What you need to know about your target group before you start designing a website for your business
June 4, 2023
sales page - what you should know

Designing a website that sells is more than just putting your products and services on “virtual shelves”. It is a process that requires a deep understanding of customer needs and expectations, as well as the use of appropriate marketing strategies.

At the outset, let me say that the sales page I am writing about in this article is not just a page with a classic store where visitors can add products to the basket and place an order with delivery to a selected address or download a digital product. Even if you are not planning a classic online store, you are probably thinking of a website as a potential tool to reach your target group and turn visitors into your customers. Even a simple business card-like website supporting your personal brand can be a sales tool if you plan the individual steps in the web design process wisely.

Before you start talking to your website developer, you need to answer some important questions about your ideal audience and the product/service that you want to sell. If you neglect this step, you will most likely end up with a website that will be the work of chance and creativity of the developer. And that’s not what it’s all about, is it? :)

Even a simple business card-like website supporting your personal brand can be a sales tool if you plan the individual steps in the web design process wisely.

Check out how to build website that attracts clients

Questions you should ask yourself before you start talking to a developer about your website design

1.

Who is my target group?

This is one of the first questions that everyone who plans to run their own business should ask themselves. Forget about the website if you don’t yet know who exactly it is intended for.

Determining the target group is necessary to properly adjust the appearance and functionality of the website. You can choose the right colors, fonts and layout that appeal to their taste and style. Site navigation and interactions should be optimized for the preferences and habits of your ideal customers.

2.

What are the goals and expectations of my target group?

By asking yourself about the goals of your target group, you can consider what specific value they want to receive from your website. Are they looking for information, entertainment, a solution to a specific problem or a product that will meet their needs? Answering these questions will help you deliver the right content and offer that focus on delivering the value your potential customers are looking for.

It is equally important to understand the expectations of the target group. What features and interactions are important to them? Do they prefer simplicity and intuitiveness, or do they expect advanced features? Knowing this will allow you to optimize your website design to deliver what users expect and provide them with a positive experience.

3.

What are the most important problems faced by my target group?

In order to effectively design a website that sells, it is essential to understand the most important issues your target audience is facing. Knowing these problems will allow you to provide solutions and information that are valuable to your potential customers and will convince them to buy.

For example, if your target group is people looking for a healthy lifestyle, you can identify their problems such as lack of time to prepare healthy meals, difficulty in maintaining regular physical exercise or difficulties in choosing the right supplements. Based on these problems, you can construct content that will offer practical advice on meal planning, ready-made sets of exercises or supplement recommendations.

Otherwise, if your target group are entrepreneurs, you can identify their problems such as difficulty in time management, lack of effective marketing tools or difficulties in acquiring customers. Based on these problems, you can provide information and solutions in the form of time management guides, offers on marketing tools or strategies for generating leads and increasing sales.

Knowing your target audience’s key issues allows you to focus on delivering valuable content to help them solve those issues. Thanks to this, your website becomes a place where visitors will find not only products or services, but also help and support in dealing with their specific challenges.

Remember that it is crucial to convey to customers that you understand their problems and have effective solutions to them. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate this content on the website in a way that will be easily accessible and visible to users.

4.

What are the stages of the purchasing process of my target group?

Understanding the steps of your target group’s purchasing process is crucial to successfully designing a website that sells well. Knowing these stages allows you to provide the right content and tools that influence the purchasing decisions of customers at each stage.

In the initial stage of “building awareness”, it is usually worth focusing on providing valuable information and problem-solving content. For example, you can create a blog or article section that addresses the questions and needs of your target audience. Providing educational materials such as e-books and guides will help customers understand their needs and present your solutions. The introduction of newsletter subscription forms will allow you to build a database of potential customers.

In the “consideration” stage, you should provide customers with detailed information about your products or services. You can create a comparison page where you will present the advantages of your solutions compared to the competition. Share customer reviews, case studies or testimonials that prove the effectiveness of your products. Interactive tools like calculators and quizzes can help customers assess which of your products best meets their needs.

