FOR CONSULTANTS & ADVISERS
How does video marketing for consultants build trust?
Why video helps advisers win trust, which types of film work, where to use them and how to feel comfortable on camera.
A page-by-page checklist for consultants and advisers who want a website that turns referrals and searches into enquiries.
A consultant’s website should say plainly who you help and what changes for them, then explain your services and how you work. Back that up with experience, examples and testimonials, show the person behind the practice in good photos, and make getting in touch easy. Cover the basics too: a privacy notice, a mobile-friendly design and accurate business details.
Clients rarely discover a consultant through the website. They hear your name from a referral, sit through one of your talks or read a LinkedIn post, and only then go to your site to decide whether to get in touch. So the site does its work late in the process, often without you knowing, and it can tip a decision either way.
Run through this checklist to review the site you have or to brief a new one. It’s aimed at independent consultants and small advisory firms in the UK, where much of what the client buys is you.
Think of it as having three jobs.
Every item on the checklist below supports one of those jobs. A page that supports none of them can probably go.
On a consultant’s site the about page is often the one people visit most. They’re buying a person, after all. Good brand photography makes a visible difference on this page.
We can’t tell you what applies to your situation. We can point you to the official sources worth checking.
Start with privacy information. If the site collects personal data, through a contact form for instance, the ICO sets out what people must be told in its guidance on the right to be informed. Using analytics or other cookies? Then read the ICO’s guidance on cookies and similar technologies as well.
If you trade through a limited company, GOV.UK lists what a company must show on its website, including its registered number and registered office address.
Work in a regulated field such as financial advice and your regulator’s rules will shape what you’re allowed to say. Clients can look up FCA-authorised firms and individuals on the Financial Services Register.
Finally, accessibility. The W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the recognised standard for making a site usable by people with disabilities, and following them is good practice whatever kind of site you run.
| Basic | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Works well on a phone | Many people will check you out on a mobile after a meeting or a post. |
| Loads quickly | Slow sites lose visitors and look neglected. |
| Your own domain | Your name or practice name on a .co.uk or .com looks established and is easier to remember. |
| Professional email on that domain | A matching email address reassures clients. |
| SEO foundations | Clear page titles, descriptions and headings help people find you when they search your name or your speciality. |
| Easy to update | You should be able to add an article or testimonial without calling a developer. |
| Security and backups | An HTTPS certificate and regular backups protect you and your visitors. |
The most common mistake is writing about the firm when the reader cares about their own problem. “We are a leading provider of…” tells a visitor nothing. Start with their problem instead.
Next comes hiding the person. Clients hire you, so a site with no photo of you, or nothing but stock images, works against you.
Then there’s trying to please everyone. A long list of sectors and services looks unfocused. Lead with the thing you’re best known for.
Claims with no examples or testimonials behind them are easy to brush aside. Show the proof.
And a vague next step loses people. A “Contact us” link at the foot of a long page isn’t enough. Tell visitors exactly what to do and what will happen when they do it.
A lot of this is about positioning. If you can’t write the homepage headline, the website usually isn’t the problem; the message is. Our guide to how consultants win clients through their personal brand deals with that first step, and brand design is where we help clients work it out.
A capable consultant with a clear message can put together a decent site on a builder platform. The cost is your time, plus the risk that the result looks like a template at the very moment you’re asking clients for significant fees. It’s worth considering a professionally built personal brand website when your fees are high, your clients are discerning, or your current site is actively losing you enquiries. For indicative figures, see how much a personal brand website costs in the UK.
We design and build personal brand websites on WordPress for consultants and advisers. That includes the copy and the SEO foundations, and the portraits too if you need them. We begin by listening to your story. Then we agree a clear brief, scope and fee with you before any creative work starts.
We also design and build websites for consultants as part of our marketing for consultants services, with copy, case studies and lead magnets included.
Usually five to eight. A typical set is a homepage plus about and services pages. Add a page for proof or case studies and one for articles. Round it off with a contact page and a privacy notice. Extra pages only help if each one does a clear job for a visitor.
That depends on the work. Fixed-scope services are often easier to price in public, while bespoke projects usually suit a line explaining how you quote. Even a little guidance, such as a “projects typically start from” note, helps visitors judge if you’re a good fit.
You don’t need a busy one. A few strong articles answering the questions clients ask are well worth having, though. They help your site turn up in searches and show how you think. They also give you something useful to share and to send prospects.
It depends on whether you plan to stay independent or build a team. Our guide to trading under your own name or a company name deals with the branding side. For the legal side, see GOV.UK and Companies House.
Ideally, yes, if you’re the person clients will work with. A good recent portrait lets people feel they know you before the first call. It also tells them you take your practice seriously.
Why video helps advisers win trust, which types of film work, where to use them and how to feel comfortable on camera.
What thought leadership is for consultants, how to find a point of view, which formats suit you and how to prove your expertise.
How independent consultants can rank for the services and problems they solve, using topic pages, genuine expertise signals and earned links.
Four quick questions, and we’ll show you where we’d start. Your answers come straight to us with your message, so you won’t have to explain it twice.
A 30-minute introduction call on Microsoft Teams, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Your answers come with the booking, so we’ll be ready for you.
Prefer to talk it through? Make an appointment for a 30-minute call on Microsoft Teams, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
A closer look at the work behind each part of your plan.
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