Identify Your Online Customer

I deal with clients just about every day whose aim it is to have a "killer website." Great. But, that leaves a lot to question about what that really means. Of course, "killer" is a subjective idea. To some a killer website is one that uses all the latest, bleeding-edge technology. To others, a straight-forward design that sends the company message is just the ticket.

But, when I ask, "who is your ideal customer, and what do you want him or her to do?" I often get silence. Yet, this question should be answered prior to beginning any web design project. As an example, a website that sells books can reasonably expect pretty much anyone to find an interesting title. The goal is to sell books.

But, say you are a kitchen remodeler. It is pretty unlikely that any one is going to make that kind of decision from your website alone. So, a more reasonable goal is to motivate some initial contact by the potential customer.

The point is that a "killer website" is one that leads to your desired outcome. Everything else is just decoration. So before beginning any design project, first identify and define your customer.