You’ve probably heard the phrase “let me Google that for you” before. 

And although it’s often spoken with a tone of sarcasm, it can also be viewed as a true sign of the times. We live in a digital age where people do research and ask questions online first. 

As a solo PR pro, your website is often your first chance to make an impression on a prospective client. Having an ineffective site (or worse — not having one at all!) can be make or break in this industry. 

Whether you’re building your solo website from the ground up or considering a refresh of an existing site, we’ve rounded up the top four elements you must include.

1. A clear ‘About’ page

Aside from your homepage, the About page of your website is one of the most important things to optimize, because it typically receives the second-highest number of visitors. 

That’s because when someone is trying to get to know you, the About page is the first place they look. To improve your odds of attracting new business leads and converting them into loyal clients, it’s important to make sure your About page provides a clear and concise picture of who you are and can stand out from others in the field. 

Trying to write content for an About page can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! In fact, it can be a lot like writing a pitch or press release for a client. Start by thinking carefully about your target audience and their needs. From there, it’s as simple as explaining who you are and how you can help them. 

2. Contact page

If the ultimate goal of your website is to attract new leads, then making sure your Contact page is easy to find and optimized for site visitors is key. This can look a little different for everyone depending on your niche and services, but there are a few staple items you may want to include here. 

Contact form

A contact form is a really easy way to help direct inquiries in the right direction. Not only can you pre-determine exactly how people reach out to you and ensure their messages are going to the right place, it also gives you a chance to capture important information from a prospective client upfront. 

Customize the fields of your contact form to get the high-level info you’ll need in order to respond effectively, but be careful not to add too many fields. We recommend no more than 5-10 fields total to avoid overwhelming a lead.

Preferred direct contact info

If a contact form isn’t right for you, or you want to offer even more ways for someone to get in touch with you, it can be a great idea to include your direct contact information on this page. Your business email listed here is typically a good start.

Social media links

Working in the PR field, chances are you’re pretty familiar with (and also quite active!) on social media. If you actively operate business social media profiles, you’ll want to include links to each of those on your contact page so people can check them out and get a feel for your style and voice.

Newsletter signup

In addition to the client work you do as a solo PR, you may also have a few personal ventures to help you stay on top of industry trends and spread the word about your business. If you publish a recurring newsletter, make sure to include an easy way for website visitors to subscribe to your email list so they can continue to hear from you in the future. In addition to including your newsletter signup right on your contact page, you may also want to consider including it in other places throughout your website, such as your homepage.

3. Description of services

Working in the PR field, there are a wide variety of services you could potentially offer clients, ranging from media relations to social media to content marketing and more. Having a Services page allows you to expressly convey which of these services you offer and specialize in. 

While what you do may seem obvious to you, it can be helpful to include brief descriptions of what each service entails for clients who aren’t as familiar with the many facets of PR. If you offer a lot of different services, you may want to consider breaking them up into groups or sections to make sifting through the information easier.

4. Proof you’re good at what you do

When working digitally, you have a few easy and impactful options to best showcase your work as a solo PR pro. 

How to best showcase your work as a solo PR pro

Below are a few of our must-haves for your business website.

Testimonials 

Nothing more accurately shows how amazing you are to work with and increases your credibility than real testimonials from past and current clients. Asking a client to provide a testimonial or recommendation, either via email or through a platform like LinkedIn, that speaks to the caliber of your services is an essential marketing tool for your business. Need help getting started? 

Check out our tips for collecting and showcasing high-impact client testimonials!

Examples of Previous Work

Just like client testimonials add third-party credibility to your skills and services, showcasing past work examples on your website is a powerful tool for self-promotion that allows you to highlight exactly what you can do for a potential client. 

Consider dedicating a page (or several!) on your website to serve as an online portfolio with assets and descriptions of some of your favorite projects. Pro tip: for every project you highlight in your digital portfolio, include a brief synopsis of the problem presented to you, the action steps you took throughout the project along with the deliverables and the final solution or result to help showcase your problem-solving and critical thinking skills in action!

We want to hear from you! What else would you include on your website? Let us know in the comments or on social media using #solopr!