In the “decision” phase, it is important to provide customers with clear information about prices, promotions, delivery options and return policies. The introduction of personalization options gives customers the opportunity to customize products or services to their preferences. “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart” buttons should be visible on the page to make it easier for customers to make a purchase decision.

The last stage of “action” concerns the purchase process and customer service itself. Providing a simple and intuitive online ordering and payment process is key. Providing order tracking information allows customers to track the delivery status. You can also create a help section or contact customer service to quickly respond to questions and solve problems.

Understanding the stages of your target group’s buying process allows you to tailor strategies and tools on your website to effectively influence purchasing decisions. Providing valuable content, detailed product information, easy-to-use tools, and a convenient shopping process help build trust and increase sales on your website.

5.

What are the preferences and shopping habits of my target group?

Consider what your customers’ preferences are for the online shopping experience. Do they prefer interactive elements such as advanced search or product filtering? If your target group consists mainly of younger people, they may prefer modern and dynamic solutions, such as animations or parallax scrolling. On the other hand, for older or less technologically advanced people, simplicity and readability are more important. Adjusting the website interface to the preferences of customers will make them more likely to interact and purchase.

Additionally, research the preferred payment methods of your target group. Do they prefer traditional bank transfers, credit card payments or popular digital wallets? Integrate the right payment gateways on your website to provide convenient and secure payment options that are popular with your target audience. This will help reduce friction in the purchasing process and encourage customers to complete the transaction.

Also remember about data analysis to better understand the preferences and shopping habits of your target group. Monitor user behavior on the website, track traffic sources, analyze shopping cart and conversion data. This information will help you customize your site, deliver personalized content, and optimize your shopping experience to increase sales effectiveness.

6.

What are the unique features and benefits of my products or services?

The unique features and benefits of your products or services are key to building an effective website. It is these elements that attract the attention of customers and make them buy.

You can place a prominent highlight on your homepage that briefly describes the most important unique features of your products or services. Use strong and persuasive words that highlight why your offer is unique and valuable.

Create a dedicated section on the website where you will detail the unique features and benefits that your company offers. Focus on how your products or services solve customer problems or create value and savings. Use graphical elements such as icons or infographics to visually represent these benefits.

In the descriptions of products or services on the website, it is worth focusing on the details and highlighting the unique features of each of them. Explain how they benefit customers and differentiate themselves from the competition. You can also share reviews from satisfied customers that prove the value of your products or services.

Case studies and testimonials are a great way to present real-world examples of how your products or services have benefited other customers. Share success stories and case studies where your solutions have produced significant results on the site. This builds trust and gives potential customers confidence that your offer is effective.

All these elements help build the image of your brand as a unique and valuable supplier. Focus on emphasizing these features on your website and provide customers with convincing arguments why they should choose your products or services.

7.

What doubts or questions might my potential customer have before making a purchase?

Thinking about this point will allow you to look at your website from the customer’s perspective and see what information and content is most important to them to help them make a purchasing decision.

By answering the most common questions and dispelling doubts, you build trust in your brand and offer. Customers will be more likely to believe that you understand their needs and are able to provide them with a solution that meets their expectations. Knowing the doubts and questions of customers, you can provide them with the right information on the website. You can develop FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sections that answer their questions, or create educational content that explains the benefits and solutions you offer.

Finally, it will help you stand out from the competition. If you identify concerns and questions that your competitors don’t include on their website, you can fill that gap and deliver additional value to your customers. You will be better equipped to show why your offer is better and why it is worth investing in your products or services.

Want to know more?

If after reading this article you have the thought “Oh no! If building my own website requires all this knowledge, the process will take me many months”, contact me and let’s talk :) I deal not only with the technical part of building websites but for many years I have also been involved in improving sales in businesses operating in various industries. I will gladly guide you through the whole process in a painless way :)

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