Kleinburg Brewery
- design
- / web
You’re running a successful business, and have a website to show for it. But is it truly targeting the audience that you have in mind? Having a business website is certainly a critical component of your business in order to create a strong online presence. But is it doing anything for you?
One thing to really consider is whether or not your site is attracting your specific target audience. And how it’s designed can make all the difference.
Who IS your target audience?
Before you can hone in on the people you want to attract to your website and business, you’ve first got to figure out who your target audience is. What do they like to do? What is their age group or gender? What type of work are they involved in? What products or services do they tend to use?
Answering these questions will help you figure out who you should be targeting with your website, and thereby build your web deign around that. Without knowing exactly who these people are, you’re basically taking a stab in the dark and keeping your fingers crossed that you’re making the right moves.
Design Elements
Once you’ve determined your target audience, it’s time to design your website around this important group of people. But it’s important to remember the fundamentals of solid website design, and not to toss them by the wayside just because you’re designing your site with specific intentions.
Visual hierarchy needs to take front and centre, regardless of who your audience is. Keep in mind that you have the authority in designing a site to decide what your audience will be looking at first. Create a level of hierarchy that is based on what is the most versus the least important.
The most important visual needs to be above or at eye level. Putting it anywhere below these points will end up being a complete waste of time. Having visual hierarchy will allow you to keep the layout balanced and components in ideal proximity to one another and to the visuals of the reader.
At the end of the day, you want to be sure that everything makes sense and is easily legible. Even if visitors are only casually browsing the site, they should still be getting the gist of what the site is about.
Whatever research you’re doing as far as designing your site goes, the information on it should remain consistent with the site’s visuals. Part of your research should dictate why customers come to the website in the first place and what they want from the website.
Many web designers think that a website’s only purpose is to tell people about a certain product or service and why it’s amazing. But really, a website should ideally be a digital extension of the business and be used to communicate with existing clients as well as prospective customers. Keep your site’s design consistent with the target market, and ensure there is a clear message on the site.
Understanding marketing tactics as well as design elements and how they influence target audiences is a critical component to good web design. Your business and clients depend on the visuals made on your website – if they’re not effective, that will wind up reflecting your business, whether or not it’s an accurate reflection. Make sure you’re working smart in addition to working hard.