The Secret to Saving Thousands on Your Next Website

Before we jump into layouts, colors, or that shiny new font you love… we need to know who’s actually going to use this thing — and why.

And I’m not just talking about customers. I’m talking about your team, your partners, your vendors… even that one person who keeps emailing you asking for a PDF of your pricing.

Every one of these folks shows up to your site with different needs, expectations, and goals. If we figure those out now, we can build something that works for everyone — and saves you a ton of money in the process.

Why This Exercise Matters

Here’s the dirty little secret: Most businesses (and even a bunch of web agencies) skip this part entirely.

Then the site launches, and a few months later someone says:

“Wait… customers can’t place bulk orders through the site?”

Now you’re scrambling to custom-build e-commerce functionality you could’ve planned for — and it’s triple the cost when done after launch.

This exercise will help you:

• Spot gaps before they become expensive problems
• Put your budget into what actually moves the needle
• Get everyone on the same page from day one

How the Audience Map Works

We’re going to map out your Stakeholders, their Needs, and their Outcomes.

Stakeholder → Who they are in relation to your business
Need → What they’re trying to do, find, or learn
Outcome → What success looks like for them

You’ll fill in the blanks for this sentence:

I am a [Stakeholder], and I want to [Need], so that I can [Outcome].

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. List your stakeholders
   Think beyond customers. Add your team, your vendors, partners, media — anyone who interacts with your website.
2. Write down their needs
   What are they trying to accomplish? (Most will have more than one.)
3. Spell out the outcome
   How will they know they got what they came for?

Examples

Here are some sample entries for a local plumbing company:

“I am a…”	“and I want to…”	“so that I can…”
Homeowner	Find a plumber for a same-day emergency	Stop the water leak before it causes more damage
Landlord	See if you service multiple properties	Use one company for all my rental units
Business Owner	Review your commercial plumbing services	Hire someone experienced with large-scale jobs
Returning Customer	Log in to view past invoices	Track repair history and expenses for tax season
Team Member	Access our scheduling system	Provide availability to a customer who emailed us
Potential Hire	Read about your company culture and benefits	Decide if I should apply for your open technician role
Office Administrator	Update the “Service Areas” page	Reflect new cities we’ve recently expanded into
Supplier	Find your procurement contact or process	Submit pricing and build a vendor relationship

Without going through this exercise, most plumbers would have missed half (or more) of these needs. Not because they are too difficult to imagine, but simply because they didn’t take the time to examine all of the stakeholders, needs, and outcomes that will make the website a success.

In a real project, we’ll likely identify dozens of these. That’s a good thing! The more clearly we understand each stakeholder, the more effectively we can shape and prioritize your content, design, and functionality around what really matters.