Your consulting business will benefit from having a website. Here we will look at how and why to make it happen.
Table of contents
How I made my own consulting business website
Maybe this heading could actually be “How I walked barefoot through the snow to school every day.” My getting to a website was a long process. It doesn’t have to be for you.
Many years ago, I tried various blogging platforms. When their built in functions could not provide the features I wanted, I began to learn to use HTML and added them into my posts.
As I made the transition to consulting, I was still working in my very busy day job, but I decided to do my own website. Using my desktop, I wrote the code to produce a simple website.
Writing my own code was a challenge. So I bought Microsoft Expression Web, a website authoring program. Then it was much easier to produce the website. When the software, didn’t have a feature I wanted, I would write my own HTML again.
I found a GoDaddy reseller to host the site, and bought domains. I then used the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program to upload the website.
When you have a website, it is best to have a content management system (CMS), so you can make changes with ease. My homemade website didn’t have a CMS. Every time I changed anything, I would FTP it up to the host. It was was time consuming.
Then I made a separate website for another component of my consulting business using WordPress. What a difference it was using WordPress! Content management was simple and way less time consuming. Plugins also were very helpful.
Finally, I hired someone to design a new WordPress website for the main component of my consulting business.
You have many options for setting up your own website
The number of web hosting services is growing and more and more of them offer the ability to build your own website without a knowledge of programming.
More recently, I experimented with Wix and I was able to build attractive, functional websites. You can do it yourself or you can use their artificial intelligence to produce a website for you. They also have good support and tools to promote your business.
Recently, I decided to move from my original hosting provider as they were making changes and increasing their prices and at the time it was very difficult to get support. Ironically, after the move, their previously excellent support returned.
So, I moved my other sites from my original hosting provider and I rebuilt the Wix site from scratch here on Bluehost. This also involved moving domains.
What to look for in website hosting
After exhaustively researching the best hosting service for my needs, I moved all of my paid websites to Bluehost. Another important consideration for me is that I wanted to go back to a host that supported WordPress. Several hosting services specialize in providing what you need to set up WordPress websites.
Many websites are dedicated to detailed comparisons of hosting services. Here I am just giving my personal experience. In the end, you should do your research and find the hosting service that works best for yo
WordPress migration service
Most hosts provide support for migrating from another host to their service. I used the paid service to move my WordPress websites from another host. The migration service was good and they communicated well at each step. It all happened seamlessly.
Extensive WordPress support
Bluehost and others provide support to help with WordPress problems.
Shared web hosting for multiple sites
You should look for features that you need. I sought shared web hosting because I have multiple websites. This option allowed me share space on the host servers and to have an experiment with an unlimited number of sites. You should keep an eye out for problems with the speed of loading the sites, if you use a space sharing option.
I deleted some of the multiple websites, but it gave me the chance to try building a website experiment with different sites. If a site develops extensive traffic, I could move to a dedicated server.
You can get long term free hosting elsewhere. If you just want to blog, you could use Google’s Blogger or other free blogging sites. You could, for example, also start a blogging site on Wix for free with a Wix domain and ads. If you want your own domain name, you will generally have to pay wherever you locate your blog or website.
Excellent support
While researching which web hosting service to use, I looked at many reviews. You might try to contact support for the services that you are interested in to see what they are like.
To test for myself, I have done this, before I was a customer, to ask questions about migrating my websites. I also had questions about migrating domains. In one case, I was connected with an agent, who answered all my questions. I was very impressed with the ease of connecting to support and the quality of their answers, and signed up.
Why do you need a website?
Credibility
A website provides additional credibility to your consulting business. When I purchased my business phone account, the phone company wanted the documentation to prove that I had a registered business. To my surprise, they also wanted to see my website.
More importantly, you will have more credibility with your clients. A website is one way that clients can evaluate the legitimacy of your business.
A place to provide information about your business
Use your website as a showcase for prospective and existing clients to learn more about your consulting business. Highlight the services and products that you provide. You may also provide ways on your site for clients to make appointments, and give information about how you charge for your services.
Branding
Why you? How do you stand out from other consulting businesses? Do you offer unique expertise or services?
News and announcements
You can keep your clients informed and let them know about any changes in your business that might affect them.
Promote your business
You can use your website to promote your consulting business through digital marketing.
Please leave comments.
