Alan Gayle is a sales and marketing consultant specialising in the construction industry and working in the stone sector for more than a decade. In this column he offers advice on how to make an impact in the market. This month Alan continues his consideration of website essentials.

Last month I set the scene for increasing the benefit from your company website by asking you to go back to basics and consider the objective of the website.

I stressed the importance of knowing your clients well and appealing to what will interest them. One size does not fit all, so tailor your content to appeal to your visitors. Don’t try to appeal to everyone, just focus on attracting your ideal customer.

No matter what your business or your target customer, try to incorporate a strategy that encourages visitors who are not yet ready to buy or send you an enquiry to keep your company at the forefront of their mind for when they are ready.

So… what should you include in your website?

There is no right and wrong here but there are some general rules of thumb that are common to most of the really good websites among building firms.

I like to keep navigation simple with the minimum number of top level (tier one) pages and then more detailed tier two and three pages containing further information. After that, consider the following five points.

1) Home page

bviously. But what should be on the Home page? My philosophy is that is must do the following three things:

1. Tell the visitor where they are
2. Tell them what you can do for them
3. Tell them where they should go next.

Striking images on your Home page will pay dividends, but use them with the three objectives above in mind. You should also include at least one call to action – ie ask visitors to the site to do something, such as signing up to receive your brochure or giving you a call for more information.

2) Services/Products

Include the specific range of products or services you offer. How detailed you get is your choice and should be dictated by the type of clients you want to attract. But bear in mind that no one will contact you for further information if you’ve already given them all the answers.

3) Projects / Gallery

Showcase your best work. All those case studies will be put to good use in this section. But it’s keep them up to date. Nothing conveys the message that ‘We’re a second rate business’ better than a website full of old project references. Of course, you are no doubt a first rate business, but that’s not what six-year-old case studies are communicating to your potential customers!

4) About Us

This is the only section where you can focus on your company rather than your customers’ needs. If the age and history of your business will help to give potential clients confidence, by all means include them. In fact, include anything that will reinforce the credibility of your business and set you apart from your competitors.

5) Contact Us

Don’t overcomplicate this page. By all means include a map, but make sure your postal address, phone number and email address are easily identifiable. You might even include individual’s names. I know some companies like to keep the names of directors and senior personnel a close kept secret, but ask yourself why. What have you got to hide? People like to know who they are talking to.

What about a ‘News’ page or your Twitter feed? It’s fine if you want to include them but, again, it’s crucial that they’re kept up to date. They do have some benefits but I wouldn’t put them in the website absolute essentials category.

The above is geared towards small companies with a tight budget rather than larger, more established brands. And while it isn’t exhaustive, if you cover these bases well, you will have the basis of a good quality, lead generating website.

Alan Gayle has worked in sales and marketing roles in the construction industry since 1993. Following a successful career with some of the UK’s leading building product manufacturers, he has worked in the stone sector more than a decade. He now runs keystone Construction Marketing, a marketing agency specialising in the construction industry. The agency works with building  contractors, subcontractors and building product suppliers to help them increase their sales and improve their margins.