The majority of professionals build a website because they need a digital address where prospective customers, employers, or partners can locate them. On the other hand, your website becomes the focal point of your digital presence and a significant contributor to building a positive online reputation once it has launched. It features your brand’s personality and story, as well as your resume and work. Your professional website can make or break connections as people search for you online.
Professional Website
A professional website was created by or for a person to use in a professional setting. It is a vital part of your online reputation because it represents a significant part of your online identity. It’s also where you’ll do a lot of your professional branding.
You don’t have to hire a skilled web developer to create a professional website; you can do it yourself using a website building platform. However, before committing to a DIY project, consider the importance of your professional website. For example, I choose not to use website builders because I prefer the technical and SEO optimization versatility that a WordPress site provides.
Your website should contain your resume’s basic constructs, such as your qualifications, experience, contact details, and bio, regardless of whether you use a builder or create it in WordPress or another content management system. It should have a one-of-a-kind domain name that identifies you by name or brand.
Essential Features
An e-commerce website or a blog is not the same as a professional personal website. Since a professional, unique website is 100 percent a reflection of you, your personality, beliefs, and brand, the commonplace “pages every website must have” that appear on general websites do not apply to this type of website.
Customize the following essential elements to represent you to optimize the effectiveness of your professional website.
Home page
This one, of course, isn’t even optional. When people visit your website, they will first land on your home page. (It’s also mistaken for a landing page.) It’s not the same. Your website must have a starting point, so you’ll need a home page. Since the home page is sometimes your only chance to make an excellent first impression, it’s a great place to express your brand’s tone and feel.
Executive Bio
You don’t have to format your executive profile on your website in the same way you would on paper, but it should be there and easily accessible. Since you’re on your turf, this should include your portfolio and, if appropriate, links to your job.
Contact Information
If you don’t have a way for people to contact you, your website would be useless. Try using a contact form if you don’t want your phone ringing at all hours of the night. This is an excellent place to provide links to your social media accounts if you want people to find them.
Social Proof
Testimonials, news, user-generated content, comment threads, fans, and so on – everything that promotes your knowledge, experience, or achievements can be found on your professional site. Give them a gift that says, “Look at all the people and organizations who believe in me and enjoy what I do.” This much evidence can’t possibly be incorrect.
No Broken Links
If there’s a possibility your website would have a broken connection (and there is), you should have a 404 error page that will redirect visitors back to your site if they can’t find what they’re looking for. This gives the impression that people aren’t roaming around a broken or neglected place that no one cares about.
Note: To prevent readers from leaving, redirect the 404 error page to the home page, a similar category, or parent page (or provide a connection for them to do so themselves).
Events
Will you be giving a talk at a future event? Do you ever go on tour, sing, or make public appearances? Tell people where you’ll be so they can come or follow up with you. Showing that you have reservations is also a kind of social evidence. Also, if you do add activities, make sure you keep them up to date.
Opportunities
If you want to work with any of the people who visit your site (which is likely that someone you want to work with would most likely check you out), make it easy for them to contact you with an identified call-to-action (CTA) for jobs and collaboration opportunities.
Search Engine Optimization
Other marketing strategies, such as sponsored advertising and social media, can help you generate traffic, but improving your SEO is a more effective and long-term strategy. Ensure your on-page, off-page, and professional SEO are all in order (and your local SEO if that applies to your offerings).
Conversion Rate Optimization
If SEO is what gets them started, CRO is what gets them knocked down.
To optimize conversion, conversion rate optimization entails optimizing every page, segment, and call to action. If you can’t get people to click something, all the world traffic won’t help. CRO entails tasks such as:
- Observing how visitors behave
- Heat mapping
- Users are being polled about their experiences.
- Detecting sales funnel leaks and plugging them with tried-and-true digital marketing techniques
Navigation Menu
It doesn’t have to be a conventional navigation bar across the top or down the side of the page, but it should make it simple for visitors to find what they’re looking for. Otherwise, visitors can become frustrated while trying to locate a page and abandon your site.
Content
Any text, images, or videos on your site are considered content. Its primary function is to convey knowledge, but it can also communicate your brand’s voice and personality, and it bears a significant amount of conversion weight, so don’t overlook it. Let your content stand out if you must have it.
Internal Links
Internal links hold visitors on your site longer and direct them to your primary call to action. Internal links other than your navigation menu will increase the number of pages seen by visitors, improving your overall conversion rate and brand recognition. Internal links help direct visitors from one section of your site (or your portfolio) to other important sites. Finally, internal links aid in the more profound understanding of your site by search engines such as Google and Bing, making it rank higher.
Usability
Your website must function correctly. If you’ve ever tried to click something only to discover that the connection doesn’t perform or that the menu stretches in such a way that the button can’t be pressed, you’ve encountered the annoying consequences of poor usability. This will cause visitors to abandon your website right away. In reality, it can give the impression that you are not detail-oriented. This is not only unprofessional, but it can also cost you opportunities.
Finishing Touches
Your website is a crucial component of your brand if you want to invest in it.
If you know what you’re doing, you can make a good website using a website builder platform. However, many people who use these platforms are unfamiliar with their capabilities, so their websites end up looking rather generic.
Take heart if you’re one of those people. Speak with a skilled web designer and developer who can build a user-friendly, stylish, and sensitive website. Your website is an investment in yourself and your technical skills, so hire a pro to help you make it – and yourself – stand out. I hope you have found this information useful and can utilize it to improve your brand, your company, or your online reputation.