Most businesses fail to plan for online success. Knowing

your purpose, audience, and uniqueness are the first steps

to developing a successful web site. Follow these three

steps to position your web site for Internet profits.

Step 1: Determine Your Purpose

The first step in planning a web site is to determine what

you want to accomplish. Do you want to sell products and

services, find new customers, generate leads, establish

credibility, or improve customer service?

The purpose of your web site will affect its content and

design. Depending on your goal, you may need an opt-in form,

articles, a sales letter, product information, pictures, a

secure online order form, and a shopping cart.

Step 2: Define Your Ideal Customers and Their Needs

Many web sites are trying to attract everybody. Don't make

this mistake. Your web site will be more profitable when

focusing on your ideal prospects who are likely to buy your

products or services. Ask the following questions to create

a profile of your ideal customers.

• Who wants or needs your products or services?

• What is the age range, gender, profession, industry,

income level, and education of your ideal customers?

• What are your customers' wants, needs, and concerns?

• What problems can you solve for your customers?

• What problems do your products and services solve for

them?

• Why will they come to your site?

• What information do they want?

• Are most of your customers computer literate?

• What computer monitor do they have?

• What software and browser are they using? Do they connect

to the Internet with a slow modem or a fast connection such

as cable or DSL?

After defining your ideal customers, target your web site's

content, message, and design directly to them. Here are some

examples of how your audience affects the design of your web

site. Make your text large if you're targeting seniors. Use

a conservative design if your prospects are accountants.

Make your design colorful for children. Avoid video and

audio if yourcustomers have slow computers and Internet

connections.

To target your content to your ideal customers, tell right

away what your web site is about and what's in it for them.

If they don't read further, they were not prospects. Attract

your target audience with a benefit-oriented headline and

provide valuable, useful, and interesting information your

prospects are interested in.

Step 3: Demonstrate Your Uniqueness

Emphasize your uniqueness to make your web site stand out

and set you apart from your competition. Attract your

audience with a benefit that is different from other web

sites. What is your distinct advantage? What separates you

from your competition? What is distinctive about your offer?

Visiting competing web sites will give you ideas about

content, design, and features you may need for your web

site. Then develop a site that stands out and distinguishes

you from them.

Answer these questions to help you formulate your

uniqueness.

• Why should prospects buy from you instead of your

competitors?

• What are the most important benefits or results your

customers will achieve from your products or services?

• What do you do better than anyone else? Do you possess

hard-to-find or specialized expertise?

• Do you offer a free consultation, initial visit, analysis,

or better advice?

• What makes your products or services better, unique, or

more desirable than your competitors?

• Do you have the lowest prices or the highest quality

products in your industry?

• Do you provide the fastest service, the strongest

guarantee, longest hours, or better follow up?

• Do you keep customers informed with newsletters or

information hotlines?

Determine what makes your business unique. Then you can

emphasize your uniqueness to make your web site stand out

and set you apart from your competition.

Plan your web site for profits. Determine what you want to

accomplish with your web site, who your ideal audience is,

and what makes your online business unique. Only after

implementing these steps are you ready to start developing

your web content.