Why You Need a Professional Website to Get Found Online

Becoming an independent consultant in your field of expertise opens a world of opportunities and allows you a certain level of flexibility/freedom. However, that is not achievable without a website despite the advice, guidance, or services you offer. That means that you cannot afford to rely on professional networks, social media, and other third-party profiles only.

The Necessity of A Professional Website

First, understand that the modern-day calling card is a professional website. The platform identifies who you are as an independent consultant or expert in a specific area, including the services you offer prospective clients. On the other hand, virtually all of your target audience will check the internet to learn more about you even before engaging you further.

So, beyond having a professional website, you need to ensure that the platform has an interactive, thoughtful, and attractive web design that offers a great user experience. Also, note that as an independent consultant or expert, your success depends on convincing others that you are experienced in your field and can deliver the real results clients want to see.

That means that your web presence will often be the first impression you make to potential clients. A well-designed professional website inspires trust and confidence. These are the two factors that turn leads into clients. A poor or mediocre site, on the other hand, undermines your credibility, which, in turn, creates unease and doubt among your audience.

Tips for Making Your Professional Website More Credible

a) Use Case Studies to Show Your Value

Part of the reasons behind having a professional website is to attract traffic and win clients. That is possible since such a platform allows your audience to envision how your services as an independent consultant or expert will positively impact their lives. It also explains why you need to feature case studies on your professional website.

If you have a brief library of case studies on your professional site, it can help you build credibility as well. The ideal case study walks your prospective clients through the experience of successfully completing a project with you. That way, leads can wrap their heads around your process to discover the desirable results you can deliver.

You will even look darn good if you have several happy clients to feature a number of case studies on your professional website.

b) Ensure Your Website Design Aligns with Your Brand

As an independent consultant or expert, you are more than the sum of your knowledge and experience since you are also a human being. Your personality has traits that make working with you a unique experience. Capturing and communicating the qualities that define you, including your knowledge and experience, is critical to creating a solid consulting brand.

Ultimately, that will set you apart from other independent consultants and experts. The implication, in this case, is that your color choices, business name, typography, and company logo design play an essential role in creating your visual brand.

Additionally, choosing a web design that communicates your independent consulting brand in the best way possible helps potential clients get to know you, which builds credibility.

c) Consider Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines

Google is the oracle of our age in these modern times. When a potential client searches your area of expertise, and your site appears at the top of search results, you have a better chance of converting a prospect to a client. However, if your website remains buried in the third and fourth page of search results, your target audience will never know you exist.

On the other hand, most people assume that the top search engine results are the best. So, when Google ranks your site high on search results, it lends credibility to you and your business. You can optimize your website by writing descriptive names for images and unique meta descriptions for each web page, optimizing your site’s load time, and regularly posting valuable content.

unidentifiable independent consultant meeting with potential new clients

Reasons Why You Need A Professional Website

Today, there are more than 1.5 billion websites on the world wide web. Most of them are service or business-related. These sites serve various functions, including introducing a non-profit organization, rolling out a new startup, setting up an online store, publishing a professional blog, among other things. In the same way, creating a professional website as an independent consultant or expert is paramount.

You may be tempted to believe that being on social media is sufficient, but the truth is that most individuals still use Google when they need to search for something. For that reason, you cannot overlook the importance of having a professional website because it yields several benefits. Here are some of the reasons you should consider creating a website as an independent consultant or expert.

1. It Gives You Complete Control of The Domain

Investing in a professional website as an independent consultant or expert allows you to enjoy the freedom of expression. That means that your site will afford you the extent of customization that you may not realize through your social media presence. Social platforms are rigid, in this case. The reason is that the format of all your assets has to be similar to that of everyone else.

A professional website addresses this problem to help you stand out from the rest. Opting to have a website gives you absolute design freedom. In turn, that becomes an opportunity to present your brand uniquely while showcasing its voice and personality. Also, the control over the images on your webpage goes beyond the layout and graphics.

That is the case because you can decide what to put out there. In that case, if you have any cool videos, online reviews, customer testimonials, among other content, your website can accommodate all of them. You can also display a portfolio or gallery on your professional site in a creative way. Furthermore, you can change and redesign anything on your website whenever you wish.

The other reason your professional website affords you complete control is that it becomes your owned media. So, you do not have to follow the ever-changing rules of social platforms. Your site can also remain in business forever, which is not the case for social platforms, and anyone can engage with your website without creating an account.

2. Acts As A Place for Doing Business Online 

In most cases, your professional website will be the place where potential clients interact with you and learn more about your business. The platform can also be where your audience eventually lands to purchase after being redirected from an Instagram post, an email, or a Facebook ad. Individuals who want to receive your emails will also visit your professional site to sign up.

Also, some click the pin on Google Maps when driving by your establishment. Doing so directs such people to your professional website to access the menu and pricing details. If you have business cards with your site’s URL, you can issue them to prospective clients because they will most probably type the information on a search engine to learn more about what you offer.

You can also place a link below a YouTube video to encourage viewers to click on it to get a coupon code for your new online course if you are offering one. In other words, whether your business is operating online or offline, all your marketing efforts should sprout from and lead to your stunning and informative webpage.

Your professional website is also a common denominator when interconnecting everything is necessary, making managing campaigns easier. The bottom line here is that your site allows you to do business and is the first step toward realizing success as an independent consultant or expert.

3. Promotes Increased Authority and Enhances Your Reputation

Most people hardly trust a business without a good website. Winning an instant credibility boost as an independent consultant or expert is possible through a clean, modern webpage that pops up in search engines and is regularly updated. That way, potential clients can access all the information they need in one place and will also trust your more.

Anyone can use your name/handle and fake data to create an Instagram or Facebook account. Note that when this happens, the profiles on these social platforms will look identical to yours. You can avoid that by opting for a professional business website. That legitimizes your firm in ways unachievable through social media channels.

4. Allows You to Show Your Expertise

Telling people about the services you offer as an independent consultant or expert can hardly give them compelling reasons to engage you further. On the contrary, a professional website goes beyond telling to showing potential clients that you know your stuff. Remember that anyone can claim to be an expert, but only a real one can back it up.

So, in addition to sharing consistently insightful content, a website has provision for adding a portfolio of videos of your past work, positive reviews, and even a list of your previous clients. Posting such content on your tutorials, personal blog, or guides will help you build your site profile as an expert in your subject area.

Conclusion

Setting up a professional website can help you advance your career or explore your passion as an independent consultant or expert. If you want to realize success, you need a partner to help you develop an interactive and effective professional website. Contact us to access such services and more!