Could CE Marking be your Online Opportunity?

News this week that UK construction output rose by 2.2% in year-year-on year terms in July is a fantastic indicator for the sector.  The ONS figures reveal the biggest upturn in the construction industry’s fortunes for six years. The challenge now for all those involved in the sector is to capitalize on the potential for growth, because, let’s face it, despite the good news it’s still a tough environment out there. New orders may have ‘leapt’ in Q2 but if you want to get ahead commercially your marketing needs to stay ahead.

Take for example, your website.  When was the last time you updated it? If you’re reading this and thinking about all those case study pages full of projects completed years ago and ‘what we do’ pages written back in the mists of time, the answer is ‘too long ago!’

And if you manufacture, distribute or import construction products you may well now need to comply with the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) 2011, which came into force on 1 July. If your products are affected you not only need to CE mark them but you need to ensure that the Declaration of Performance (DoP) for each product is readily available. And what’s the easiest way to make it available? That’s right, by putting it on your website.

Time moves on, and, just as construction techniques and the economy don’t stand still for long, neither do trends in website design, technology or search engine optimization. So, rather than looking upon the need to update your website with DoP information an onerous obligation, why not look upon it as an opportunity to upgrade your site with a new look, new functionality and new information.

Here are just some of the things you could add:

• Social media links
• A company blog
• Up-to-date case studies
• New content to aid search engine optimization
• Internal links to keep visitors on your site
• Links to relevant trade bodies and associations
• That all important CPR compliance section

A new website doesn’t have to come at a huge cost, but, with so much business now done online, what’s the real cost of neglecting your website?