How To Excel In Web Design For Consultants
Chad Faith
Director of Content
Many consulting businesses are hinged on how well the consultant can brand himself or herself. This means being conscious of the image that you are projecting to the world. In this pursuit, your website plays a critical role as it is often the first port-of-call for your clients. What they see on your website sets an impression which will be carried forward in subsequent dealings with you. It is therefore critical that your consulting business website design positions your business exactly as you would want your customers to perceive it. Here then are some tips on how to go about that.
Align the Website Design with Your Brand
This comes from understanding what expectations you want your brand to create among those who interact with it. For a consulting business, this means conveying not just your experience and skills but also your personality which comes into play in your interaction with customers. For example, are you a dependable business consultant who can be there for your clients whenever they need you? Your website needs to reflect that.
Be Detail Oriented
This means going through your website with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that there are no grammatical mistakes or inaccurate information. It also means ensuring that you hire the services of a professional graphic designer to give your website the perfect blend of color and images. All these things convey professionalism to your clients.
Your Qualifications Must Be Well Displayed
As a consultant, the success of your business depends wholly on your ability to persuade your prospective clients that you have the right skills. It thus follows that it must be easy for prospective clients visiting your website to know your qualifications, experience, awards, and other citations. Work with your web designer to ensure that your qualifications are prominently displayed.
Social Proof Matters
In a world inundated with advertising and all manner of claims, many prospective clients often look for proof or references from peers. This is the reason why word-of-mouth remains one of the most powerful ways of promoting a brand. To make your website design more effective, ensure that you have testimonials (could be written or in video format) from former and existing clients talking about their positive experiences with your consulting services agency. The more unscripted and genuine, the better as these are more believable.
Show; Don’t Tell
This important maxim of creative writing applies to consultancy as well. Instead of telling your prospective clients that you are a good lawyer, provide them with real case studies that you have won or other projects that your consultancy has handled. If you work in a field where it is hard to show the work (such as a doctor), you can include a blog section where you author articles that cover a broad range of topics, thus showcasing your expertise.
How your website portrays your consultancy can make or break your business. Being very clear about the image you want your website and working with experts to convey that image are critical elements to ensuring that your website works hard for your business.