In today’s cyber-driven world, the online presence of your business is a huge part of its core. And the basis of your virtual strategy is likely your website. So, it’s essential that your website not only represents your business but should also speak to your target audience as well.
The key to this is a perfect blend of creativity, strategy, and skill. Enlist a great web design firm that can work hand in hand with your marketing team to create an online experience that your customer base will love. Then, you’ll create an online environment for your business to thrive and generate leads, conversions, and profitability.
Discovering Your Website’s Ideal User
The first step in creating a website for your target user is to define who you are trying to resonate with. A well-defined target market allows you to dive deep into their wants, needs, and preferences. This will give you the jumping-off point for the style and components that will make a great website.
Your brand likely has a defined target audience. If you are a new brand, you may need to take a step back and define this audience before starting your website. This allows you to do some research into your target customer and their demographics and consumer behavior so you have a better idea of what they want to gain from interacting with your website.
Consider the Ease, or Complexity, of Use
Your goal is to create a website that’s user-friendly. When doing so, the most important thing to keep in mind is your unique set of users. This will allow you to plan a website with navigation that’s tailored to their unique needs.
If you are targeting a senior demographic group, keep it simple and intuitive. Make searching easy and menus clear and concise. Plenty of white space and clear fonts lead to an interface that’s not overwhelming. Remember to use contrasting colors and larger formats to ensure those with vision loss are able to see as clearly as possible.
If you are targeting a younger, more tech-savvy generation, you can add some complexity to your navigation for more interest in your site. Fun elements like clickable images and gamified navigation allow for your site to be exciting to interact with.
Adding Interactive Elements
Think about the information that a user will want to be able to gain from your site. This depends on your target market but also the type of products you sell as well. Then, make it simple for your website visitors to find this information about your brand.
Interactive elements are a must in the world of eCommerce. Users want to try before they buy and shopping online often eliminates this opportunity. Being able to rotate 360 images, upload their photo for virtual try-on, or seeing what home decor items would look like in their space is ideal. These tools give users as close of an experience to real-world shopping as possible.
If possible, allow for tools for customers to interact with your brand to create meaningful relationships. A simple chatbox or FAQ search tool is ideal for older users. Younger demographics often enjoy a more gamified process where they learn about your brand through fun, interactive activities.
Creating a Vibe
Just as you would do with a physical location, it’s important to create a vibe for your online space as well. This creates an experience for your website visitors that will keep them on the page. Plus, it will make your site more enjoyable and memorable, keeping them coming back time and time again.
Choose a color scheme and stick to it. Nothing is more alarming to a website visitor than when pages feel disjointed. A unified color palette can make transitioning to pages on your website feel seamless and cohesive. If you are looking to create a sense of reliability and trust with your target audience, reliable reds and neutrals can set the tone. However, if you are a fun brand appealing to younger markets, look for trending colors like teals and sunny yellows.
Don’t just rely on the sense of sight to create an experience. You can also use sound to immerse your visitors in your website. Everything from calming waters to cheery jingles can add to your page. Think about what type of background noise makes sense for your brand and audience and find natural ways to integrate it into your web pages.
Valuable Content for Engagement
Design your website in a strategic way to give you the ability to post meaningful content to your audience. Think about what type of information would be valuable to them. Then, choose a format and create pages tailored to that need.
Maybe you add infographics to your product or category pages. These visuals are a great way to convey information about your products as well as the transition from page to page. Make them clickable for the perfect combination of info and navigation.
A blog is another awesome way to provide valuable information to your visitors and keep them returning to your site. Just make sure it’s designed in a way that’s clean, cohesive with your brand, and searchable. That way, when your audience needs info about your product or industry, your blog can become their go-to, easy to use, resource.
Keeping Your Audience in Mind When Designing Your Website
Your website is a unique opportunity for you to reach your target audience in a new way. It eliminates geographical barriers and gives you the chance to create relationships and provide plenty of information about your brand. Designing it carefully ensures that it reaches its full potential.
When you have an awareness of your target market, you can keep their needs in mind when creating your website. When they feel like you are speaking directly to them and they enjoy visiting your site, they will return again and again. This will allow you to become their favorite site in your niche and earn you a coveted spot in their bookmarks bar. Which in turn, will pay off in repeat sales, a reliable customer base, and an online presence to grow your brand into the future.
