Discovering and Creating Target Audiences and Personas

Many websites and marketing campaigns get stuck because they’re built “for everyone”. In practice, that rarely works. Successful companies know exactly who they want to reach. It starts with discovering your target audience and fleshing out clear personas. In this article we walk you through the process step‑by‑step and explain why it’s essential for your website, content, and online visibility.

What Is a Target Audience?

A target audience is a defined group of people who share similar characteristics, needs, and problems. This can be based on demographics (age, location), firmographics (company size, industry) or behaviour (purchase habits, online activity).

For SMBs it’s crucial not to make the audience too broad. The more specific you are, the more relevant your message becomes.

Why Target Audiences Matter

• Your website aligns better with visitor expectations.

• Your content becomes more relevant and converts better.

• SEO and advertising become more effective through a clear focus.

• AI and search engines understand better who your content is for.

From Target Audience to Persona

A persona is a detailed, fictional person that represents your ideal customer. While a target audience is abstract, a persona makes it concrete—you give your customer a face, a role, and a context.

Personas help teams make decisions about design, copy, features, and marketing channels.

Target Audience vs. Persona

• Target audience: “Freelancers in construction with 1–5 employees”.

• Persona: “Mark, 42, independent contractor, short on time, wants a stronger online presence.”

Step 1 – Analyse Your Current Customers

Start not with assumptions but with data. Look at your existing customers or inquiries and search for patterns.

• Which customers generate the most value?

• Which sectors or company sizes appear most often?

• What questions do customers ask most frequently?

Use sources such as invoices, e‑mails, CRM systems, Google Analytics and Search Console.

Step 2 – Research Behaviour and Intent

Beyond who your customer is, understand why they choose you. Think about search behaviour, motivation and doubts.

• Which keywords do they use?

• What triggers contact or a purchase?

• Where do they drop off?

This insight is gold for SEO and conversion optimisation.

Step 3 – Segment Your Target Audiences

Often you have more than one audience. Segment them based on relevance and potential.

Example segments:

• Start‑ups vs. established businesses.

• Price‑sensitive customers vs. quality‑focused customers.

• Tech‑savvy customers vs. those seeking full service.

Not every audience needs the same message or page.

Step 4 – Build Personas

For each important audience, develop one or more personas. A solid persona includes:

• Name, age and role.

• Company type and responsibilities.

• Goals and ambitions.

• Problems and frustrations.

• Objections and doubts.

• Decision‑making criteria.

Step 5 – Map Personas to Your Website

Personas become valuable only when you actively use them. Link them to specific pages, content and funnels.

• Landing pages tailored to a single persona.

• Blog topics based on persona questions.

• Calls‑to‑action that match their stage and need.

This makes your website logical, clear and purpose‑driven.

Personas and SEO

Search engines and AI systems are getting better at understanding intent. By placing personas at the centre you:

• Align content more closely with search intent.

• Use more natural keywords and questions.

• Increase your chances of being visible in AI‑search.

Common Mistakes

• Building personas on assumptions instead of data.

• Creating too many personas without prioritising them.

• Developing personas but never applying them in practice.

• Trying to address everyone on a single page.

Keep the process clear and actionable.

How Often Should Personas Be Updated?

Markets and behaviour evolve. Review your personas at least once a year, or whenever there’s a major change such as:

• New services or products.

• A shift in target‑audience focus.

• Changing search or purchase behaviour.

Practical Application for SMBs

For smaller companies persona development doesn’t have to be complex. One to three strong personas are often enough to sharpen your website, SEO and marketing.

The key is that everyone working on your site or marketing uses the same personas as a reference.