By Buffy Cranford
Your Web site reflects your professionalism, determination and creativity. Before you begin cutting and pasting all of your business consulting information into a Web site, consider these guidelines for appearance and content.
Appearance
Think of your Web site as a business waiting room. Rather than decorate your office with mismatched furniture, outdated magazines and orange shag carpeting, you would likely attract more customers with clean, modern décor. This sharp appearance starts with your domain name and filters through the Web site layout.
If your business hasn’t created a Web domain, such as www.hostway.com, consider a short domain name customers can easily remember. For example, if your business name is Peters and Billings Consulting, your domain name could be pbconsulting.com. To enhance brand awareness, the full name of your business, as well as a company logo and a slogan should be on every Web page.
Most Web sites include numerous Web pages, and you can usually access these additional pages through tabs or hyperlinks. Since most people read left to right, tabs should be placed on the top of your Web page or on the left side of the page. Each page on the Web site should include the tabs so users can locate pages quickly and avoid using the Back button on their browser.
Text on the Web site should be in an easily read font such as Arial, Times New Roman or Verdana and in eleven to thirteen point font types. You may have amazing content on your Web site, but if your text appears in blue on a green background in eight point font, your customers will research another consultant.
Content
Every page on your Web site should contain brief, yet valuable information. A quality Web site typically includes an Introduction page and additional pages entitled Services, Press, Contact Us and About (the company).
For your introductory page, pick the selling points of your business and grab the attention of your customer. You could include current customer testimonials and highlight your services by providing links to company-featured news articles on the Press page. Enter a complete, yet compressed version of these services on a Services page.
Include contact information for your company on every Web page for easy access, and it should also have a page of its own. You will likely generate more business if clients can easily navigate the site and contact your company from a variety of places. Be sure and include contact names, company address, phone number, and a valid email account. You might consider setting up an email account just for Web site communication.
The about us section on your Web site provides space for highlighting the reputation of your company. On the about us page, create a descriptive history of your company, and mention any special certifications, awards or achievements that may appeal to potential clients.
When developing a business consulting Web site, bypass flashing ads or auto-loading sound and develop a professional, yet fresh Web site for maximum client appeal.
About the Author
Buffy Cranford writing background includes newspaper journalism and reviewing and researching computer software and hardware for Smart Computing and PC Today magazines. She has reviewed products for established companies such as Dell, IBM and Acer.