One of the most essential and first tools you should consider getting when beginning you Virtual Assistant business is a website. Your website is your virtual 'home', and should be an important part of your marketing plan. Your potential clients will want to know as much about you as they can find out before speaking to you in person.



While it's true a large amount of your client base will come from referrals, you can be sure they'll ask for a website address when considering margin contact.

As you design your site (or have someone design it for you), put yourself into the position of a potential client. What would someone want to know about you, your business and your services? Make sure you provide full contact information that's easy to find - you'd be amazed how many people build a great site but leave no way to be contacted.

Your website will need a few key components that potential clients will be on the lookout for:

Contact Info:

As mentioned previously this should be easy to find so when people want to hire your services, they can!

Services:

Virtual Assistants provide a wide range of services so when people come to your website they will want to know what services you can provide. Have a clear, detailed list of what you are proficient at and explain the details if not obvious.

Rates:

This is a personal preference. Many VAs post there rates wile many others do not. Of course this may be a benefit for when someone is price shopping, but if you prefer to charge on a project-by-project basis (as I do) this may not work for you.

Portfolio:

If you do any web design or graphics work a portfolio is a must. People want to see examples of your work before paying you to do something for them. If you do things like sales letters and ghostwriting , having a portfolio of completed work is also a very good idea.

About You :

Your clients are not only buying your services, they are buying into a relationship with YOU. Let them know who you are and why you can be trusted to hold a portion of their business in your hands.

Policies and Privacy:

With all the privacy and internet safety issue out there you want to assure your visitors that their information is safe with you and always will be. Spell out your policies on collecting email addresses, collecting payments, work confidentiality, etc.

Testimonials:

Ok, so you've got up a great website with everything mentioned previously. Does that mean your visitors will trust you? Probably not. You see, they have no way of knowing what quality your work is or even if you're a real professional running an actual business. Testimonials help to prove your credibility by showing that you have satisfied clients who are happy to sing your praises.

Now that you've learned some of the essential elements of a Virtual Assistant's website, go back and have a look at your website (if you have one) and see if you are missing anything. If you don't have a website yet then print this article out and use it as a checklist while your site is being developed to make sure you have used every advantage to create a site that sells your services!