The reasons go beyond technical
Your website is usually the first place your customer will visit and can leave an everlasting impression of your business.
Not only should it be designed to normal UI standards, but also device agnostic.
However, this should not be the only focus.
Too many times this becomes the only thing that is looked at when other things such as relevant content, target audiences, and layout get ignored.
These are equally important concepts that are generally overlooked but could turn a website from average to awesome.
To make your life easier, we’ve gathered the 5 essential questions you should be asking to see if your website is up to scratch.
1. Who is my target market?
Your target market will usually determine the content of your website.
Tailoring to the wants and needs of your desired customer is the basic principle of any website but can be overlooked at times, especially as the website becomes increasingly updated over time.
Source: HTTPS://WWW.OBERLO.COM/BLOG/TARGET-AUDIENCEGenerally, startups make the issue of designing to make it attractive and slick as possible instead of focusing on the most important point, their customer.
By determining who your target market is, you are able to figure out how to exactly position your website for the right person looking at your website.
2. What is my goal for the website?
Every landing page can be built differently but the homepage is arguably the most important one.
Usually, your goal is to get them navigating to another part of your page, either to drive awareness, lead generation, or even ultimately a sale.
Figuring out the goal of your website (which should directly correlate with your target market in mind) and how it will aid your business will create the setup for your home page and ultimately your entire site.
Here is a list that you can start off with:
- Get more leads, quotes, or inquiries
- Brand awareness
- Collect emails
- Social Media interaction
- Comment interaction
- Education
3. How are they going to navigate the website?
This one sounds obvious but can be overlooked.
Many websites do not think of this and layer 100 tabs into the navigation menu in hopes the audience will find the correct material.
But this is not how a well-thought-out website would operate.
Understanding what customers will click on and what they want is important.
Utilizing tools like heat maps is essential in understanding the behavior and then tailoring the correct path to your end goal.
Many B2B businesses fail in this particular area whilst a large number of e-commerce companies do this successfully by tailoring and personalizing each customer journey.
4. What features do you want on your website?
By having a good understanding of what goals are for your website can directly help with what features it needs.
As seen in the infographic below, features are the sections and areas that make up the website.
Source HTTPS://LEARN.G2.COM/WEBSITE-FEATURESRemember however not to overload on features but rather have what is essential to reach our goal.
Here is a list below that could assist in what your website needs:
- Shopping carts — does it need e-commerce integration?
- Email leads, collection?
- Exit widgets?
- Blog Feed?
- Photo or video galleries?
- Banners?
- Mobile responsive (should always be agnostic)?
- Menu options?
- Sliders?
5. Do you have brand guidelines or a style guide to follow?
Even if you’re a new business, having a basic understanding of what your website’s branding is quite important in the long run.
Your website is usually the first place someone will land on so keeping your branding consistent is necessary.
Source: HTTPS://BLOG.HUBSPOT.COM/MARKETING/EXAMPLES-BRAND-STYLE-GUIDESAnything from colors to your stock images needs to be kept to brand.
It’s the reason why brands like Coca-Cola have lasted through the ages through their red and black!
This means either choosing a set palette of colors as well as a style guide and typography or keeping in line with what you currently have.
Although many businesses may eventually change this, it should still not be overlooked!
It is important to note that different colors can convey different messages and meaning so understanding what the goal of your business is important in figuring out the branding.
Summary
Your website is one of the most important assets.
When discussing factors that influence a website, many tend to think of technical issues such as device compatibility.
In order for a website to be utilized fully, however, factors such as navigation, features as well as target audiences need to be explored to reap the benefits of having a website.
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