Define your audience

You need to define your target audience so you can design for your target audience

Your most important visual marketing tool is your website. Many visitors will stumble upon your site by chance and you only get one chance to make a good impression. If your site isn’t designed for your specific audience then you are only a click away from losing potential clients. Conducting a little research to establish your audience may seem like common sense to many, but is often overlooked by those looking for a template or click-and-build site because the choices are limited.

Ask yourself a few questions so you can make informed decisions about your audience:

• What age is my target audience?
• What type of activities are popular within my audience?
• What is my audience reading, what movies do they like?
• What music is popular in my audience?
• Where does my audience hang out?
• What social media platforms are popular with my audience?
• What challenges does my audience have?
• What problems can I solve for my audience?
• What is their geographic location?
• What is their income level?

The list of questions could go on and on, but put yourself in your audience’s shoes and see what questions you can come up with for researching. Once you have these answers you can make better decisions about your images, typefaces, colors and layout so your overall design will be something you know your audience will be able to relate.

When your research is complete, your design should maintain consistency throughout your entire site. User experience is crucial and you don’t want to lose a potential client because your site isn’t content or design appropriate throughout. Your research will provide you with the tools to provide your audience with a website that is easy to navigate and visually stimulating for your target audience.