The One Vital Web Design Element That Virtually No One Is Telling You About

The One Vital Web Design Element That Virtually No One
Is Telling You About
by Doug Parr (c) 2002
http://www.smallbiz2000.com

You've probably seen articles that cover the "Top Ten Web Design
Mistakes" or something to that effect. They all seem to say the
same things, don't they? No animation, keep the appearance
professional, use easy navigation, and so on. You've done
everything those articles told you to do, but your site still
isn't making the progress you'd like. What's wrong?

You know, out of all the ebooks I've seen - and all the articles
on Web design I've read - one thing is rarely mentioned. You
would think, since this element is absolutely vital to any Web
site's success, that it would be the talk of the town. That one
vital element is... your customer.

Before you read another article or ebook on Web site design,
consider these facts:

* Your customer is the reason you are in business.
* Your customer pays your bills.
* Your Web site should be specifically and intentionally designed
to meet your customer's every need.
* In order to design your site to meet his/her needs, you must
first know who your customer is.

Once you discover who your perfect customer is, and what needs
he/she is looking to you to fill, you can apply all those other
techniques in the "Top Ten Web Design Mistakes" articles with
great success. But the questions remain - "Who is your target
customer" and "What does he/she want from you"?

It's simple really. Just ask a few questions like:

* What types of customers visit my site?
* What is the common denominator of all these site visitors?
* What brings them to the point of needing my products/services?
* What problems do my products/services solve for my visitors?

The answers to all these questions will reveal an amazing
portrait of your customers, of what they want, and of how you can
supply what they need.

When you implement your design, or make changes to your existing
design, do EVERYTHING with your target customer in mind. Does
your site design need to be "fun" or "business-like"? That
depends on whether your visitors are looking to fill a need for
entertainment or professional services. Should you use vibrant
pink and lime green shades, or muted blues and grays? Senior
citizens would most likely shy away from "fad-ish" colors, but
teenagers wouldn't get very excited over dark, drab tones. See?
It all depends on your customer. Every decision you make about
your Web site design should focus on and revolve around one
thing... your customer.

Now, rather than repeat what thousands of other authors have
written, I'll just ask that you go back and read those "Top Ten
Web Design Mistakes" articles once more. But... this time, apply
their advice with your perfect site visitor in mind. You'll be
simply amazed at the results you'll get once your focus is
clearly set on the primary person involved... your customer.