The first mistake that many companies make when putting together a website is trying to appeal to a wide audience. Many companies assume since their business is on the web, their website should appeal to everyone. They cast a big net and fail to reel in any fish.
The fact is that advertising on the web is becoming more specialized, and less generalized. Advertisers are realizing that all they need is an audience of one. Just check out Google, every time you do a search, Google brings up relevant results as well as sponsored links that magically appear on the right of the screen. If you are logged into your Google account, they can even keep track of your relevant searches and suggest other useful searches. In a way, it records your every move keeping track of your preferences as you go along. Eventually, it will hit on what you were looking for, or something you didn’t even know you were looking for.
Other social media sites like Facebook and MySpace are also using this technology because like Google, they understand the specialization of the web. When the Internet was new to people, it was enough for companies to simply have a presence on the web. But now, as it becomes easier and more affordable for companies to have websites, there is only one way to stand out from the crowd, that is specialization.
Targeting your website to a specific audience, your audience will go far in trying to reach your customers. Not only should it be written in terms familiar to them, it should be customized for them. For example, if your audience consists mostly of seniors, you should keep the design simple, making the text and buttons larger to help them navigate the site.
Focus on what makes your business different from the rest of the competition. Why you stand out from the crowd. And use that to your advantage. After all, it’s the reason you went into business for yourself in the first place.
The future of the web is made for just one, you.
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