In 2019 and 2020, DNS Belgium conducted a study into the customer journey of people who register a domain name and make a website. There appeared to be 3 crucial phases in this journey.
1. INFORM
People want to be well informed before they start on their own website. They look for answers to 3 questions:
- How do I make sure I have good content on my website?
- How do I build a website?
- How do I come up with and register a domain name?
For answers to these questions most of the time they consult the internet.
Google but also YouTube and to a lesser extent Facebook groups are important sources. Information of friends or family with relevant expertise is still the most reliable source. A small section follows seminars or workshops.
For possible content, people mostly look at similar websites.
2. DECIDE and DEVISE
When people have decided they want a website, they struggle with the following 3 questions:
- Do I choose a free or a paying website?
- Do I choose a free or a paying domain name?
- Do I do everything myself or do I hire a professional?
People who want a website for professional purposes often outsource everything. People who are familiar with domain names prefer a paying domain name with a free website. People with no experience, often choose the free options.
Often heard complaints
“There are so many providers and products you can't see the forest for trees anymore.”
“The prices are unclear and ultimately often end up higher than was said initially.”
3. BUILD and MAINTAIN
Once the domain name, hosting , cms are ready, the most important thing is still to come: building and maintaining the website.
Consumers need 3 things for this:
- Practical tools: tutorials, tips & tricks, instruction clips, templates, etc.
- Assistance to create a website (but also all the steps preceding this)
- Efficiency: registering a domain name, arranging the hosting, building and maintaining a website has to be easy and efficient. Sufficient information has to be easy to find.
