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Should all Website Visitors Get the Site?

by

Thomas Young

Podcast Number 70 – November 2011

In this Internet Marketing Podcast Glenn and Tom review strategies and recommendations on meeting the needs of Website visitors who may not understand your Website or come from various market segments. Can a Website be everything for everyone? Or should it focus strictly on its target market?

Should Websites be expected to meet the needs or even be understood of all Web visitors?

  • Remember the Seinfeld Soup Nazi? You don’t want your Website to follow that role.
  • Look at the upside risk versus the downside risk.
  • As a rule of thumb, keep the site understood by as many visitors as possible.
  • Follow the 10-out-of-10 rule.
  • Don’t assume any Website visitors “get it” just because you do!
  • What if Bill Gates visits your home page?

How does a Website go about communicating with a broad ranges of users?

  • Keep it simple and use direct, easily understood concrete terms.
  • Landing pages should be easily understood.
  • More detailed and market specific content should be in place on interior pages.
  • Keep in mind the reading level of your visitors.

Is there a risk that the actual target market may be alienated?

  • If you upset a segment with content, then buy a separate domain name because you will need multiple Websites.
  • Research and talk to your target market and referral sources.

Where should Websites find a middle ground in these area?

  • The best and most popular Websites have wide segments.
  • The best Websites communicate broadly, even in niche areas.

Here are the action items from the Podcast:

  • Analyze your market segments and understand each’s hot buttons and triggers.
  • Understand and know how referral sources work on the Web.
  • Use this to develop a messaging strategy and Website segmentation approach.
  • Track your data and do user testing on broad segments and niches.
  • We all tend to be focused too much on how we perceive the world, the Web forces to get out of this bubble or vacuum and better communicate to new and current target markets and referral sources.

Websites Discussed in the Podcast:

Thomas Young

This podcast is available on iTunes.

Thomas Young

Thomas Young is the CEO and Founder of Intuitive Websites. He is a consultant, award winning Vistage speaker and author of “Winning the Website War” and “Sales and Marketing Alignment.” Tom has helped thousands of companies succeed online and has over 25 years digital marketing experience.