http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-398500-2.00005-9Security Consulting © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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A consultant’s website is often the first contact a prospective client has with the con-sultant. The prospective client should be engaged by the substance of the website and should be able to quickly navigate to specific content of interest. Websites can drive business, but they can also drive business away. Websites that have an outdated feel, are difficult to navigate, or lack substance are often closed quickly, with the consultant dropped from consideration. Alternatively, well designed websites that have tie-ins with social networks, blogs, or other forms of rapid and frequent communication can peak interest from prospective clients. Many books are on the market today that describe the elements of a good website. After culling through those books and online tutorials on website design, one might narrow down the key elements for creating a good website:1. Compelling content2. Visually pleasing3. Simple navigation

Clearly, aesthetics and navigation play a significant role in creating a good website. However, like tax preparation and contract writing, some things are better left to the experts. Internet technology changes at a rapid pace, and small businesses often struggle to stay current. A website can go from cutting edge to obsolete in a short time frame. For most consultants, it is more effective and certainly more efficient to outsource the design (includ-ing navigation) of their website to a professional web designer. Website designers, however, are not experts in security or security consulting and will not be able to develop the initial content for the consultant’s website nor add new content that is ultimately of interest to prospective clients. As such, the remainder of this chapter focuses on website content.

Website content may vary significantly among consultant websites; however, the minimum content typically consists of a home page, a services page that describes the services offered by the consultant, and an experience page that articulates the consul-tant’s past consulting or business history. Each of these unique pages is examined in greater detail in the following sections.

The Need for Effective Consulting Websites

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Karim H. Vellani, CPP, CSC

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THE HOME PAGE

The home page is often the first page a prospective client navigates to, either directly or via a search engine (Figure 5.1). With current search engine technology, it is possible for a prospective client to navigate directly to a page matching their search results that is not the home page; however, the home page is still the most frequent starting point based on website analytics software. The home page should have a brief overview of the website or a welcome message to the website’s visitors. Often, the overview is provided by way of navigation tabs, links, or other technology that visitors will use to access other web pages on the site. The welcome message may be brief and simply identify the website as belonging to a consultant or consulting firm. Sophisticated consultants and larger consulting firms will sometimes have some degree of branding such as a company logo. The single most important element of a good home page is contact information to allow the prospective client to get in touch with the consultant. This usually includes both a telephone number and an e-mail address. Sometimes, a website contact form serves as the primary method for contacting the consultant. Prospective clients may have a preferred method for contacting a consultant, whether it is via tele-phone, e-mail, or contact form. All should be provided to give the potential client a comfortable means of contact and to increase the likelihood that contact will occur. Geography also plays a role in client selection, so a physical address should be included somewhere on the website.

In some cases, the website may provide a secure portal for client access only. The secured portal leads to nonpublic web pages that are accessed via a user name and pass-word. Clients can log in and access, for example, past security risk assessment reports, security designs, or other client-specific data.

THE SERVICES PAGE

The services page of a website identifies the various or specialized types of offerings that the consultant is engaged in (Figure 5.2). This can include services provided directly by the consultant as well as other services provided via partnering agree-ments with other consultants who possess complementary skills or who subcontract. The services page may provide limited details regarding the services offered or alter-natively may provide extensive details including methodologies used, past clients, and example projects.

Information may be on a single page or spread across multiple pages by category or market. There is no right answer regarding the level of detail needed to identify the offered services, but it should be enough to capture the interest of the reader and pro-vide a general idea of the consultant’s offerings. The services page may also list the types of industries served or focus on one specific strength (Figure 5.3).

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THE EXPERIENCE PAGE

The experience page is likely to be of utmost interest to a prospective client. Clients often want a consultant who understands their industry (i.e., vertical market); however, overstating one’s experience is not advisable. Experience may be demonstrated via a consultant’s biography, a list of projects worked on in the past, or simply by identifying the general category of industries served (Figure 5.4).

Figure 5.1 Example of a home page, courtesy of Threat Analysis Group, LLC. (From www.threatanalysis.com.)

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Experience can also be demonstrated by providing website visitors with case stud-ies of past projects. Case studies should help potential consulting clients understand the consulting process and demonstrate the consulting approach or methodology. Most importantly, case studies demonstrate how the consultant arrived at an appropriate solu-tion to the unique challenge. Some lengthier case studies include solutions that were

Figure 5.2 Example of services offered on a home page, courtesy of Security Consulting Strategies, LLC. (From www.securityconsultingstrategies.com.)

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rejected and the logic behind accepting and rejecting certain solutions. Case studies such as these are an opportunity to educate the client. Figure 5.5 is an example of a website that incorporates case studies.

In addition to case studies to demonstrate experience, consultants may also link to their own publications and research reports or post them directly on the website. Works that the consultant has published demonstrate his or her depth of knowledge on a par-ticular topic, commitment to a particular industry, and writing abilities (sometimes a key factor in consultant selection).

Experience can also be demonstrated with publications, research reports, and stud-ies. One of the more common approaches is to have a publications page that lists books for sale, for download, or that can be accessed by linking to online booksellers. Figure 5.6, for example, shows a book that is available for sale directly from the author and on bookstore websites.

Figure 5.3 For example, business protection specialists identify some of the challenges specific markets face and how their services will resolve these issues. (From www.securingpeople.com.)

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SOCIAL NETWORKING

Beyond the home, services, and experience pages, a consultant’s website may also include the integration of blogs and social networks. In fact, more and more websites now incorporate social functionality. Today, the most common social websites include Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While LinkedIn has always focused its

Figure 5.4 Example of an experience page, courtesy of Quintech Security Consultants, Inc. (From www.quintechengineering.com/about-us.)

