Since we’re always looking for new ways to enhance our customers’ experiences online, create efficient channels for interaction, integrate our online communication platforms, and stay current with our evolving brand image, we’ve decided that it’s time for a website makeover. What better way to ring in the New Year?
Once we made the decision to change our website, we knew exactly whom to approach to get the task done right. BlueKey, a Charleston SC web design and Internet marketing firm, is now helping us to accurately translate our brand image into effective website design.
We’ve decided to create a blog series on this process to help other small-business owners understand the ease of the process and what to look for in a website design firm. This is our first post in the series, which focuses on how to decide the purpose of a site. With a little help from BlueKey, we were able to decide what we wanted customers to get from visiting our site.
Below are a few questions BlueKey asked us when we were deciding the purpose of our website. Ask yourself the following questions to find the direction of your site:
Who will be visiting my website?
After an in-depth discussion with the creative directors at BlueKey, we were able to identify two main user groups who visit our site: 1) business owners / entrepreneurs and 2) bloggers / media.
Your visitors may be single mothers, male baby boomers, chefs, wine vendors, or anything else under the sun! And you most likely have more than one user group visiting your site. But if you don’t know who is visiting your website, you won’t be able to create a website that produces results and enhances customer online experience—whatever those results may be.
What are my user groups looking for when they visit my site?
After identifying who is visiting your website, it’s time to decide what they’re looking for when they arrive. One user group might be looking for something completely different from the other user group. Perhaps one group is looking to view your portfolio in hopes of hiring you, while the other group may be visiting your site in hopes of finding valuable resources and tips. And just because one of your user groups might not be visiting your site to purchase, it doesn’t mean they are not a valuable asset to your business. These users might not be able to pay for your products or services, but they might be your key referrers to users who can afford your products. And many times, the users looking for resources and tips convert into paying customers.
What action do I want my prospects to take?
Do I want them to purchase on my website? For companies who offer a variety of products or services that can be shipped / offered across the nation or internationally, an ecommerce site is a great way to easily sell these products and grow your business.
If the purpose of your website is to make the sale, then you want to be sure that users can easily navigate through your ecommerce site and experience an exciting and pleasant purchasing process. Your website design is crucial to ensure your customers’ purchasing experiences run smoothly.
Do I want them to call and / or email me? If you can’t make the sale on your site, you probably want them to contact you or your sales team via phone or email. Every one of your website pages needs to have an obvious call to action that drives prospects to take your desired action.
Telephone and email information should be obvious on these pages and encourage users to pick up the phone or email your business for more information.
Do I want them to view my portfolio? For businesses that offer high-end services, you don’t want prospects wasting their time and your time contacting you. Therefore, a portfolio page is a great way to showcase your work in an attempt for users to see if your services / products are a good fit for them.
If you want your site users to visit your portfolio first, then directing them to your portfolio through your home page is essential.
Through this seamless website design process with BlueKey, we were able to collaborate on how we wanted to organize our new site, based on our users and the actions we desire them to take.
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