Make It Easy

by Justin Hailey, Owner of Next Page Web Design

In the last edition of Next Page Talks we addressed the importance of a website being visually stunning.  In this issue we will discuss what steps you can take in planning your website that will make the set-up process simple and fast.

Your Blueprint Shall Set You Free

When you begin a project, you need to start from the ground up, right?  A website is no different.  At Next Page Web Design we prefer to work with pencil and paper first.   Just like building a house, creating a blueprint prior to starting the actual work will make your job easier and more streamlined.  Words of wisdom: don’t be too concerned if you have to adjust your plan as you go.  Many designers do.

The Power is in the Planning

There are three major factors you should take into consideration while putting together your blueprint. First is your audience.  Who will be snooping around the internet for your products or services? Secondly, what is the product or the content of the site?  Navigation is the third aspect of your site that should be considered before starting the design process.  Once you have settled on who your audience is, what makes up the content of your site, and how your end users should navigate, you’ll find the rest simply falls into place.

 Who Cares?

Once you have answered the questions in the previous section, you will need to begin to cater your content to your target market.  Your specific target market can be tricky to figure out and may be ever changing.  This means that taking the time to re-evaluate the people/companies you are directing your marketing campaign towards is important.   If you are struggling to pin point your ideal followers, start by asking yourself, “Who do I want to visit my website?”  Then, research that segment of the population’s demographic.  Be prepared to answer the big topics like, Gender, Age, Marital Status, Education, Employment Status, Housing, and Household Income.  You can ask more detailed questions as you progress, but this will make for a good start.

The demographic information you gather will make it easier to determine your ideal follower’s interests.  The blueprint for your website should cater to the majority of your target market’s “likes.”  I use tools such as Google Insights to research what my target market is looking at online.  Once you have uncovered what people are searching for and what sites within that search are the most popular, you will have a basic idea of what features to add to your site.

Follow Me Here

Navigation happens to be one of the most important features on your site.  Where it is located and how logical it is plays an important role in keeping visitors at your site.  There are many ways to create your menu and page titles.  Say, for example, you have a single product you are selling.  You shouldn’t bury that info.  Instead, try to include that information on your welcome page.  If you offer several products, include a menu to quickly bring your viewers to the product and category they want to view.  This will keep your visitors engaged and on your site for a longer period of time.  A frustrating navigation menu creates a frustrated consumer – and frustrated consumers leave your website quickly!

Once you have your navigation set up, study your users’ habits.  They are the only true way to determine whether or not your user interface is working.  Are the people who visit your site viewing what you want them to view?  If not, what can you change about your navigation design to get them there?  Don’t make the mistake of using the “set it and forget it” method for your business.  As your business grows, so do your customers.