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It is a good thing to design your website with "Users" in Mind

Personas help you to do that.

From Wikipedia, the definition of personas: "Fictitious characters that are created to represent the different user types within a targeted demographic that might use a site or product. Personas are given characteristics and are assumed to be in particular environments based on known users’ requirements so that these elements can be taken into consideration when creating scenarios for conceptualizing a site."

How do you develop a "persona"?
Think about your existing or perceived future clients. Think about their personality types, traits, wants and needs.

From experience, we recommend developing at least three or more personas for your website.

You could use these as a basic example:

Peter Reliable:
Very dependable, spends his money very frugally. Seldom "impulse buys". When he does buy anything, he is very methodical, and researches every buying decision thoroughly. He is very interested in features, benefits, and specifications. He will read everything on your website and make an informed decision. It might multiple visits before he decides to buy. Pete wants to know if your product will satisfy a need he has, work with what he already has, or save him money.

Cool Lucy:
Very fashionable, goes to the hippest restaurants, loves to shop, and expects the best things in life. She is spontaneous, flambouyant, and lives for the moment. She wants to look good, feel good, and doesn't worry about much else. She does not care about the features or specifications of your product. She wants to know if it will make her look good, feel good, or make her life easier.

After you develop your personas, develop navigational paths through your website, for each of the different personas you have developed. Use "trigger words" as navigational links, so that each persona can take an appropriate path through your site.

For Peter Reliable's path, make sure to include features, benefits, specifications, and any other information you have, including Terms and Conditions and Returns Policy. He will read it all, and have questions. Ideally, make sure he can find either the answers on your website, or have a mechanism in place e.g. Live Chat.

If Cool Lucy likes fashionable, make her path flashy, feel good, and upbeat. Don't take up her time talking about features, or specs. Make it quick and easy for her to buy with confidence.