Engineering Inc. - September/October 2019 - 26

Firms should avoid any modules that require leveraging some
minimum or maximum number of assets, according to Kloster.
"As an example, one of your engineering service pages may
currently have zero competed projects to showcase, just one or
perhaps a hundred," Kloster says. "Design your page templates
and content types in a way that can accommodate any scenario
so you never have to say 'Our website was not designed for
that.'"
3. AIM FOR A CLEAN AND ECONOMICAL
WEBSITE LAYOUT

No website, especially an engineering firm's
website, should be cluttered, according to
Benjamin Portman, founder and president
of Orpheus, Inc., a provider of web design
and development services.
"The content should economically utilize
the screen real estate and combine compelling images, modern fonts and other design
elements such as icons and animations,"
says Portman. "These make your content more engaging and attractive to web
visitors."
The website's navigation should also be
simple and intuitive, so the audience can
easily find the content they are seeking.
4. LEVERAGE UNIQUE
ASSETS AND CONTENT

That is a big problem, because if the website is not mobile ready
visits will likely be short and ineffective.
"The most dramatic evolution in websites in recent years has
been the shift from an audience almost entirely on desktop and
laptop computers to a majority mobile device audience," says
Portman. "As mobile device usage continues to increase, companies in all industries must ensure the mobile experience is as
good as or better than the desktop experience," he adds.
"Your site should not only look great on desktop and mobile,
but also on all sizes in between such as small laptops, tablets and
mobile devices," says Portman. "All website functions should also
be gesture enabled, so they function correctly on
mobile and tablet."
6. KEEP CONTENT INTERESTING-AND
PERSONAL

"While we want
to highlight
our company's
remarkable
thought
leadership, our
most popular,
and shared,
content tends to
revolve around
the daily lives of
our people."

When it comes to marketing content, the audience tends to skew toward feel-good, employeerelated stories, advises Kloster.
"While we want to highlight our company's
remarkable thought leadership, our most popular, and shared, content tends to revolve around
the daily lives of our people," says Kloster.
That includes items about new hires, promotions, award winners and "day in the life" articles.
"It is important to find your right balance of
people stories in relation to thought leadership
stories," says Kloster.
Furthermore, personalization will be a key
attribute of future websites, predicts Kloster.
That includes the ability to account for actions
that website visitors have already taken. "For
example, if I visited a website and downloaded
an eBook, I should not see a pop-up ad for that
very same eBook upon my next visit," he says.
Instead, the website should offer a follow-up
survey, a bonus offer or additional download.
"Something that demonstrates my presence has
had an impact on the landscape of the website,"
says Kloster. "Moving forward, every visitor's
experience on your website should be personal
and unique."

Being unique and innovative is key
to success. "While your firm may not
have employed a cookie-cutter design
template to create its web presence, did
you differentiate yourself from competing
firms?" Byer asks.
A key, influential component of a strong
marketing communication program is
highlighting a differentiator between your
firm and competing firms. "Make sure you
call out strengths loudly, clearly and often
throughout your website. If you cannot do
it visually, do it with compelling, but bold
and succinct text," Byer says.
BILL KLOSTER
CIO
But firms often fail to make the most
7. DO NOT OVERLOOK THE CALL
SHORT
ELLIOTT
TO ACTION
of the opportunities on their website or
HENDRICKSON
social media to reach potential clients.
Oftentimes commercial services websites fail to
For instance, many firms abandon blogs
move past being something other than a flashy
after six months or so finding them burdensome to maintain,
portfolio of promising solutions and past accomplishments,
according Byer. "That is a big mistake," he says. "A blog,
according to Byer.
podcast or a frequently updated Instagram account are all great
"While that type of visual resume makes for great brand
ways to amplify your unique approach to engineering projects
marketing, the firm will actually miss out on a lot of potential
and the results you produce for your clients."
sales leads by failing to drive qualified traffic, convert leads and
inspire repeat visitors," says Byer. "Aside from spotlighting capa5. BUILD A WEBSITE DESIGNED
bilities, a sophisticated engineering website needs to be designed
TO SUPPORT MOBILE DEVICES
so that it entices the visitor to share their contact information or
Anyone with a smartphone has likely experienced websites that
make a call to the firm."
look as if they were designed before the advent of smartphones.
According to Byer, some effective ways to accomplish this
26

ENGINEERING INC.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019

Engineering Inc. - September/October 2019

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