Websites for structural and civil engineers

Most structural engineering work arrives through someone else. A builder needs a beam designed, an architect needs a slab checked, an owner has found a crack in a wall or a conveyancer wants an inspection report before settlement. So the site has two kinds of reader: professionals who want to see that you are registered and quick, and homeowners who don't know what to ask.

Give each a short path. For the professional, show the kinds of design and certification work you do, how to send plans and how long a typical job takes to turn around. For the owner, explain what an inspection involves, what a report contains and what follows. Plain language and named engineers are the trust signals.

What the site carries

• The engineers named, with their qualifications and professional registration shown where it applies.
• A page for builders and designers, saying what you design, certify and inspect, and how to send plans.
• A page for homeowners, covering cracks, movement, damp and what an inspection involves.
• What a report contains and what it will let the client do next, such as proceed with a purchase.
• How you quote: by the job, by the hour or by a scope agreed after a site visit.
• The types of structure you work on: houses, retaining walls, slabs, steel frames, sheds and small commercial.
• A simple upload for plans and a short form asking for the address, the job and the deadline.
• How you handle urgent jobs, such as a damaged building or an order from a council.
• Examples of past work with a description of the problem, the solution and the client type, with permission.
• The area you cover, the insurance you carry and your contact details on every page.

The work your customers look for

• beam and lintel design
• slab and footing design
• retaining walls
• structural inspection reports
• pre-purchase building checks
• crack and movement assessments
• steel frame design
• shed and carport certification
• temporary works design
• drainage and stormwater design

What they type

• "structural engineer"
• "engineer for house extension"
• "cracks in walls engineer"
• "retaining wall engineer"
• "engineer report for council"
• "structural engineer near me"
• "building inspection engineer"

Registration rules vary by state, so show the registration that applies to your work where your state requires one, and do not claim any that you don't hold.

Claims about expertise, past projects and turnaround must be accurate and supportable, because Australian Consumer Law bars misleading statements.

Use a client's project in a case study only with their agreement, and leave out any detail that identifies the property.

Fees and conditions on the site should be stated plainly, since an unclear price can be read as misleading.

Rules change. Have your licence and wording checked against your regulator before the site goes live.

• Using the title engineer for a person whose registration doesn't support it where the rules apply.
• A services list in technical shorthand that a homeowner can't read.
• Showing a stamp or registration number that no longer matches the current one.
• A site written only for homeowners when most of the work comes from builders and designers.
• No sign of turnaround time, so a builder under pressure can't tell if you can meet the schedule.