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attention on business, Google+ and Facebook are also now catering to businesses. By the time this edition of the book hits its one-year anniversary, it’s likely that a dominant social website will be missing from the preceding list. Currently, social networking web-sites are free for basic features, though some have advanced features available for a fee.

Social networking is not for everyone. It requires a firm commitment from the consultant to actively engage on a regular basis directly with the social networking website(s) or through the consultant’s own website, which is integrated with social components. For example, if a consultant’s website links to the consultant’s Google+ page, the Google+ page needs to be updated often and provide good information to those visiting. Substance is of paramount importance. If the information provided on

Figure 5.5 Example of a case study, courtesy of SRMC, Inc. (From www.S-RMC.com.)

Links to Popular Social Networking WebsitesGoogle+ https://plus.google.comLinkedIn www.linkedin.comFacebook www.facebook.comTwitter https://twitter.com

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the Google+, Facebook, or LinkedIn page is not relevant to the target audience (i.e., potential clients), the page does not add any value to the consultant. Similarly, blog posts and tweets (Twitter posts) must serve their intended audience. The information posted in the blog or “tweeted” should be timely, relevant, and interesting.

One of the more interesting social networking websites currently is Quora. Quora caters to people seeking information directly from specialists in a particular field, such as security consulting. As an example, a Quora user may ask about the best deterrents

Figure 5.6 Example of a publications page, courtesy of Charles A. Sennewald. (From www.shoplifting.com.)

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to burglars. Other users and specialists may answer the question. Quora’s unique feature, which other websites are rapidly copying, is the ability for Quora’s users to vote up or vote down an answer. This feature forces good responses (as voted on by users) to rise to the top of a question-and-answer exchange. A security consultant can increase his or her online brand by providing a thoughtful response. Readers (or potential clients) who find the answer to be of value can learn more about the author via the author’s Quora profile.

BLOGS

Blog is short for web log. Blogs started as personal journal entries posted on the Internet for private viewing or for public consumption. In the 1990s, blogs evolved into a busi-ness tool that allows those selling products or services to market their wares. Marketing via blogs can be direct or indirect. Direct marketing via a blog occurs when a business, via its website or a separate blogging website, promotes its services or products. Indirect marketing with a blog entails the posting of articles, research studies, or links to other sources of information that are of interest to a potential client but may not discuss the business posting the information itself (Figure 5.7). Both indirect and direct marketing efforts via a blog have proven successful for generating business, and like a website, blog content is crucial.

There are many players in the blogging software field. Some of the more pervasive blogging software today includes Blogger, WordPress, and TypePad. Like social network-ing websites, most of the blogging software is free for basic features and some even include free downloadable software that can be installed directly on the consultant’s website (see the example from Threat Analysis Group, LLC). Moreover, there is a tre-mendous level of crowd-sourced support, wherein other users provide help and some even customize the blogging software.

Link to Quora, a Professional Social Networking SiteQuora www.quora.com

Links to Popular Blogging SoftwareBlogger www.blogger.comWordPress www.wordpress.comTypePad www.typepad.com

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One of the more compelling blogging software functions today is the integrated RSS feeds. RSS stands for really simple syndication. RSS is a function that allows a blog’s core content (or other content site) to be accessed by other applications such as an RSS reader that one might find on a desktop, smart phone, or tablet computer. This allows subscribers of an RSS feed to access the blog using their preferred method and increases the likelihood that the consultant’s content is read. RSS feeds can also be used to stream the blog content to the consultant’s website or other websites. Security Consulting Strategies, LLC's.

Figure 5.7 Example of a blog, courtesy of Threat Analysis Group, LLC. (From www.threatanalysis.com/blog.)

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MOBILE VERSIONS

Increasingly, people are using mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers for productive work, including searching for consultants. Some websites, however, are not optimized for mobile access and may be difficult to read and navigate on mobile devices. Simplicity in website design is a significant benefit when considering the myriad ways in which potential clients locate information. More complex websites are usually more difficult to view on a mobile browser, particularly those that incorporate advanced Internet technologies that may not be available on mobile browsers. If the consultant desires a website with advanced technologies, a good path is to create both a desktop version and a mobile version of the website. Browsers automatically redirect to the appropriate version of the website. As discussed at the outset, the website’s acces-sibility on a mobile browser should be left to a professional web designer during the conceptual phase of the website’s creation.

FINAL THOUGHTS REGARDING CONTENT

Keeping a website fresh is critical to search engine ranking and audience participation. A website’s aesthetics and design need to be refreshed from time to time to maintain interest and to keep up with rapidly improving Internet technology. Websites with an outdated design and content are of little assistance in generating business for a consul-tant. No matter how good a consultant is, a prospective client’s interest may decline quickly when confronted with clearly outdated information. Websites with general content may not need to be updated often. Websites with more specific content require more frequent updates. A good rule of thumb is to review all website content at least once per quarter to ensure that content is accurate and current. Blogs and social net-working, on the other hand, require frequent updates. Experience has shown that a new blog post every two weeks at minimum can drive website traffic up significantly. Social networking websites should have more frequent updates. Some consultants choose to update their status multiple times per day, whereas others opt for weekly updates. Active participation in online forums, such as LinkedIn’s groups, which are then linked to the consultant’s website, also enhances the consultant’s online presence. An informative and interactive web presence can drive substantial business to a consultant. A poor online presence can drive business away.