4 Things to Keep in Mind When Building Websites for Professionals

Professionals are increasingly aware that online marketing plays an integral role to the success of their business. Most often, websites are the center of that marketing plan. But professionals frequently have very specific needs when it comes to websites. Here are things to keep in mind when building websites for professionals.

1. Professionals Have Oversight Boards

When a person gets their professional license, there are specific regulations and rules of that organization that the person must follow. Breaking those rules can jeopardize the professional’s license and ability to operate in their field. Be aware when building websites for professionals that you not only need to serve the client’s requests, but also need to adhere to pertinent regulations of their oversight board.

2. Professionals Need Specific Site Elements

Depending on the professionals whose site you are building, they will need specific site elements in order to compete on the same level as other professionals in their field. For example, doctors may require site features like a customer’s ability to enter their symptoms on site and receive valid advice back in a timely manner. Real estate agents will require specific site elements like IDX search integration, which allows their site visitors to access listings on the MLS in real time. Elements like these will help your client meet their online marketing goals with their website.

3. Social Media Still Matters

It may seem like there’s a definitive line between websites for professionals and websites for businesses or ecommerce startups. But websites for professionals can still benefit greatly from social media exposure and all the traditional SEO marketing tools that are available. They may have to be implemented differently, but failing to use them would be a mistake. In fact, there are social media circles that cater to industry specific professions, like lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc. Your client will be the best source for finding what those are.

4. Professionals Need Visible Certifications

While some other online marketing clients may be able to make do with a handful of testimonials, professionals need visible certifications to appear on their website. Customers who are searching for a professional need to ensure that the advice they are taking, or the professional they are hiring is in good standing with their certifications. For dentists and doctors, this can mean membership in the American Dental Association (ADA) or American Medical Association (AMA). To fulfill this requirement when building websites for professionals, you need to first confirm the client’s good standing, then be sure to have proper permission to display the corresponding image to denote membership and certification on the website.

Online marketing and building websites for professionals like dentists, lawyers and doctors is a big responsibility. Done incorrectly, the very livelihood of your client is put at risk. But when you follow these three tips for building websites for professionals, you will help make sure that their website becomes a key reason for their online marking success.