Being able to identify your target market will never be enough for your website to make money – even if your goal is to simply break even. If you are serious about turning your website into your cash cow, then you need to figure out the things that would make them more attractive to online buyers.
User-Friendliness
People want a website that won't give them a hard time for doing whatever it is they want to do when visiting your page. Here are a few things that essentially characterize a user-friendly site.
- Easy to navigate. People should never get lost in your website no matter how extensive it is. Links should always be prominently positioned in every page of your site and especially in the homepage. There should also be a site map and back links provided whenever necessary.
- Quick to load. People tend to be more impatient when they are online. That's why you should make sure every component of your page is optimized for quick loading. If there is no way to avoid a somewhat lengthy loading time – which is usually the case for Flash-based introductions – then be sure to include a loading bar. People are less inclined to complain and leave your site for another if they know exactly how long they're supposed to wait.
- Responsive. When a website is described to be responsive, then that's just another way of saying it is mobile-friendly. It must be configured or designed to automatically scale its dimensions to match the limitations and requirements of any mobile browser.
- Compatible with various platforms. Consider the various browsers people are using at present. The days when 99% of Internet users browsed the Web using MS Internet Explorer are long gone. Nowadays, a lot of people also use other browsers like Google Chrome, Safari from Apple, or Mozilla Firefox. You should also consider the special requirements of various operating systems like Windows, Android, iOS, or Linux.
Convenience
Websites may be described as convenient when they limit the amount of time and effort people have to expend when buying something online.
- Shipping options. You should offer at least two or more options for shipping. If possible, provide an option in which buyers may enjoy free shipping with their purchases. Moreover, one of your shipping options should have its own tracking system for your customers to use.
- Payment options. This is one of the most important factors to keep in mind. You would never be able to maximize your website's potential if you only limit yourself to accepting credit card payments. If possible, try to accept other modes of payments like PayPal as well.
- Product information. Make it as easy as you can for your customers to obtain essential information about your products. Give them a list of features, specifications, benefits, and maybe even pros and cons about every product you're selling online. Include reviews and ratings whenever possible. Most importantly of all, give them an idea about how much you charge for the products, e.g. Product X starts for as low as $$$.
- Recommendations. You can use product recommendation engines to provide your customers with helpful suggestions about what they can check out or buy next.
Visual Appeal
Regardless of the identity of your target market, the rules for building an attractive website still remain the same.
- Easy to read and view. How your website looks should not get in the way of its performance. Make sure to choose colour schemes and themes that will make your test easier to read at the very least. Think about font size, face, and colour as well.
- Structured layout. The overall layout of your website must make sense. Otherwise, people may get frustrated and end up leaving your site for the competition.
Safety
Lastly, surveys show that people very much care about the level of safety and security offered by websites. If they're not confident about your ability to keep them out of reach from hackers, then they're unlikely to buy anything from you no matter how much they want to do so.
Overall, it's important to remember that what may please your offline customers won't necessarily have the same effect on your online customers. If you are unsure about the decisions you are making with regard to the design and development of your site, the best thing you can do is to get – and follow – the advice of a professional web designer.
