As you consider designing your website, you will face many important decision. What content will be the primary focus of the home page? What images will you use? Where will the main navigation bar be located? Before you even begin the project, you must take the time to consider your audience so that your final design will have the best possible impact.
Consider, for instance, a website that targets corporate executives. This website should not contain cutesy graphics, several sound clips and extremely bright colors. These are not considered formal, and they will turn away the business of the serious businessperson.
On the other hand, if you are creating a website for teens, you should spend some time researching catchy music, creating cool graphics and choosing bold, appealing color schemes. In this case, cartoon-like graphics may be appropriate, provided they are not designed to look too much like a children's book.
Consider Your Audience for the Look
The look of your web design is going to be the most important place where you need to consider your target audience. Your potential client or customer needs to open up your website and feel at home instantly. If the visual look is unappealing to the target demographic, your product, service or content is going to mean little. It will never be considered or read, because the potential buyer or customer will simply click away to a more appealing site. Take some time to explore other sites that appeal to your target demographic, and take notes about the features you see that they all have in common.
For a site catering to businessmen, a simple, clean design with classic colors and easy to navigate buttons is ideal. The younger audience enjoys animations, bold colors and modern design elements, even enjoying a little bit of on-page clutter somewhat. If your audience is primarily female, add some feminine design elements to the page. No matter what, though, keep the page readable and appealing at first glance.
Consider Your Audience for the Language
Whether you are writing your own content or hiring a writer to do it, you must consider your audience as you write the information that will be included on the page. Use terminology that is familiar to your target audience. If necessary, define words that would be foreign to the target market. Use the "grade level" assessment tool in your word processing software to decide whether or not you are writing on the level of your average reader. Keep in mind that the average adult does not read on a post-high school reading level.
You also must decide whether the tone will be formal or informal, and that will also depend on your audience. How is your audience used to being spoken to? Would you naturally talk to a member of your audience as a friend, or would you be more formal if you were conversing with them in person? Incorporate that tone into your work.
Consider Your Audience for the Layout
Finally, keep your audience in mind as you create the layout of the site. An audience who spends most of its time on social media sites, like college students and online entrepreneurs, may expect one sort of layout, whereas an audience who regularly visits retail sites will expect another.
Put important information where it is expected, like contact information and shopping cart access. Do not bury the items your audience needs to find in hopes of generating more sales. This will only serve to frustrate people, not help your bottom line. Remember, in every aspect of your web design, you must consider your audience and create a website that will be as effective as possible.
