When Your Website Finally Matches Your Expertise
A website designed to support a referral-based consulting practice
Rhonda Schlangen – A Case Study
Rhonda Schlangen helps philanthropies, nonprofits, and other change makers strengthen their work through evaluation, organizational learning, and strategies that support meaningful social change.
With more than two decades of experience supporting organizations navigating complex challenges, Rhonda had built a respected consulting practice grounded in expertise, relationships, and referrals.
But her website had not grown with her.
It no longer reflected the depth of her experience, the complexity of her work, or the level of trust she had built with her clients and partners.
The Challenge: Turning Complex Expertise Into Clear Communication
Rhonda came to me after seeing a colleague’s redesigned website and learning about my approach to website strategy and design.
Like many consultants, her work was nuanced and difficult to summarize. She didn’t need a website designed to appeal to everyone, she needed a website that would help the right people understand her expertise when they were referred to her.
Her existing site didn’t fully communicate the value of her work or give potential clients a clear understanding of how she could help.
She also wanted to avoid the frustration she had experienced in previous design conversations: creating a website that looked polished but felt disconnected from who she was and what she offered.
As Rhonda shared:
“Conversations with other designers were frustrating, because they didn’t take the time to understand my specific needs and I worried I was going to have the same website as the sweet potato farmer down the road or someone selling widgets.”
Original Website Screenshots:
Basic Branding Elements:
The Strategy: Clarifying Before Designing
Before moving into design, we focused on understanding what her website needed to accomplish.
Through The Focus, we explored:
The goal was not to add more information.
Rhonda already had the expertise.
The goal was to identify what mattered most and create a website structure that helped visitors quickly understand her work.
The Solution:
A Website That Reflects the Work Behind It
We transformed a website that felt difficult to navigate into a clearer, more intentional resource that communicates Rhonda’s expertise and approach.
The new site:
The Result: More Confidence in the Conversations Her Website Supports
Rhonda left the project feeling confident that her website finally represented the level of work she does.
“I love it. It’s more than I could have imagined.”
While her website had always been part of her professional presence, the redesign gave her greater confidence in the conversations happening after someone discovered her through a referral or recommendation.
As she shared:
“Tricia has a rare combination of technical skills and emotional intelligence that she used to help me convey my values and my work through my new website.”
The Takeaway
For referral-based consultants, a website doesn’t have to convince strangers to buy.
It needs to help the right people understand who you are, what you do, and why your experience matters…especially after someone has already recommended you.
Rhonda’s website became more than a digital brochure. It became a clearer reflection of the expertise, values, and experience behind her consulting practice.
See what might be possible for your website.
If you’re curious what this kind of strategic thinking could uncover in your own business, The Focus is where we begin.
No pressure, no pitch—just practical advice