How do You Know Your Web Design is Attracting Your Target Market?

Answer 1: We liked it so our customers should

This is a dangerous presumption to make and often simply isn’t true. Your clients and customers interact with your website in a very different way than you do. You are viewing your website from a strong understanding of your business and prospects may not know a thing about you or your industry. What seems obvious to you may need reinforcement to you prospects.

Answer 2: We used a focus group

That’s great however, when we review a design from an analytical perspective we interact with it in a different way than someone looking to buy your products and services. Read 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell to understand this concept better.

Answer 3: We asked our customers

The same problems are faced here as using a focus group in an even more extreme way. Your customers have preconceived ideas about who you are and if your website is to generate new leads, they view it from a different perspective.

A Unique Solution: The Psychographic Profile Analysis

While we believe all of the above responses have merit, there is a more systematic methodology, the Psychographic Profile. By simply answering some multiple choice questions about who you are this formula can determine what colours, shapes and fonts will best subconsciously communicate your intended message to your prospects.

Why is Web Design Important?

First impressions count. Due to poor web design, many web surfers don’t browse a web page more than a few seconds. The web will be the first port of call for many of your prospects, which is why it’s so important to make the right impression. Your web presence is often the public face of your company. You need a web design that’s user-friendly, attractive, easy to navigate and importantly, meets your business agenda - increased sales or heightened brand awareness.

Conceptualisation of your web design, search engine optimisation and timely delivery are things you should find out from your web designer before commissioning the project. Many graphic designers say they provide end-to-end web design solutions however, you should check this out. Designing for a website is quite different to designing for print from a usability and interactivity stand-point.

After completing your Psychographic Profile, you should begin by working closely with your web designer to define your specific needs. You should then work in conjunction with your web designer to create a professional, highly customised and personalised web presence that targets your desired demographic. Web design projects that are truly creative should remain functional and remain faithful to your core project requirements

We are often asked for a rough ballpark figure for web design so for your convenience, we have published some standard web design packages that can be viewed from the left hand menu. These packages are suitable for some of the most common project requirements. They may suit your needs or may serve as a good starting point for further web design development. I'd also suggest you do some quick research on Google to see what others are doing in your industry. That way you should get some ideas for your own web design.

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