Government contractor websites must include the critical information government buyers are looking for if you want to stay current and beat your competition. This means great content and great design.
It’s important to find a web design agency that understands the needs of both you as the government contractor and your federal buyer.
It’s becoming just as important to finding one who understands the value of not just SEO but AEO and GEO. Your content needs to be found by AI-powered search and answer tools, like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews, not just the human researchers and traditional search engines.
Government Buyers are Looking for Content Online
The majority of consumers, with government agencies being one of the largest, have already made a purchasing decision before contacting any potential vendors. They get there by researching online. To be considered for a shortlist as a prospective vendor, it’s essential to be a valuable part of the information-gathering stage of their decision-making process.
Your website content is the key to adding value and connecting early.
To attract buyers early, provide content (both online and downloadable) that is compelling, high-quality, educational, representative of your thought leadership, and relevant, providing prominent visibility of your capabilities.
Below are tips from a web development agency on creating great content to build strong relationships and win bids.
Create Compelling Content
You have about 5 seconds to engage a prospect landing on your website and compel them to learn more.
To your ideal customer, typically a contracting officer, program manager, or federal buyer, you must be a welcome find. Your first job in marketing after being found is to arrange the information your visitor sees in a clear and compelling way.
Showcase key parts of your story and let them know they’re in the right place with dynamic solutions a few moments or clicks away. Be concise. Be clear. Be convenient.
- Concise. The more direct and easy-to-read your content is, the faster your federal buyer can get the exact information they need. Understanding your government buyer and their problems, pain points, and needs will help you serve them best. Educate buyers with in-depth information and guidance to solve their problems. And do it fast.
- Clear. Respect how busy your buyers are and give them what they need with ease.
- Convenient. Compelling also requires using great website design to organize content making it easy to skim and scan for your fast readers.
Quality Counts
All of your online content, on your government contractor website and anywhere else on the web, must reflect the quality of product and/or service they will receive working with you.
- Professional/Well-Written. Your content reflects your business, so you want it to be at a very high standard that matches your brand and your level of service. Consider this your first impression with a new customer, because it is.
- Relevant. Government buyers know what information they are looking for, and you want to make sure you deliver. Quality content reflects an understanding of your customer and a high level of service when your website shows this responsiveness. Include federal-specific contact(s), NAICS codes, processes, past performance, etc., to demonstrate to your prospect that you are relevant in the industry and can be a great solution.
Is Your Website Content Winning
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Use Various Approaches to Educate Clients and Win Attention
The marketplace is more diffused today than ever before. Rather than chasing bids, it is far more effective to understand your federal buyer and serve them where they are.
They are already online: researching, learning, and seeking solutions. Your job is to be where your buyer can see you, quickly understand what you offer, learn to trust you, and then conveniently engage with you. This means going to them and adding value early and often. Two winning strategies to do this are:
- Inbound Marketing. This approach requires quality content that your buyer is looking for – in the form of a guide, white paper, infographic, article, etc. – that makes you top subject matter experts (SME) in their eyes. Build high-quality, educational, cutting-edge content to set yourself apart, reach your customer sooner, and build relationship built on value and relevance.
- Engagement. In the simplest terms, this means how long you can hold your prospect’s attention. When a contracting officer finds you, how long they stay depends on whether or not you provide value. By providing great information on your govcon website, and helping your buyer clarify and refine their problem, you become a valuable partner in the early stages of the bid process. Exactly where you want to be.
Reputation Matters – Be Out Front as a Thought Leader
If your reputation precedes you online, you want to control that perception as much as possible. Your brand, your name, your links, your reviews, and your past performance results can all contribute to gaining favor or losing face.
Take time to assess, monitor, and update your online footprint to make sure you’re putting a strong foot forward. Your business and your reputation can be visible long before any RFP is published. You want to make sure that whenever you’re seen, you’re seen in a good light, adding value and building great relationships. When you have a leading position in your industry, your reputation will reflect this, and search engines will reward you too.
Here are some areas to pay special attention:
- General SEO rankings – what keywords are you associated with? Who is linked to your website? (From the search engine’s perspective and from your prospect’s)
- AI & search discoverability – is your content structured clearly enough for AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Ai Overviews to find, understand, and accurately reference your company? This is the newer discipline of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and it works alongside traditional SEO rather than replacing it. See AEO vs GEO: What Content and Digital Marketers Need to Know for more.
- Press (promote positive press and minimize or repair any negative)
- Moderate comments (in social media, on blogs, etc.)
Government Decision Makers are Looking for Specific Capabilities and Content
Contracting officers and federal buyers do not want to be sold to; they want to be informed. Content should help them make informed decisions.
