Ambition, optimism and enthusiasm – the three cornerstones of a successful online business venture, but at the same time, too much of any of these three things can steer you down a dark and unproductive path.
When launching an online business or building a website, it is tempting to give it the broadest appeal possible, ideally you would like each visitor to feel at home, find what they want and take something positive away from the experience.
It is estimated that there are currently around 1.7 billion websites up and running worldwide, of which not a single one can boast 100% popularity and appeal. Has never been and never will be a site that pleases all of the people, all of the time.
Hence, attempting to engineer one means setting yourself up for disaster.
Targeting What Matters Most
A more realistic and beneficial approach is to design your website with the expectations and preferences of your target audience in mind.
When the time comes to begin designing and developing your website, you should already have a clear picture as to who your audience is, where it is and what it wants. You must carry out research to find out the kinds of websites that are visited regularly and the brands they do business with.
If your primary target audience is men in their mid-20s, web design attributes that appeal to teenage girls can be excluded entirely. If retirees are your main points of focus, young professionals need not be impressed with the site you have engineered.
Long story short; it is perfectly fine if certain demographics find your site unappealing, as long as you profile your target audience appropriately and establish its expectations accordingly, it does not matter who disapproves outside this main demographic.
A Source of Inspiration
Joining forces with a team of experienced web developers is the best option for anyone looking to create an engaging site from scratch with a specific target audience in mind. If going with the DIY approach, there is no shortage of inspiration.
As with most things, it is a case of carefully assessing how the current leaders in your field are doing their thing.
Take a look at a selection of websites from current market leaders, making a note of their visual design, layout, navigation system, colour schemes, and use of language and mix of media types. Not to copy their efforts outright, but to at least give you an idea as to what works for their audience – i.e. the same audience you yourself are targeting.
Even if it means going against what you personally expect and appreciate when browsing the web, it is important to remember who matters most; your customers. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, and in some instances that may include you!