortgages etc
• Associated interests – catering (for the wedding), holidays (related to fishing) etc

 

Of course if you're already running a successful company you'll know who your business market is ... you do don’t you?

Knowing your target market will shape not only the content of your website but how you design it.

 

Designing websites that your target market want to visit

A website aimed at busy mums won’t look and feel like a website designed for teenagers.

Busy mums want to find information fast, are not interested in playing games or discovering quirky things that the website can do.

Likewise teenagers are likely to be bored by static websites that have lots of advice and articles and don’t offer surprises, music, games or quirky fun features.

 

What are they looking for?

Customers may have a goal in mind when they search the internet. They may be looking:

• For entertainment
• To buy something
• To find out something
• Join a forum

 

Why are they browsing your site?

Of course your customers may be looking for a product or service that you offer, but is that the reason that they are interested in browsing your website?

Often customers are in a ‘Pre Sale’ state as they search the internet looking for guidance, advice, information, confirmation on whatever subject, price comparisons, service comparisons etc

 

They are looking for a reason to choose one product or service over another.

 

Start to define what things your potential customers or visitors might be looking for. Download the Web Coach planning crib sheet and get your thoughts down on paper.

 

In our hotel analogy the sort of things that a business client might be looking for in his hotel:

• Room service
• Broadband access
• Secretarial facilities
• Valeting service
• Conference facilities
• Good transport connections

 

Where as the country ramblers might be looking for:

• Great access to local walks
• Good home cooking
• Nice local country pub
• Friendly welcome
• Somewhere to wash their muddy boots and let the dog sleep

 

And the words that would describe the facilities, products and services for each of these styles of hotel would be very different.

 

Time to start writing down your customers words

Now is the time to start writing down the words that your customers use when they are looking for your business, products or service.

Down load the Web Coach site planning crib sheet and get started on your new website.

Read about the next stage in planning a website 'Businesses: What do I need from my website?'

Call us to set up your initial consultation: 07941 22 75 96

Web Coach: We know you're running a business not a website!