The first step to creating any website is defining your goals and target audience. This step is essential to get right, but it’s also common for people to make mistakes or overlook key considerations. Here are some tips for defining your site goals and audience the right way:
Define Your Goals and Audience the Right Way
- Avoid vague goals
Don’t just say you want to “share stuff” or “start a business.” Get specific. Do you want to share travel stories? Sell handcrafted goods? Be precise about what you envision for your site. Ambiguous goals will lead to an unclear website.
- Consider your metrics
How will you measure if your site is achieving your goals? Set concrete metrics to work towards, e.g. gaining 1,000 subscribers in 6 months or selling $x worth of products per week. Metrics give you a target to work towards and a way to evaluate your progress.
- Don’t assume your audience
Avoid thinking “people will love this” or “everyone’s interested in that.” Do research to understand your potential audience, their characteristics, and interests. Survey friends/family or look at similar sites/social accounts. The more you understand your audience, the more you can tailor your site to appeal to them.
- Incorporate audience feedback
Once your site is up, listen to audience feedback and make changes based on the feedback. What’s engaging or appealing to them? What’s falling flat? Incorporating feedback shows you value your audience and helps you improve their experience.
By avoiding common mistakes and being intentional about defining your goals and audience, you’ll set a strong foundation to build a useful and appealing website. With specific goals and an understanding of your audience, you can choose the right theme, write relevant content, and promote your site to the right people. Take the time to get this step right, and you’ll be on your way to an effective website.
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