When it comes to strategy, there is a strategy for everything out there. From content strategy to social media strategy, there seems to be a strategy for everything but your website.

When we are leading so many people to our website, we are forgetting that it needs a strategy in place, too. If we send them there without a clearly-defined path, often times, they will click off faster than we can say "wait a minute!" We forget that we need to also clearly define our audience, create that clearly-defined path and focus on the user experience.

Let’s chat about creating a foolproof web strategy that is going to help you capture more interest and produce better results with your website.

Crystal Clear Audience

If you have ever talked with a business coach, you will find they always talk about your target audience. We may roll our eyes, but when it comes to web strategy, it is incredibly important to make sure that we have a crystal clear picture of who are target audience is.

When it comes to web strategy, you have to understand who you want to work with. Repel and attract those you want to work with to help you better focus on getting those clients you want. Weeding them out with your website can save you (and them) a lot of time in the long run, so, why not?

Once you know your target audience, you can make sure to design your website for them. If you are looking to target middle to older age women, you will want to be considerate on font size and have a simpler website. For those who are looking to target a younger generation, have a website that is a bit more “hip” (as they say) — it will make sure you attract that age group.

Most importantly, you want to make sure you are speaking to their needs through your design. Make them desire to come to your website because they are attracted to what you have to offer. Allow them to feel what you want them to feel by making your website feel just for them.

Crystal Clear Path

There is nothing worse than being given a destination, but having no idea how to get there. Often times, this happens with websites. We know that we have a need (for example, help with social media) — but we fail to take people on a journey in regards to what is it like to work with us.

This is a crucial part of the process and we sometimes forget how it even works.

Help your web visitors out by defining a path for them to go down. Do not give them too many options...just enough for you to be able to describe what you do, how you work and how you can help them. It’s simple in these terms, but can be difficult to make happen with a website. This is why designing it to be clean, simple and easy to navigate is the way to go.

This can easily be done with obvious call to actions on every page. Focus on your visitors going on a journey through your website and have your website reflect this journey that you want them to go on. Make it obvious what you want them to do and how you want them to respond to your website.

Crystal User Experience

Out of all of the aspects, I believe the user experience is an important part of this. If you are not catering to your exact target audience and providing them with a clear path, then you should at least have a website designed for the user experience portion.

In simple terms, your website should be user-friendly.

There are a couple of items that go into this that some people do not talk about. These include making sure that the colors of your website attract your audience, but do not hinder their experience. Nothing is worse than visiting a website just to be blinded by neon colors on top of neon colors — or white text against a black background. While these can be successfully executed on rare occasions, make sure that your website is clean and color-friendly.

Another important aspect that we must all consider with our website is optimization. You truly do need a website that can be viewable on any platform. This is incredibly important when it comes to serving your audience because the majority of them are on their smart devices! Having a website that is not mobile-friendly will cost you more than you know.

Lastly, consider your image versus text ratio. Focus on bringing the page to life with images that convey the feelings or the messages you are looking to bring to the table. Having the right images can make or break a website. Never go for low-quality or simple, generic stock photos. Have branded photography done or find photos of flat lays that are meant to attract your audience. There are quite a few places to receive stock photography including Haute Stock.

Conclusion

When it comes to web strategy, it is not too difficult to implement these steps into your current web design. The three components just discussed can take your strategy to the next level!

ASHLEY DELUCA is a digital marketing and web strategist who empowers female millennial entrepreneurs by creating a web design and foolproof strategy in 30 days. She enjoys eating cheese and playing with her two basset hound puppies when she is not glued to her laptop. You can find her at blankslatemediaconsulting.com.

3 ways to a foolproof web strategy