For your website to be effective, it must speak to your target market, the main audience that you want to have visit your website and benefit from your products and services.  As a matter of fact, to be truly effective your website needs to speak to your ideal client.  So, take a look at your current clients.  Is there a particular group you prefer to work with?  What qualities do they share?  Do your best clients come from the same industry or profession?  Do they own the same type of business?  Do they share a particular personality trait or outlook on life, fall within a specific age range, live in a particular geographical location, or maintain a certain income level? 

Take a look at the trends you find in your current client base for clues.   There are details associated with your ideal client, such as:

Every industry or profession has common terms that have specific meanings to the members of that group.  Using this language on your website shows that you understand them.

In addition to enhancing you local search engine rankings, referencing geographic information in your copy helps your visitors know they have come to the right place.

You will be able to determine your color palette, select your imagery, and organize the information on your site, as well as tailor your Internet marketing plan to your market and maximize your return on investment, giving you the most for your time and money.

It is important to know if your target market makes use of the Internet.  Will they even be interested in purchasing your products or services online?  Try talking to several people within your market and listening to what they have to say.

Jumping into your website creation without knowing your target market is like shooting a bow and arrow without ever taking aim.  If you hit the target it was pure luck.