IoA Talk - Sites 2

Consultants' Sites
As with Local Authorities, there are a number of features which will help consultants, but before considering site content, the following points are important

• Have a "good", preferably short, web site address e.g. www.noise.co.uk is Bill Whitfield, compared with  www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~noise is Martec.
• Have a good e-mail address mel.kenyon@noise.sh is best, noise@globalnet.co.uk is worse, but 101723.2423@compuserve.com is diabolical.
• If you have your own domain name, then use it in for your e-mail.  Datum Services have www.datumservices.com but oddly  their e-mail is datum1999@email.msn.com.

I my view most visitors to consultants' sites will be wanting to instruct a noise consultant.  They may simply be visiting the site to find out a contact name and telephone number to ring, but they may also wish to read what the company does c.f. a brochure.  In my view, a consultant's site should therefore do the following.

• Look professional e.g. Acoustic Associates' Site
• Don't have adds on your site for unrelated products or inappropriate imagery e.g. Mike Forsdyke's site or PDA's
• If you are part of a large organisation ensure that there is a "search" facility that will find your department - try searching for "noise" at Arups' site or at Atkins or at BDP.
• Always give the telephone number, preferably on the home page - if users can't find what they want on the site, they may even ring it!!
• Tell the visitor what you can do and how you can do it, e.g. PDA's site does, Mike Forsdyke's site doesn't.

If your site doesn't tell them what they want quickly, simply, and professionally, you have a problem.

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