The Website Strategy School: Lesson 1 – Who Are You Building Your Website For? Understanding Your Target, Persona, and Purpose
Table of Contents
Contents
- Opening: Introduction to The Website Strategy School
- 1. Everything Wobbles If You Don’t Define “For Whom”
- 2. A Website Is a Mechanism to Trigger Someone’s Action
- 3. Understanding the Difference Between Target and Persona
- 4. Common Mistakes & A 3-Minute Persona Workshop
- 5. Websites Without Purpose Go Nowhere
- 6. Common Patterns of Going Astray vs. Results-Driven Structure
- 7. Summary: The Starting Point Is “For Whom?”
- About The Website Strategy School
- About AEDI
The Website Strategy School
- Lesson 1 – Who Are You Building Your Website For? Understanding Your Target, Persona, and Purpose
- Lesson 2 – What Should You Include? How to Think About Site Structure and Sitemaps
- Lesson 3 – Users Don’t Act Based on “Looks” Alone: The Fundamentals of Strategic Design
- Lesson 4 – Photos and Words Make the Difference! Tips on Visuals and Writing
Opening: Introduction to The Website Strategy School
In this series, The Website Strategy School, we will deliver 10 lessons covering the fundamental thinking and design principles needed to create websites that produce real results. This content is designed for those new to managing websites, small business owners, sole proprietors, and marketing or PR staff who may not be familiar with web technologies, so anyone can learn with ease.
The focus is not on visual design. Instead, we center on the essential mindset of why, who, and how you deliver value — the true essence of building a successful website.
This series draws on my 20+ years of experience in web production since 2001. While this is not the only correct approach, I hope it offers useful insights you can read with a relaxed mindset. Although it overlaps with the content of this section, please also take a look at “About The Website Strategy School” if you like.
1. Everything Wobbles If You Don’t Define “For Whom”
When considering website creation, many start by thinking about “changing the design,” “making it cooler,” or “making it more modern.”
But what really matters is the starting point of the site’s design — the foundational question:
“For whom and for what purpose are you building this website?”
Clarifying this question becomes the basis for every decision afterward
2. A Website Is a Mechanism to Trigger Someone’s Action
A corporate website isn’t just a place to list information.
It is a tool to prompt users to take action.
For example:
- Contact you
- Download materials
- Visit your store
- Apply for recruitment
To elicit these actions, you must accurately address the visitor’s anxieties, questions, and expectations.
If “who you are building for” is vague, then all your design decisions — structure, words, photos, user flow — will lack focus.
3. Understanding the Difference Between Target and Persona
Target: A Group
- Women in their 30s
- Living in Kurashiki, Okayama
- Mothers raising young children
- Health conscious
This is a target segment — a marketing classification by attributes.
Persona: One Ideal Individual
Digging deeper than the target, a persona is a specific, ideal customer visualized as if they truly exist.
| Attribute | Example |
|---|---|
| Name | Eri Yamamoto (alias) |
| Age & Family | 38 years old, husband and two elementary school children |
| Residence | Suburbs of Kurashiki City |
| Occupation | Part-time office worker |
| Values | Wants a natural, stress-free lifestyle |
| Concerns | Shoulder stiffness and chronic fatigue, wants to visit chiropractic but lacks info |
| Information Sources | Google search, Instagram (mobile) |
| Expectations | Chiropractic that’s safe and welcoming for women, clear pricing, clean atmosphere |
Focusing on this one person makes your content, tone, and flow clear and purposeful.
4. Common Mistakes & A 3-Minute Persona Workshop
Common Mistakes
- Trying to appeal to “everyone,” ending up speaking to no one
- Creating personas based solely on internal assumptions, which may not match real customers
Simple Persona Creation Tips
- Who has been your happiest customer so far?
- What problems did they face?
- How did they find your company?
Writing these down on paper often reveals clear insights.
5. Websites Without Purpose Go Nowhere
As important as “for whom” is clarifying “for what purpose.”
3 Steps to Purpose Design
- Step 1: Choose one goal
- Examples: Increase document requests, increase bookings, increase recruitment entries
- Step 2: Set KPIs numerically
- Examples: 30 inquiries per month, improve bounce rate by 10%
What Is a KPI and Why Does It Matter for Your Website?
- Step 3: Design user flow backwards from the goal
- From top page → problem awareness → trust building → action (CTA), design starting from the goal and working backwards.
6. Common Patterns of Going Astray vs. Results-Driven Structure
Below is a comparison table showing the differences between common Going Astray Patterns and Results-Driven Structures.
| Condition | Going Astray Pattern | Results-Driven Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Everyone is welcome | Narrow down to one specific individual |
| Content | Overloaded, unfocused | Organize information users want to know |
| User Flow | CTA unclear or complicated | Clear, prominent CTA placement |
| Menu Structure | Company-focused categories (About us, Services) | User-problem-focused categories (Common concerns, Reasons to choose) |
Note: The “Results-Driven Structures” introduced here are one approach based on practical experience and case studies. Their effectiveness may vary depending on the industry, purpose, and target audience. They are not universally applicable in all cases, so please use them as a reference and adapt them to your own situation.
Summary: The Starting Point Is “For Whom?”
Websites are not just places to list what the company wants to say.
They are about resolving the visitor’s anxieties and questions through words, information, and structure.
The starting point is clearly visualizing who you are building for.
All successful websites begin here.
About The Website Strategy School
The Website Strategy School delivers essential thinking and design principles for creating websites that drive real results. The series is designed for those who have just taken on website responsibilities, small business owners, sole proprietors, and marketing or PR staff. Even those with little experience in web or website management can learn with confidence.
This series focuses on the core concepts for achieving results: why you are creating the website, who it is for, and how to deliver it effectively. It also covers practical tips and strategies for managing and optimizing your website. Business owners, managers, and sole proprietors will learn how to design a website that fits their business or activities and connects directly to meaningful outcomes.
The content is based on my experience in web design and development. The methods presented are not the only correct ways—they are intended as a reference, so please feel free to read with a relaxed mindset.
Additionally, this series is written with the expectation that it will be periodically revised and expanded. The content may evolve over time, but the goal is to continuously improve and enrich it. We hope you will follow along with us on this journey.
