How to Design Your Website For Your Target Audience

When designing a website, it’s important to ask yourself who will be browsing the site. Ask yourself questions to discover who exactly your client is, their profession (if they are old enough to have one), what the competition is like, and how the clients want to be perceived to the online world.

After doing a little research and answering these important questions, start designing the website for your audience. Even though you may be tempted to give a new technique a try, you have to think about your target audience at all times, and this includes factors such as content, fonts, layouts, and colours.

Type of Content

Your intended audience will have an effect on the type of content you should be including on your website. Consider how the information presented will make a difference in how each type of group will perceive it. For example, if you’re writing content for kids, you’re going to want to present a certain type of content that they will understand and be engaged in. On the other hand, if you’re presenting information for professionals to read, then perhaps you’ll want to use specific vocabulary that’s geared specifically towards a particular industry.

Content Layout

How you lay out the content on your website will depend on the type of visitors you expect to land on your webpages. For instance, if your target audience consists mainly of younger people, then you might want to consider a full-width layout because more than likely this type of look will appeal more to the trendier type. On the other hand, if you intend on targeting a more mature audience with a lot of info to put on display, then you can opt for a more traditional layout.

Type of Font

There are dozens and dozens of different types of fonts to choose from these days that making the choice can often be overwhelming. But it’s important to take the time to browse through your options in order to ensure you’re making the right selection. The type of font you pick for your target audience is important. For a youth website, for instance, fun fonts like Chalkboard or Comic Sans would be appropriate, while fonts like Arial, Helvetica and Cambria would work best in the corporate world.

Colour Choice

Colours play a key role in in the look and feel of your website. They evoke certain moods in people, and can even affect a person’s actions. In addition, colour can play a big role in your target audience’s perception. Pick colours that make sense to the market. Use bright colours of the rainbow for a children’s website, and more neutral tones for a professional’s website.

The Bottom Line

There are a bunch of little details that go into designing a website geared specifically for your target audience. Before you start your next website design, be sure to think through who exactly your intended audience is. Keeping this in mind throughout the design process will help you make better decisions about what your website should look and feel like, and give your clients the results they’re looking for.