Research. Strategy. Metrics. Conversion.

These things are all important elements of building a successful Web site that will turn your visitors into paying customers.

What’s dramatically less important is the business owner’s personal preferences.

This is an actual (albeit paraphrased) conversation that took place recently between a client and one of MWD Web’s partner companies:

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Client: So look here, Logo Company. I know you put a lot of effort and strategy into developing our brand for us, and we appreciate that. After all we paid you a lot of money to do this for us. But I’m new in this authoritative position I’ve just been promoted to, and I want to make my mark on the company. So about this blue color you chose for our Public Outreach division… I just don’t like blue. I’m going to make it puce instead.

Logo Company: Thank you for your feedback, Mr. Client. We really recommend staying with blue. As you can see from these exhaustive notes, blue is the color that your target audience resonates with the most. Blue suggests stability and security, which is very important to your customers. Since we established this blue as the color for your Public Outreach division, your company’s sales have grown more than 400%.

Client: Yes yes, thank you, that’s great. But when I say I don’t like blue, actually I really HATE blue, myself. Puce is so much better.

Logo Company: I understand your feelings sir, but all the evidence suggests that blue is going to continue to provide the best results for you. We want to do what’s best for your company.

Client: Puce, puce, puce! It has to be puce. Puce is my personal favorite color.

Logo Company: I can appreciate your concerns, but if we switch to puce you’re likely to see a dramatic drop in sales –

Client: Look, I’m sorry, but you’re fired.

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Can you guess what happened to this client’s sales after the new main man instituted puce as the color for Public Outreach? If you said “they plummeted,” you’re right.

The lesson for today is, no one cares what color you like! Your design and branding needs to be focused on what will best speak to your customers, and what will convert Web site visitors into paying customers. The business owner’s personal preferences shouldn’t be a factor in establishing your branding.

Photo Credit: kevin dooley via Compfight cc