Identifying the True Purpose of Your Website Every website needs a purpose. People search the web to find an answer or fill a need. Your website should give that answer or fill that need, according to what your product can offer them. For example, a potential customer has a question about finding the best auto insurance in town. They just happen to live in the same city you do and also include the name of the town.
Answering Potential Customers Questions You just happen to sell auto insurance. If they were to stumble onto your website, they would want a large banner and a picture showing them that you do offer the best auto insurance in town. Your potential customer might be interested, and yet skeptical at the same time. They would want a hyperlink to take them to your product page about auto insurance. When you hyperlink your banner and picture to take them to that page, you provide them with that easy link. Once they make it to your product page, you know that your purpose has been achieved. They asked a question, and you’ve presented an answer to them. In the same way, you are proposing a solution to their need. That is the purpose of this auto insurance website, to sell auto insurance. What is your purpose? What are you trying to sell? Even if you’re not selling a product for money, your site might be trying to sell them on an idea—like going green to care for the environment. What are you trying to tell people? That is your purpose. Take that purpose and design a website whose sole existence is to fulfill that purpose. When you need ideas on how to do that see what you’re competitors are doing on their websites.
Designing the Website to Fulfill a Purpose They are likely providing an attractive image and headline on the front page to answer their audience’s question. They might also include a number of smaller pictures and headers that provide answers to other similar questions. Continuing with the car insurance example, other headlines could advertise how the visitor could get a quote, what current discounts are available, and how they can get into contact with a real person. The number of helpful headlines can help a customer get involved with your site.
The more involved they are, the more likely they will be to seriously consider your product. If you have more than one thing to sell—i.e. house, life, or boat insurance—then you will need to make it obvious that you sell other types as soon as possible. You can do that by cycling through banner images, put those options on your navigation bar, or create an interactive interface where a visitor can click on “auto,” “home,” “renters,” etc. and have the information update according to what type of insurance they’re interested in. Before you put in the time of actually building your website, establish your website’s purpose. Then talk it through with your designers to ensure every part of the site makes it easier to buy what you’re selling. Alphagraphics is helping people with their web design needs in Ogden. They have successfully put clients on their way to hosting the best websites around. Find out how they can help you with your needs in web design for Ogden companies. There’s work to be done to get your website fulfilling its purposes.