The Basic Outline for Your Website and Marketing MaterialYour website is like a 7 Eleven, it’s always open and people will be dropping by at all times of the day. Your buyers will judge you based on their visit so it needs to be appealing to the eye and give them the information they are searching for.

This is one of the most important pieces of your business planning because all of your marketing efforts lead here.

It can be so darn frustrating trying to figure out how it should look and what it should say. This outline is a great starting point and can be used for the pages on your website or any written marketing materials for your business.

1. Executive Summary/Home Page – A short outline that explains the gist of your business. This doesn’t have to long and drawn out, it just needs to let buyers know that they are in the right place because you got what they’re looking for!

2. Who We Work With – This pages explains who your clients are and the problems or challenges they face. You can also give a profile of who your ideal clients would be. This will make your marketing practically effortless. Describing in simple terms who your ideal client is will allow prospects to qualify themselves based on your guidelines.

3. How We Work – This page gives prospects a sense of what to expect when working with you. You can include your beliefs, vision, values, philosophy, etc. You can also include the kind of results you can produce for your clients. Be sure not to over promise because if you put it out there, buyers will expect it. Not be able to deliver is a sure fire way to tarnish your brand.

4. Services – List your services on this page, how they work and the benefits/advantages of each. This should be tailored to your target audience. Depending on your offering, you may want to even give buyers a guide or visual as to how it will specifically work for them.

5. Clients/Case Studies – This is where you post testimonials and case studies of various successful projects you have been involved in. You want your buyers to feel confident that you can meet their needs and there’s no better way to do this than to hear it straight from a happy customer. Each testimonial should be in relation to a specific problem you solved. To give it even more appeal, try adding video or audio testimonials. If you have a hard time getting clients to submit reviews for your business try giving them something in exchange for it or even going out to their location and doing a mini interview. This is not only good for your business, but gives their business additional exposure as well.

6. About Us – This page should introduce your company and the principal(s) of your company. Explain why you are qualified to provide the services listed.

7. Articles – Published and unpublished articles should be posted on this page. Articles that are relevant to your area of focus or expertise. The more helpful information you provide, the more credibility you will gain from prospects.

8. Resources – Any relevant materials that would be of interest to your clients or prospects should be listed here. It could be websites, books, downloads, etc.

9. FAQ Page – Frequently asked questions are often useful in summarizing what you do and the benefits you offer. This is another easy way of qualifying buyers before getting too deep in the in the sales cycle.

10. Contact Us – This is where your clients or prospects will be able to reach you. You can list your phone number, address, fax and maybe even a contact form.

I hope this outline is useful in helping you get started with your website project. If you had additional tips, please feel free to add them below.