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Seven Questions | Your Typical Customer


Added by David Coleman on 15 February 2011

It’s easier to get people to buy if you know what makes them tick.

This is the second article in our "Seven Questions to Ask Yourself Before Getting a New Website" series. This time we're focussing on your customers.

Before you’ve even thought about colours, it’s time to be thinking about who is going to be visiting your website. What is your typical customer like?
  • What age are they?
  • If you’re selling to businesses what industry are they in?
  • What are their most common questions and concerns?
  • Are they from big companies or small companies or are they private individuals?
  • What do they enjoy doing?
  • Do they use the Internet regularly?
  • If so what kind of websites do they visit?
  • What is their level of computer literacy?
  • What magazines do they read (that you may later consider advertising in)?
  • Which tradeshows do they attend?
  • What is their existing level of knowledge of your product or service?
  • How much aftercare do they need?
The more you know or can find out about your existing customers, the easier it is to put yourself into their shoes when thinking about your website. Based on the type of person you’re forming an idea of in your mind, ask yourself questions such as:
  • What are the most pressing questions they’ll want answering about your product or service?
  • How would you reassure them about their most common worries about, or objections to using your product or service?
  • Will they want in-depth technical specifications of your products or will they just want to know what colours they come in?
  • Similarly, with regards to technical jargon, what level should you pitch your text at?
  • What type of images should you use? Industrial factories or flowers and kittens?
In Conclusion

The idea is to understand your customer so that you can tailor your website to them. When a visitor lands on your website, they will ideally feel reassured that they’re in the right place, perhaps with pictures of scenarios they’re likely to recognise or find themselves in. The text will speak to them in a language they understand and their biggest questions will be answered in the first few lines.


Read part 3 here: "Who are your competitors?".

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