If you don’t build a website to meet the needs of your target audience, it won’t be worth your while. The consumers are what makes the website successful, and if the website doesn’t appeal to them, it will not succeed. Building an effective web presence is the first step to meeting the needs of the target audience. Online marketing relies very heavily on a website to make its presence known and effective. This means that there must be emphasis on delivering what the consumer wants, and how they want it. In some cases, the only touch point between the consumer and the company/product is the website itself. The website must be able to provide a positive experience , as they are no longer receiving the physical aspect of the purchasing or information receiving process.
There are eight key points to consider when a company is designing a website, including: design, product, interactivity, service, reassurance, ease of use, relevance, and performance. Before any of these eight aspects are applied to a web site, a designer need to be able to determine a purpose for the web site. The purpose of a web site includes the site’s goals, the target audience, design issues, and tone. All of these need to be determined first, in order for the the designer to obtain the ability to intrigue and entertain the consumer with their site.
I my opinion, if a web site does not interest or inform me within the first five seconds of viewing, I’m moving on to another site. A site needs to be flashy enough to make me feel as though the designer has put in time and effort, and wants the consumer to have a positive experience. I like to be at a site that gets to the point, and doesn’t provide too much filler. On the other hand, I need a site that can provide me with information easily, and is easy to navigate. By being able to know what a consumer wants, and what they don’t want is the most important part to building an effective web site. If a consumer gets what they need, they will return, which will only make the site more profitable.
