
Ask HN: How to represent your dev shop when most of your work is not public? - olliewagner
I continuously struggle to create a website for my dev shop that has been in business since 2013. Our work is often internal or otherwise not public facing, and it&#x27;s hard to come up with a way that communicates our abilities without looking too hand-wavey. Do any of you know of portfolios&#x2F;consulting sites that work well under similar constraints?
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davismwfl
I went through this when I built up my consultancies. Both times I was focused
in areas where people weren't keen on letting me just advertise the products
we built for them. A few things I figured out along the way though:

1\. Rarely did I ever get leads from my website, I mean seriously it was super
rare. Almost all leads came from recommendations and me getting out and
talking to people.

2\. Visitors to my website were there to get basic data, so I put things like
who some of my key clients, largest clients as well as I listed some of the
more interesting technologies and projects we had worked on.

3\. I worked with a few clients that would act as references for me, so they
would talk to potential clients about what we did, how we did it, etc.

All this because honestly as a consulting/dev shop your website will get you
almost 0 business, so don't waste a ton of time here. Your sales team,
founders and existing clients are who get you the business. The website is
just a way for people to find out a little history and background on the
company and the team. So that is where I put the focus.

Where I did spend quite a bit of time was on the blog component of the
website, writing about things and becoming known for some niche areas which
helped generate leads. But the main website wasn't key for this.

If you have specific questions let me know, I am also happy to take a look at
your website and give you my 2 cents for what that is worth. Personally, I'd
ask a few people you know to do the same, but I'd make sure these people
aren't "friends" who know you really well. You want people who don't know what
you do really well so it helps see if they can frame your company and
capabilities.

