educational

What Do Your Users Want?

This issue is very important for all categories of webmasters and adult site owners. If you just plan to open a new site, think about the things to be made, the reason why users should choose you, and the secret of popularity. If you already own several sites, it’s never too late to modify the idea of user needs, since it can essentially raise your site and company rating. If you are a newbie in site mastering, begin the work with a definition of the target audience and its interests, it will help you choose the best content. If you have already been in the adult industry for several years, it’s never too late to update your skills, because user interests can change.

Bread And Circuses!
"Bread and circuses!" crowds of the Roman people shouted suffering from hunger for food and shows. Now, when foodstuff problems have already been solved, the hunger for circuses appears more sharply, bustled with imagination and evoking the basic instincts. Such circuses nowadays have turned into erotic photos, videos, stories etc. But why do people search for pornography instead of switching on the TV when there are so many erotic episodes?

The main reason for this is the interest in the "forbidden" subject, warmed up by hearing half-words and whispers from your childhood. By virtue of curiosity, kids always want to find out what mom and daddy are doing in a closed room at night, what the difference between boys and girls is, etc. If parents are delaying the explanations for a long time, a kid starts to show an increased interest in such secrets; he searches for explanations in TV, among other kids of his age and adults, and makes the first attempts to find it out himself. As a rule, after the first sex experience, the interest in the questions of sex fades away a little. However, some people still have the inclination to uncover such information, and for different reasons (either because of the lack of frequent contacts with the opposite sex, or very much the other way) people start to get interested in "spicy things." This subject is considered taboo in the human society. For this reason, people desire to taste forbidden fruit, because the forbidden is much sweeter. Earlier they had to be content with films and photos of men and women in magazines, now, with the development of information technologies and Internet, they can receive all of this at once on one site. Besides, the access to such information can be easily received on the Net.

But by virtue of human character features, just watching forbidden scenes isn’t enough; even more pleasure can be gained from sharing emotions about them with other people. Thus, both the information need, and the need of intercourse are satisfied. It would be desirable to notice that the second need is not less important than the first one, though many adult site owners don’t realize it. From the psychological point of view, there is no special difference between adult sites visitors and show business star site visitors. Both of them are pleased to see new photos and videos and thirsty to share their impressions about them as well. The only distinction is that the last ones always have forums and polls together with comments, and the first ones sometimes don’t have even a message board. Though I should point out that adult sites sometimes exceed the sites of celebrities in regard to the quality of their photos.

User Preferences
In order to find out user preferences, you can use such tools as polls, comments and message boards. You can build the rating of the best content elements based on user responses to different kinds of materials (photos, videos, etc.). The analysis of user registration information and log-files serves as another source for the definition of your audience preferences. Even supposing that users have specified incorrect data at registration, you can determine their age group, sex and preferences, having studied their visited pages.

How To Determine What Your Users Want
As always, everything depends on your opportunities and desire. You can contact a specialist in market research to carry out the analysis of the target audience and its priorities, define the most popular sections of your site and create effective advertisements. You may also rely on your intuition - delete and add materials by yourself, observing the user reaction: if the number of registered users isn’t increased, it’s time for changes, if they show interest in your site, you’d better touch nothing, and if they run away from you, you should promptly change your site politics. You can use HTML and create a script for a message board, and remove bugs from it during the next month or two. Finally, you can install a good content manager to automatically create all of the above-mentioned elements of a site.

Actually, you can achieve success in a quite simple way – just give your users what they want. But to do it, you should understand their needs, foresee their desires, and sometimes make them want the things you offer. Experience and skills come with time, but it is you who can speed your education up.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

WIA Profile: Lainie Speiser

With her fiery red hair and a laugh that practically hugs you, Lainie Speiser is impossible to miss. Having repped some of adult’s biggest stars during her 30-plus years in the business, the veteran publicist is also a treasure trove of tales dating back to the days when print was king and social media not even a glimmer in the industry’s eye.

Women in Adult ·
opinion

Fighting Back Against AI-Fueled Fake Takedown Notices

The digital landscape is increasingly being shaped by artificial intelligence, and while AI offers immense potential, it’s also being weaponized. One disturbing trend that directly impacts adult businesses is AI-powered “DMCA takedown services” generating a flood of fraudulent Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Building Seamless Checkout Flows for High-Risk Merchants

For high-risk merchants such as adult businesses, crypto payments are no longer just a backup plan — they’re fast becoming a first choice. More and more businesses are embracing Bitcoin and other digital currencies for consumer transactions.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

What the New SCOTUS Ruling Means for AV Laws and Free Speech

On June 27, 2025, the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, upholding Texas’ age verification law in the face of a constitutional challenge and setting a new precedent that bolsters similar laws around the country.

Lawrence G. Walters ·
opinion

What You Need to Know Before Relocating Your Adult Business Abroad

Over the last several months, a noticeable trend has emerged: several of our U.S.-based merchants have decided to “pick up shop” and relocate to European countries. On the surface, this sounds idyllic. I imagine some of my favorite clients sipping coffee or wine at sidewalk cafés, embracing a slower pace of life.

Cathy Beardsley ·
profile

WIA Profile: Salima

When Salima first entered the adult space in her mid-20s, becoming a power player wasn’t even on her radar. She was simply looking to learn. Over the years, however, her instinct for strategy, trust in her teams and commitment to creator-first innovation led her from the trade show floor to the executive suite.

Women in Adult ·
opinion

How the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act Could Impact Adult Businesses

Congress is considering a bill that would change the well-settled definition of obscenity and create extensive new risks for the adult industry. The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, makes a mockery of the First Amendment and should be roundly rejected.

Lawrence G. Walters ·
opinion

What US Sites Need to Know About UK's Online Safety Act

In a high-risk space like the adult industry, overlooking or ignoring ever-changing rules and regulations can cost you dearly. In the United Kingdom, significant change has now arrived in the form of the Online Safety Act — and failure to comply with its requirements could cost merchants millions of dollars in fines.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Understanding the MATCH List and How to Avoid Getting Blacklisted

Business is booming, sales are steady and your customer base is growing. Everything seems to be running smoothly — until suddenly, Stripe pulls the plug. With one cold, automated email, your payment processing is shut down. No warning, no explanation.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Leah Koons

If you’ve been to an industry event lately, odds are you’ve heard Leah Koons even before you’ve seen her. As Fansly’s director of marketing, Koons helps steer one of the fastest-growing creator platforms on the web.

Women in Adult ·
Show More