Give them exactly what they’re looking for, and you’ll begin building trust from the first visit. Here are some specific items federal buyers typically want:
- Evidence of your past performance, articulated via a capabilities statement.
- Data and research to support content.
- Product specifications.
- Government-specific landing pages.
- Mobile-friendly downloadable content.
- Codes and contract vehicles, linked to full details and contact information.
This same well-organized, factual content is exactly what AI tools draw on when a federal buyer asks an AI search or answer tool a question about vendors in your space. Just another reason to keep it clear, current, and easy to find.
Use Different Types of Content
To meet the needs of various customers at different stages of the procurement process, you must supply different types of content. By being proactive and presenting high-quality information early to meet your federal buyer’s needs, they will return to you and your website again and again as they get closer to an RFP and a contract. Some examples of different website content types are:
Information pages (written content). Be sure to break up large amounts of information with headings and subheadings so the content is skimmable and scannable in minimal time. You may only have seconds to provide value and capture a new visitor.
Videos. One of the most popular ways to consume educational content today is through videos. These can be informational, such as an animated presentation, or live-action where members from your team can be seen and felt. This initial contact can be a powerful way to begin a trusting relationship and establish you as a thought leader.
White papers (for thought leadership). Longer informational downloads can be a great way to demonstrate you are the industry leader and have the know-how to solve the critical problem your federal buyer is facing.
Webinars, Podcasts. This content is another great way to reach federal buyers earlier in the process. As they are gathering information, organizing specs and details for an RFP, and researching prospects, you can be there with valuable guidance and detailed information, even leading the conversation toward your products or services as great solutions. This content must present quality information and add value.
Blogs. Articles are a quick-read solution to reach a wider audience. Blog links can be easily shared on social media and are a powerful way to introduce a new buyer to your website and additional high-value content. With the blog, always include a call to action to the next useful piece of content. Link to downloadable content that captures your visitor’s contact information so you can stay in touch with them and nurture the relationship.
Guides. Another quick-read solution: a downloadable guide on your website is a tool your government buyer prospect can easily use to learn quickly, share information with their team, and begin to understand solutions you offer. Build key guides and position them on your govcon website to engage, build relationships, and demonstrate your depth of knowledge.
Infographics. Like videos, these popular tools are great for engaging your more visual prospects. Show your understanding with quick-glance models of complex information. This will help your buyer quickly see your level of understanding quickly and also serve as a tool they can share easily. Infographics make for great social media shares too.
Past performance. Use cases or case studies can be some of the most informative content you can provide on your government contractor website. These stories help prospects understand your specific capabilities and also your outstanding results. Like the other content, you want these stories to be structured for a quick read and full of valuable information.
Your Website Should Help Build Relationships
The ultimate goal of all this great content is to build a loyal, long-lasting relationship with your federal buyers. To do this, the website content needs to:
- Be optimized to reach your customers so they can find you early in the process.
- Provide the information they are looking for.
- Build trust with high-quality content, consistently.
- Showcase your capabilities through quality results and stories. These referrals quickly break down barriers and build trust.
- Conveniently connect through forms, call links, downloads, etc. Do everything you can to capture your prospects once they find you.
- Be responsive to different learning styles and use cases – especially mobile. Many contract officers are doing research via their smartphones.
All Content Should Have a Purpose
Every moment you hold your prospective customer’s attention is valuable. Your content should reflect your appreciation for their time by providing essential, easy-to-navigate, informative, and engaging content.
Combine the following critical factors to generate and maximize engagement:
- Clear navigation to direct your visitor,
- Relevant content to inform, entertain, or otherwise occupy attention,
- Features to highlight meaningful specific content or elements of interest,
- Speed of delivery,
- And convenience of delivery – especially mobile-friendly.
The addition of random or extraneous content does not add value; it actually distracts website visitors and will break trust.
If you are using SEO, or AEO and GEO, to get found, random or off-track terms or links can send mixed messages to Google’s Search Engine, to AI tools summarizing your content, or to your visitors. Track all components of your digital marketing program to your govcon website for consistency and relevance.
Here are a few resources to learn more:
4 Contract-Winning Tactics for Website Design (article)
The Biggest Reason Federal Buyers Can’t Find You …And How To Fix It! (Quick Guide)
Website Checklist for Government Contractors (downloadable checklist)
How To Lead Your Federal Buyer To Your Door So They’ll Buy From You (recorded webinar)
How to Choose a Website Company (in-depth guide)
AEO vs GEO: What Content and Digital Marketers Need to Know (article)
About Ocean 5
Ocean 5 Strategies is a leading growth agency in the greater Washington D.C. area specializing in government contractor websites and content marketing. Get in touch for a Free Website Evaluation to see how your website and online content can support you in winning bids and growing your business.
