Of all of the website design “commandments,” the most important has got to be; “Know thy audience.” When you start with this simple rule as a baseline for your website design, it will carry you through every aspect of the site, from the visual, to the conceptual, to the functional. To truly understand your audience, you must put yourself in their position. Imagine yourself as a person who happens to find your website and knows nothing about your brand, product or service.
Visitors decide to stay or leave a website in the first 8 seconds of their visit. To further complicate the situation, they decide what they think about the website’s visual appeal in the first half-second. This makes it crucial that you know who you are targeting and what they want from you before they ever visit your site.
What is the demographic of your audience? Are you appealing to an older target that appreciate the value of web technology for communication purposes, but aren’t comfortable with a lot of “bells and whistles?” Or, are you marketing a high-tech product or service and your visitors expect the very latest technology throughout your website design? Creating a website design that speaks directly to your target is the best way to ensure the outcome you seek.
You may have a target that is not used to making internet purchases and are wary of your credibility. In a case such as this, it may make sense to include a testimonial or ratings page that builds trust with your visitors. Some visitors want a way to directly communicate with the group they are doing business with. In this case, an interactive site, potentially including an on-call e-mail assistant or contact number could potentially be made available. Whatever the need of your audience, your website design should follow.