Website tips with Michelle Whitmore of Zeald.com

Invariably a successful website starts with the end in mind. That means two things.

Firstly, you should know your primary objective and make sure your website stays true to that objective. For most businesses the end goal will be to either generate sales or generate enquiries and a successful website will feature various ‘calls to action' to help it achieve the desired objective.

The second ‘end in mind' refers to the end user and the experience you want to give them. In other words, who is the target audience and what's going to get them to stay on the website and take the desired course of action?

To help, you should ask yourself these questions about your target audience:

• Who are they?
• Why are they coming to the website?
• What are their fears?
• What are the benefits they are seeking?
• What questions will they have?
• What barriers will they have to doing business with me?

I find that one of the easiest ways to consider the target audience's requirements is to think about the questions you would put on a ‘Frequently Asked Questions' page. By virtue of going through this exercise, you are in essence putting yourself into the prospective customer's shoes.

Of course, an even faster route is to ask a number of prospective customers these very questions.

Another fantastic resource is your front-line staff. It's often your receptionists or sales reps who know what prospects are looking for and what questions they most commonly ask.

Remember that your website might be about you, but it's for your target audience. As such, take an ‘outside in' view when you are compiling your design and content ideas and not an ‘inside out' view and you will have a far greater chance of success.