In part one we talked about choosing the right domain name, expectations and the importance of planning. In this post we’re going to talk about your target audience and planning before we start designing.

Do not rush into your web design

So many people focus on design first, which is wrong. It might sound weird coming from a web design studio telling you that focusing on design first is bad. That’s because design is about communication and conveying the appropriate message, and if you don’t know what you’re supposed to communicate, then you can’t design anything.

Design should always support the communication, purpose and overall objectives of the website. I wrote about this in another post here. Often times when design fails it’s because the objectives and purpose for the end user/consumer were not clearly defined or established.

Establishing the purpose of your website

Most companies, or people, have a general idea of what their website is going to offer and what it might say. In some cases clients think they have the whole thing planned out, but in reality they planned wrong by using past business experience to establish what they think their clients want to see online. Just because their business was built a certain way offline doesn’t mean the same principals apply online. Of course the same principals might still apply, but you never know till you do some research.

There should be a lot of market research done before the purpose of the website is established. Even if you have an established business there are ways that people will use your website, or may want to use your website, that might not be considered traditional in your industry. You have to find out what people want, what they are looking for, how they are looking for it and how you can provide it to them.

Research to help establish your websites purpose

Start by finding out as much information/facts as you can about your target audience, current customers and also past customers. It’s a good idea to write out a list of questions for your current customers, and a separate list for you past customers, that will help you answer a few key questions about your business and the service you provide them. This will not only help you make a better website, but you might also find other ways to improve your current business as well.

The questions should short, maybe a list of 5 to 10 questions, multiply choice answers with the last question being an area for suggestions or comments. It’s best if the questions online instead of in person, and let people know that they will remain anonymous, and ask them to be brutally honest. The more you know the better.

Here are a few online survey websites that I would recommend using:

http://www.esurveyspro.com/
http://www.surveymonkey.com/
http://www.zoomerang.com/

Some tips on developing a survey:

http://www.esurveyspro.com/article-how-to-conduct-an-online-survey-and-engage-customers-in-a-dialogue.aspx

Where else to do research:

• Dig into your competitor’s websites. What are they doing well? and not well?
• Read market surveys and reports on your target market
• Find out everything from their likes and dislikes, habits, age, income, what brands they buy, how they use the internet, their favorite websites, most frequently visited sites and anything else that could help you develop a website that meets the demands of your target.

Write some user profiles

Now that you know a ton of information about the people you’re targeting you should create a few “user profiles.” These are profiles that you invent. They are also sometimes called “user personas.”

A persona is simply a small write up about a particular person in the group you’re targeting. What to include in your personas:

• Name
• Age
• Where they live
• What they do for a career
• What challenges they have online
• What they use the Internet for
• What they’re looking for when they visit a website, etc.

Example of persona for Mechanic Website

1) Joanna, age 28, single.
Joanna is hearing some noises coming from her car and is researching what it might be. She is trying to find out what it is, how much it might cost, how long she will be without her car and her and a friend might be able to fix the problem.

2) Dale, age 55, married.
Dale is looking for some parts for his 68’ Camaro that he is rebuilding with his son. He is searching online for specific parts and is visiting different websites and ordering what he needs.

3) Amanda, age 35, married with 3 kids.
Amanda noticed her car taking a little longer to start that it has before and she is looking online for a local shop that she can take it to. She has 3 children and cannot be without a car for very long. Amanda needs to know how long the shop will have her car, and if they provide any rental car services because its not covered under her insurance.

Quick Evaluation

By reading these three separate profiles you can see how all three people might visit the website for completely different reasons. You can also see the importance of creating a clear message of what you offer people. That way as soon as a user visits the website they can decide in less than 3 seconds if this website has the information they are looking for. You should also write your profiles based on what you’re providing on your site. If you’re not selling products, then what do you have to offer people that are looking for products? Maybe some links to online stores that you recommend.

Using these user profiles will help you have a better website design, and assist in the success of your website, but you still have to answer the question, “How are these people going to find my website?” Well that’s a whole other article.

Stay tuned for part 4 of planning your website: Creating your site map and content outline