The Visitor's Point of View

A common failing of both web designers and business owners, in setting up a site, is not considering fully the

visitor's point of view.

It isn't just a little thing, it is EVERYTHING.

If your visitor fails to identify with and

appreciate your site, it does not matter how much YOU like it. The design can be amazing and the designer

proud of it, but if it does not reach the visitor with an effective message that is needed by the visitor, then it is all

for nothing.

It isn't about what you, the business owner, wants, or likes. While it is important to build a site that reflects the

character of the site owner (an important facet of niche marketing for small businesses), it must be done in a way

that appeals to the visitor, otherwise it won't draw good results. Good website design takes the ideas and

preferences of the site owner, and presents them in a way that the visitor appreciates.

Most of the time, a

business owner knows how to present product in a sales setting.

Successful adaptation of that skill to a

web environment is not always obvious and simple, and an effort to do so may lack a single facet that makes it

less persuasive than it should have been.

In order to figure out whether or not the site will welcome the visitors, it is first necessary to define who

the ideal visitor is.

While most customer bases cover a range of people, they will typically share characteristics

that can be targeted. For example, my target client is uncertain about web design issues, they are either a first

time site owner, a startup business owner, or a successful business owner with a website that is not doing what

they need it to do. My clients are often hesitant to trust site designers because they do not know how to tell if

someone is being truthful about web issues.

When I build my own website, I build it for those clients. I use simple terms when I can, and present a service

that takes care of all the details so they do not end up needing something that was not included. I also provide

free educational materials to help them to understand some of the issues for themselves, and I teach them as I

present information, so they can feel like I'll teach them how to make good choices while they are in the site

development process. All of those specialized services that I provide have to be well presented on my website.

You need to determine some specifics about your customer:

1. Are they highly educated, or do they need a more casual vocabulary?

2. Do they want to know hard facts, or are they more likely to act on emotional impulse?

3. Do they identify with family, business, education, or other backgrounds?

4. Do they need personal contact before they act?

5. Do they need education about your product or service?

6. Are they young, preferring a contemporary presentation, or are they older, and need something more

conservative to feel comfortable?

There are other issues also,

but you can see that answers to these kinds of questions can make a huge

difference in how you present the information on your website. Your ability to accurately identify your target

customer's characteristics will help to insure that the site makes them feel at home, and that it provides a familiar

feel, and a needed message.

Welcoming a specific visitor base is something that happens through every element of the site, so as

you go through the other areas, make sure that each element measures up to the expectations of your

site visitors.

If it feels familiar, and like someplace they want to be, they are more likely to trust you and do

business with you.