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Necessary Navigation for Construction Websites

website navigationI hope I’m not giving away the farm here, but it’s always good to share your knowledge, right? If you’ve seen me present Websites That Work like at SMPS SRC 2011 (Southern Regional Conference) in Houston, Texas than you probably have this handout. You can also download it from our Resources section if you want to nice PDF.

  • Projects – Ever lose a job because they didn’t know you were qualified, because they thought you were too small, because they thought you were out of their league, or because they thought you only do one thing?
  • Profile – Tell us about your company, principals, what makes you different. How did your company get started? What associations are you involved in?
  • Principal/Team Bios – Promote your team to show expertise, size, & diversity.
  • Contact – A potential customer can’t call you about an RFP opportunity, you can’t hire employees, and you can’t get business without contact information. Possibly add map(s) & list each location.
  • Awards – Brag about your successes. Awards build credibility and showcase your success. People want to work with successful companies.
  • Clients – Do you work with the best or in a niche? Tell us about it.
  • News – What are you doing as a company? People want to know that you do business worth telling others about. (Possible blog.)
  • Press – Add articles, TV segments, and publications to build credibility and thought leadership.
  • Resources / Knowledge – Be the thought-leader and be a resource for your industry. People pay more for the best. What are you known for?
  • Equipment – Do you have better equipment than your competitors? Do you have unique equipment that does the job more efficiently?
  • Certifications – Tell prospects that you’re a DBE and you’re qualified to handle the project.
  • Capabilities / Services – What do you do well? How can you help me? Area?
  • Photo Gallery – A picture speaks 1,000 words. Show that you can do the work & you’re proud of what you do. (Hiring a professional photographer is a good idea to make your work stand out)
  • Safety – If it’s a good record, show it off. If it’s not a good record, tell how you are fixing it. Also, tell prospective employees about your safe work environment.
  • Employment – Find better employees, easily sift out applications from poor performers, and prospects. List your benefits to attract the best in the biz.
  • Testimonials / Endorsements – Let others brag for you. People do business with people they like and trust. Testimonials show superior service and concern for your client’s time & money.
  • Emergency Info / Disaster Info – People panic when all hell breaks loose! Provide updates on your company, contact info & news about when to return to work. (Check out www.RallyPointOnline.com)
  • Legal Pages – Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, etc. – Mostly to cover your @$$, but also good to list your company name multiple times (think SEO).
  • Home – An easy way to get back to the home page. Why make things hard?
  • Social Media – If you’re connecting to clients, employees, and prospects using social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), list if on your website. Widgets that show feeds are good for SEO.

Now don’t go putting all of these section on your website, its probably to much. Think about your company, your goals & objectives for your website and how your company differentiates from the rest and find the best sections that bring our your brand personality and maximize that differentiate. Yes, I said it, brand personality. It’s not okay to have a personality, it’s great. How are you going to be remembered if you blend in like the rest? 99% of the world doesn’t pick vanilla as their favorite ice cream flavor, even my dad picks mint.