Most businesses do a great deal of thinking about the range of people they consider to be customers and stakeholders and how best to satisfy their needs. The same amount of thinking needs to go into working out who your e-business is aimed at.  Is it existing customers or is it hoped new markets and customers will be found?

Some issues to consider when thinking about this question:

• You cannot control who visits your website - it is accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world, anytime of the day or night, all week long (often referred to as 24x7), including your competitors.
• Not only will your traditional customers and stakeholders visit your website but also many others.
• Your website gives you relatively cheap access to new audiences and markets.
• If your website is being used to create or offer new products, services or information, you may need to engage with entirely new audiences in new locations.
• Different sections of your website may appeal to different audiences.  

What to do

Consider the various categories of audiences you wish to target and then prioritise them. The more specific you can be, the more useful will be the result. The following list is a useful starting point:

• existing clients/customers
• new clients/customers
• suppliers
• general public
• managers/executives
• staff
• tourists
• associate organisations
• sponsors/donors
• "friends"/ members

When you have considered your priorities, think about where each of them is located - in your state, nationally or overseas. What age group(s) are you targeting and is there any common characteristic?  For example, if your business is a surfing shop, then your typical customers would not expect to see a very formal, corporate-looking website and this may put them off doing business with you online.

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