Why Before is Before and After is After

All websites are works in progress. We should expect to be constantly refining meta titles, adding content, and adjusting calls to action. It's unrealistic to expect to be able to launch a site that is truly a finished product in the sense that it will no longer require any work. However, there is definitely some heavy lifting required at the outset of any web development project that will largely impact a site's success after it goes live.

There are three very important questions to consider before you plan the launch of your website, or perhaps a relaunch of your existing site.

What will your site offer to your visitors?

Why are you even building this site in the first place? If your answer is "because everyone has a website" then step away from your screen, grab a couple of key marketing people and decision makers in your company (and maybe a few cups of coffee), and start brainstorming. Knowing what you hope to achieve through your online presence is key to building an effective website. Your goals will guide many of the decisions you need to make throughout your web development process - giving them context and a purpose. Whether you're selling a product or selling a service, I think we can all agree that the over-arching goal is sales. Therefore, generating leads of some form will probably be at the top of your list. However, the approach to those sales will differ from site to site depending on who you're trying to reach. Simply being online and generating leads isn't enough…you want to generate valuable leads, and knowing your audience is key.

Who will be using your site?

We often start off new projects by asking clients to complete a planning document that includes questions about what types of people they're hoping to attract to their site and what these people will want from their site. We refer to these "types" as personas. When thinking about your site's personas, it's a good start to begin to identify the decision makers and the influencers that will be interacting with your site. If you're selling a product, who are the people who have the purchasing power? If you're providing a service, what people ultimately have the power to decide to hire you for your expertise? And since it's unlikely that the decision makers will be totally isolated, who are the people who provide the research, advice, and guidance that ultimately influence those decisions? Identifying personas and being aware of their needs, wants, and potential frustrations is key to developing an effective content strategy for your website in the early stages of planning.

You can find more information on developing personas in our newsletter on How a Website is Built and read about their potential benefits in Katie's recent blog post.

What do you want from them?

Although it's important to be aware of what your potential users want from you, it's also necessary to begin thinking about what you want from them at the early stages of any web development project. We already established that ultimately, you want them to buy your product or hire you. However, it's unlikely that a visitor will come to your site and immediately decide to become your customer. Your website should be a tool that allows users to enter into a relationship with you, and having clear calls to action that are easy to respond to will allow you to begin that relationship. This may look like signing up to receive your monthly newsletter, registering for an event, or requesting an in-person meeting, but remember that "relationship" implies mutual benefit to both parties, not a one-sided investment. Make sure that what you're asking for is reasonable considering what your users are getting in return.

A Case in Point

I worked with a client who chose to market their product to three very distinct user groups. Because they went in this direction instead of taking the risk to choose one target audience to focus on, they ultimately created a site that seems generic and unfocused. In an effort to make sure that their site was relevant to an audience of extremes, they failed to really provide a clear message to any one of their user groups. It can certainly be a temptation to cast a wide net in hopes of reaching a variety of users. Focusing your message may feel risky, like you'll potentially alienate future customers. But users are unlikely to rummage through content that doesn't pertain to them in order to find content that does. In a case like this, it may be wiser to disperse that content among three mini-sites, each targeted at a particular group, instead of attempting to make your website a catch-all in the event that your personas are members of very distinct and very different groups.

The conflict this client is now experiencing is the result of not having answered the right questions before implementing their site—or at the least not committing to answering the right questions in a defined and focused way. This means they'd now need to go back to the "before" stuff to get it right.

For more questions to consider, read Chris's newsletter on planning a new website project.