Do I need to love my web design?

Fellow entrepreneurs and business owners, when you are  starting to form your digital identity, one questions worth considering is : “Do I need to love my website?” As someone who’s been in the web design game since the 90s, let me tell you—it’s not as straight forward as your would think.  There are a number of foundational areas that you need to address before you dive into creating  a website.

Your website should reflect your unique selling point and align with your business goals. Whether you’re aiming to provide information, sell products, engage with customers, or establish credibility, your website needs to cater to these objectives.

A great place to start is to create detailed avatars of your ideal customers. Take on a detective role and find out all about them:

• What do they do?
• Where do they hang out online?
• What are their preferences when it comes to content—do they prefer text, images, videos, or maybe even cartoons?

By understanding these nuances, you can tailor your website to meet your ideal client’s needs and preferences.

If you have already made any sales…..look at the people you loved to work with and who love to buy from you.  Dig into who they are and find common characteristics.

If you are just starting out, then you need to do some market research if you haven’t already done so.  After all, having a product or service does not mean that you have a viable business.  You need to know that you are solving the problem of your clients.

One way to do this is to set up some questionnaires.  These are great because they can give you loads of helpful information about the type of person who is looking to buy what you want to sell.  Dont forget to ask their permission to add them to your email list. in return for their quiz score!

Once you’ve got a clear picture of your ideal client, it’s time to dig into how they prefer to interact with you. Do they like detailed articles, quick videos, or interactive content? Ensure your website features these elements prominently. It’s about focusing on what will engage and convert your visitors.

It’s also essential to understand the different touchpoints your customers need before they make a purchase. On average, it takes 8-12 or more, positive interactions before someone is ready to buy from you. Make sure your website, emails, videos, podcasts and socials work together to create these touchpoints.

For example, if you are producing organic, natural beauty products then your brand may be best suited to use light colours, clean lines and soft imagery.  However, if you are a Warhammer gaming stockist, your brand might be more dark backgrounds and mythical creatures.

So, understanding the preferences of  your future customers is so much more important than indulging our own preferences.

Once you have your ideal client avatar, your visual identity and your marketing plan in place, you are in a great place to start the next phase of getting ready to build your new website.