As a consumer, I am sold by the combination of thought provoking website content with an emotion evoking visual look.

We all realize the importance of connecting with other people. It is not far fetched to say that our life depends on in many ways. In business, your success depends on how you "make" that visual representation of your brain child = your company's appeal to your potential clients/customers.

Your task is a huge one: Deciding how you want to appear to the world. Realizing how many variables are involved can make the task overwhelming. Why? Once it is created, you have to live with your creation and the fact that it will appeal to some people more than others. So, you will say that's OK, I don't want everyone to like me, just the people that matter. And there lies the trick: Have you matched your image to appeal to your audience?

Are you speaking their language? Will they want to connect with you?

For an analytical mind this can spin into analysis paralysis that can be agonizing. Here is part of what that feedback loop might be:

Say, you are offering services. One approach to creating your web presence is reliant on the belief that people will analyze and compare your offer against your competitors and will make their decision on "the bang for the buck". Therefore, you want to show how knowledgeable you are and what a great value you can offer with your many services at a fraction of the cost of your competitors.

But, wait a minute. Is this really the most important driver when people make decisions for your service?

Don't rush to answer and don't assume you know, because the answer to how your audience tends to make buying decisions can shift your success from good to great.

Have you thought about the other parts of your customer experience? I bet there is so much more to what you will do for your clients. For example, how do you put a price on piece of mind that they are in GREAT hands? That your experience and passion for what you do will exceed their expectation? Sure you can say these things, but you run into the challenge of space limitation for a short attention span of readers. The risk of too much information, in too many directions. So, how do you say all these things in the most effective way? Being effective means it gets the point across in a simple, effortless way. Which is critical online when you have someone's attention for a few seconds.

Another approach is connecting emotionally with your audience and infusing your visual presence with their emotional side. What do you think goes on with your audience when they are shopping for your services? Are they feeling anxious, confused, overwhelmed, frustrated?

How are most of your competitors presenting themselves to their potential customers?

So, ask yourself: How would you want them to FEEL when they come to your website? How can you be different than your competition?

One postulate I live by: We want to FEEL good and we seek that feeling with everything we do, whether we know it or not.

One thing can be said of a buyer's state of mind: they are looking for an emotional hook with a business reason behind it. Therefore, your web presence should make them feel excited at the prospect of their business with you and see the value in it also.

Easier said than done.

Where should you start?

First step: Create the picture. A Picture is worth a thousand words, an identity is worth the money. It is an investment but is money well spent to have a professional create a your brand identity and the concept behind it.

Once you create your image, augment the effect with the visual look of your site, but make sure your speak to both sides-- emotional and analytical. You do it effectively for what your business goal is: sell, raise awareness, start your community, etc. This can be achieved with a strategy. Partnering with someone who can craft your web strategy for you early on will be a very wise investment for planning for success of your website.