11 “Must Haves” for Your Website
When building a website, creativity and uniqueness are crucial. Whether you’re a small independent advisor or large financial firm, there are 11 key items you need to have on your website. These items will help you reach people more organically and truly connect with your current and prospective clients.
I want to share with you what they are and why they are so important.
1 | Video
Video is wonderful for your SEO ranking in search engines. A combination of text and video, along with other types of media like podcasts, is the best tactic for SEO. Google prefers websites with various types of content and will usually rank those higher in the search results. Video is also a wonderful way to connect with your current and prospective clients who may be looking for a financial advisor. People want to do business with the person behind the brand, and will connect with you on a more personal level when they hear your voice and see your personality through video.
2 | Contact information
This is obvious, but you may be surprised by how many companies, even in the financial industry, forget to include this information! People need a way to contact you, and they also need to know where you are located, especially if you have a brick-and-mortar business. People need to see that you are a real person/business that they can contact to make them feel comfortable doing business with you.
Whether it’s a simple, “give us a call,” “get in touch with us,” or “contact us,” there should be one obvious statement that repeats throughout the entire site. The ultimate goal on your website and for your business is to get new clients, right? Make it obvious how to start the process.
3 | Newsletter signup
Newsletters are a great way to share information and let clients get to know you while you share important and relevant information. First of all, you need to set up your email marketing tool, like Constant Contact or Mailchimp, but make it as easy and obvious for people to add themselves to your newsletter distribution list. If you don’t have a tool set up yet, you can still put a form on your website to collect email addresses until you do. Don’t let not having a tool be an excuse to miss the opportunity to get lead emails.
4 | Lead generation
Be sure to capture viewers’ contact information to add to your email list. Sometimes the person isn’t quite ready to contact you but may want to learn more. Make sure you set yourself up to be able to stay in contact with this person, and remain at the top of their mind when they are ready for your services.
You might capture their information by offering downloads of:
• White papers
• Risk questionnaires
• Checklists
• Third-party tools like Riskalyze or Vestorly
5 | Creditability
Due to regulations, advisors cannot offer client testimonials on their websites. Don’t let this limit your ability to show your credibility.
You can showcase your expertise by providing links to the following:
• Articles where you have been featured
• Articles where you have been published
• Awards you have been presented with
• Events where you have been a guest speaker
• Radio shows where you are brought in as an expert in your field
6 | Blog
If you don’t currently have a blog and are running a business in the financial industry, you need to include one on your website right away. In the past, it seemed that blogging was like writing a diary entry; today, blogging is a way for you to connect with your current and perspective clients, and provide them with valuable information. People are more likely to purchase from a brand in the long run if you add value to their lives for free first. It builds trust and begins to form a relationship. A blog can include details of how your life intertwines with your business, helpful tips and articles, and information about your products or services.
7 | Services
Prospective customers need to be able to see and understand what financial services you offer and the types of people you help. This section should be very easy to find on your website. It should also be short and sweet. Limit the industry terminology, and make sure that anyone viewing your website will clearly understand what you can do for them.
8 | About and biography
People want to know the person behind the brand. People buy from people, not from companies. Share your personal life – a little about your family, hobbies, education, or anything else you feel comfortable sharing. You can also share how your brand came to be, how you got started in your business, and why you chose to become an independent advisor. People want to know why you do what you do, just as much as they want to know what you do.
9 | Social media links
In a previous article, I mentioned how crucial it is for financial advisors to have a presence on social media. It is also critical that you provide links to those social media profiles on your website. People who visit your website need to be able to find links to your social media profiles and share your content on their social media easily. This will increase your reach. Be sure to represent your brand and yourself the consistently across all social media profiles so that people can quickly recognize you.
10 | Privacy policy*
Protecting personal privacy has become more important than ever, necessitating the need for websites to include a privacy policy that lets users know what information you gather, how that information will be used, and who will have access to it. If your website has a blog, newsletter, or a form that allows for contact information, you need a privacy policy. If you don’t collect any information, have a policy that states that so site users are secure in knowing you aren’t collecting any personal information. Many financial firms allow clients to log into their accounts online; in this case, it’s vital that a policy is in place explaining security measures taken to protect personal and account information.
Additionally, it’s just good business sense. People are more protective of their information than ever and letting your clients know, transparently, that you take their privacy seriously goes a long way in gaining their trust.
11 | Copyright*
You should copyright all the original content you put on your website; put “© Name of Company” at the bottom of the website, and if you are writing and posting articles (not blogs), do the same thing at the end.
I hope you find this list of 11 must-have items for your website helpful. If you already have a website, and do not have some of these items, I highly encourage you to make these changes, so you can better connect with the people you want to serve. Keep in mind, however, that as a financial advisor, you should always follow compliance guidelines when creating any content for your website.
*These sections contain information provided to me by my attorney, John Rabil at launchstrategylegal.com.
