When Building a Website, Think About Those Who Will Read It
Want a Successful Website? First, Get to Know Your Visitors!
Visitors come to your website every day for specific reasons and motivations, and they each have different goals and intentions. When you understand them well, you’ll be able to build a website that serves them as effectively as possible — which will have a significant impact on both your traffic and your success. When building a website, focus on understanding the types of visitors you attract.
How to Categorise Your Website Visitors
For the purposes of website success, the most fundamental criterion is the reason — why and how visitors arrived at your site.
I. HOW?
The intentional visitor is someone who came to your website on purpose — they worked their way to you by entering words or phrases into search engines, or by clicking through related websites with the intention of finding one like yours. You shouldn’t let them down in any way: your website content should be clear and complete, they should be able to quickly and easily find what they came for, and they should have a simple way to contact you, place an order, or take other steps to begin communicating with you.
The accidental visitor is someone who ended up on your website by chance, or even by mistake. It would be great if your content or the look of your site caught their attention anyway — drew them in so they stayed, read your copy, and found out who you are, what you offer, and how you might be useful to them one day.
II. WHY?
They’re looking for information — these visitors have a current problem, question, or topic they’re exploring. They’re searching online for guides, solutions, and explanations. They’re not ready to order or buy anything just yet. However, they do want to deepen their knowledge in the area your business operates in.
They want to be entertained — these visitors are looking for distraction and fun. They want to enjoy themselves, unwind, or simply pass the time.
They’re looking for a specific product or service — these visitors have a problem or a need they want to solve by purchasing a service or product. They’re actively searching online for the right supplier.
Learn to Reach Every Type of Visitor
When building your website, aim to engage visitors from each of the groups above. Those who are looking for information need to be given exactly that. The goal is to convince this group of readers that your website and your company are the right authority in your field and on your topic. Once visitors get that impression, they’ll come straight back to your site next time. At the same time, you’ll have established the first thread of trust — essential for turning these visitors into paying customers.
For those who are ready to buy, have as precise and relevant an offer as possible ready for them. It’s always important to focus on what the visitor — your potential client — needs or what problem they’re trying to solve. Then present your products and services as the solution. If such a visitor has already developed trust in your company from a previous visit, the sales process becomes significantly easier.
It might seem that for a business website, the category of visitors who simply want to be entertained is irrelevant. Don’t underestimate it, though! It’s a large group made up of individuals with many different personal needs — and therefore real potential for future purchases or subscriptions to your services. These are visitors who are currently spending their leisure time online, but who naturally also use the internet in their professional and business roles.