Setting up a website as a professional differs slightly from setting up an e-commerce venture. Whether you are a medical professional setting up a website detailing who you are and your work as well as the care you provide to a lawyer, accountant, consultant, or anything else, how you build your website news to follow specific rules to enable you to ensure you reach your audience. After all, even though you are still advertising your services to generate income, you are not selling mass products, and therefore, the approach needs to be different.
Consistent Branding
The branding, including colors, logos, words, and information provided on the website, must represent what you do and who you are. It needs to convey a strong and consistent message. The message needs to be at the heart of the content you create and speak directly to each person who lands on your website. If you don’t want it to become diluted or lost in the website’s content, you need to reinforce what you are about throughout the website.
Calls to Action
You need a strong call to action that persuades people to take the action you require of them. Whether they’re signing up for emails to receive updates on your services, requesting a quote for your professional services, or submitting a query for a consultation, you need to use clear calls to action throughout your website.
Your call to action button is your “call now,” “get started,” “learn more,” etc. button and should be on every page. You do not want it to interfere with content, but it should be visible on all pages to help direct people to take action. You don’t need to get overly creative; it can be a button in your sidebar, for example, a pop-up that slides away but retains visibility at the side of the page, and you can alter the messaging to help you create more impact without being overwhelming.
Poor Quality Images
Images are not just a filler, they are a necessity on your website, even if you’re not selling products. It can be images of your company location, your office, or your completed work, i.e. if you are in construction or architecture. You also need to include Corporate Headshots so people can see you and put a face to the name of who they are potentially going to be contacting or dealing with, as well as all employees. These images should be of high quality, enhancing the visual appeal of your website and instilling confidence in your audience.
Ignoring Mobile Optimization
Ignoring mobile optimization is not an option. Over half of search queries are made on mobile devices, and if you are not building a responsive website, then you are simply going to be alienating a huge portion of your potential customer base. People need the same seamless experience whether they’re visiting via a desktop or mobile device, so all information is displayed properly and clearly, and it has the same flow and structure. Neglecting this or adding elements that impact the model process will result in people closing the website down over proceeding. The consequences of this neglect are severe, and the urgency to address this issue is paramount.
