You're building a website for your consulting business. How can you make sure it stands out?

1 Know your audience

Before you start designing your website, you need to have a clear idea of who your target audience is and what they are looking for. What are their pain points, goals, and challenges? How can you help them solve their problems and achieve their desired outcomes? How do they prefer to communicate and consume information? Knowing your audience will help you craft a compelling message, choose the right tone and style, and tailor your content to their needs and preferences.

2 Showcase your expertise

Your website is your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and experience in your field. You want to show your potential clients that you are an authority and a trusted advisor. You can do this by creating valuable content, such as blog posts, case studies, testimonials, white papers, ebooks, podcasts, or videos. Content marketing can help you establish credibility, educate your audience, and generate leads. Make sure your content is relevant, engaging, and actionable. Provide useful tips, insights, and solutions that your audience can apply to their own situations.

3 Optimize your website

Having a great website is not enough if no one can find it. You need to optimize your website for search engines, so that your target audience can discover you online. Search engine optimization (SEO) involves using keywords, meta tags, headings, links, images, and other elements to improve your website's ranking and visibility on Google and other search engines. SEO can help you drive more organic traffic, increase your brand awareness, and attract more qualified leads. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Moz to analyze and improve your website's performance.

4 Build trust and rapport

Your website is not only a source of information, but also a means of communication. You want to use your website to build trust and rapport with your potential and existing clients. You can do this by adding a personal touch, such as a photo, a bio, or a story. You can also use social proof, such as testimonials, reviews, ratings, or awards. Social proof can help you boost your reputation, increase your conversions, and reduce your bounce rate. You can also use calls to action, such as contact forms, email subscriptions, or free consultations. Calls to action can help you capture your visitors' attention, invite them to take the next step, and grow your email list.

5 Update your website

Your website is not a static product, but a dynamic process. You need to update your website regularly to keep it fresh, relevant, and functional. Updating your website can help you maintain your competitive edge, adapt to changing market conditions, and improve your user experience. You can update your website by adding new content, improving your design, fixing any errors or bugs, or adding new features or functionalities. You can also use feedback, analytics, or testing to measure and improve your website's effectiveness.

6 Learn from others

Your website is not an isolated project, but a part of a larger ecosystem. You need to learn from others to get inspired, informed, and challenged. Learning from others can help you discover new ideas, best practices, and trends. You can learn from others by researching your competitors, following industry leaders, joining online communities, or attending events or webinars. Learning from others can help you benchmark your website, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and find new opportunities or partnerships.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?