9 Tips for your OHS website

Designer Needed has gained several Occupational Health and Safety providers as clients, and so we thought it might be useful to share some ideas around OHS websites. These tips can be helpful no matter your industry, so feel free to still have a read even if you aren’t in OHS.

Tip #1 Who is your Client?

It’s very important to have an idea of who your clients are so that you can set up your marketing to focus on them. Are they a family? Are they people who have retired? Are they rich? What is their level of education? All these questions will help you form a picture of your target client, which influence how you do your marketing.

We’ve found that our OHS clients tend to focus on businesses, teachers, and child-carers. Their websites use wording that speaks directly to these clients and their OHS needs.

Tip #2 Find your Niche

With property agents, there is normally a focus on families. So this is their niche. Old Mutual, for example, creates the idea of saving from a young age.

If you decide that your niche is small businesses that need training in order to comply with the OHS Act, then you can align your website’s wording, call to action, and images to this. In this way, a client that falls within your niche will feel that you are speaking directly to them.

DDI speaks specifically about getting compliant with the Occupational Health & Safety Act at the top of their home page.

Tip #3 Trust

Now that you know what your client looks like, you need to convince them that you are the best guy for the job.  This can be achieved on your website by:

• Using real-world examples
• Asking for, and displaying testimonials
• Including your social media links
• Accreditation details

You need to be open to show that you have nothing to hide, by providing access to all facets of your online presence. Testimonials are great for building trust, as they show real-life clients who are happy and satisfied with your service.

Dynamikos displays testimonials from satisfied customers on their home page.

Tip #4 Read

No-one likes to read. So get to the point. Don’t bore your website visitors with long-winded paragraphs full of jargon. There can be a lot of acronyms and technical terms in the medical industry, so pay special attention to write for the general reader.

What are you trying to convince your reader of? Does it make sense?  I always say if all else fails, go have a look at what your big competitors are doing. And remember that people are visual – as soon as you start talking to your reader, they will start forming a picture in their minds.

Stayin’ Alive West Coast explains their main offerings with three paragraphs on their home page, from there the reader can click to read more details.

Tip #5 Visual

You are trying to create a feeling with someone. A certainty that you know what you are doing and that you are the right person to help them with your service. Your service is usually elevated with the vision that you create. This is why design – good design – has a huge impact! Having a strong brand is just as important in the OHS industry as any other! It helps your business look professional and trustworthy – and will help you stand out from your competitors.

Tip #6 Call to Action

What should your reader do? They’ve looked at your site, have seen what you do, now what?  The days of relying on business cards is a bit tricky now. A lot of people are working from home, so online is your best form of communication. Including a “tell me more” or “view services” button right at the top of your pages will help the reader navigate to the most important part of your website – your service offering.

Dynamikos includes a big “Get Quote” button on their home page header as well as a contact number.

Tip #7 Competition

The truth is you are in competition. And sometimes it’s the first or the loudest voice that is heard.  You could be the go-to at the moment, but marketing calls for continuous adjustment.  You might not always be one step ahead, but you should also not fall behind.  Do some research into your competitors’ websites. Look at what they say, how they say it and how the websites are laid out. If you know what your competition looks like, it will be easier to stay ahead!

Tip #8 Social Media

First impressions do still count for something.  Everyone is now online, and social media is very important. Maybe you are on social media, but not posting anything. That’s also okay. At least you’re showing the public that you are innovating.  You need to gain trust, so sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone.

Prime Results communicates their offerings directly with clients via their Facebook page.

Tip #9 You are not broken

Tourism as an example: it’s difficult now, but you need to continue searching for opportunities. If you don’t find any, search for ideas to create opportunities. Life and the tourism industry will start again, and when it does, you want to be the person people think of. So be brave!

Maybe it’s worth considering branching out in COVID-19 specific health services? Or doing online training that people can do remotely?

We hope these tips have been informative! We at Designer Needed as invested in growing small businesses, no matter your service or product. Check out our portfolio (here) to see what we can do, or subscribe to our mailing list below!