As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a team to build a great website.

And that team needs to have a deep understanding of the people you work with, what you do for them and the value of working with you.

How do you tell if you have the right team?

Simple.

You look at examples of their previous work. Then, if you see any of these on their sites (or your own), it’s a dead giveaway that the team who worked on it doesn’t understand financial advice/planning.

#1. It uses the FCA logo

The reason for using it is obvious, but the FCA doesn’t allow it.

If you find it on a website, it’s a sign that the developer doesn’t understand the FCA’s rules or just doesn’t care. Frankly, neither is great.

#2. There’s no “Meet the team” page

Financial planning is intensely personal. Your clients tell you their hopes and dreams, worries and anxieties.

It’s, therefore, no surprise that potential clients want to be introduced to the team they’ll be working with at an early stage. And that’s why team pages are usually the second or third most popular on an adviser/planner’s website.

Unfortunately, many sites don’t showcase the team behind the business on the homepage or have a dedicated section giving equal prominence to every team member.

#3. It talks about products, not people

Telling your website visitors that you advise on pensions, savings, and investments is true, but it doesn’t explain who you work with or how you help them.

When a consumer is considering which adviser/planner to work with, they’re much more bothered about whether you work with people like them than they are about the products you use.

If your website designer recommends talking about products, it’s a sign you’re probably in the wrong place.

#4. Chartered logos aren’t used correctly

I’ll admit, this one can be hard to get right, but details matter.

We regularly see the wrong Chartered logo used or the right one displayed in the wrong place.

That matters because credentials should build confidence, not create confusion.

#5. A testimonials page is the only social proof

Social proof is vital for convincing strangers about the benefit of working with you and the value you add to them. A testimonials page, however, is pointless, as only 1-2% of all website visitors will ever go there.

Instead, you should have a range of social proof, including client surveys, Google and VouchedFor reviews, testimonial videos, and awards. Then scatter them around your website so people see them as they browse.

A website developer or agency that truly understands financial planning will push you hard to collect and then promote social proof. If you’re not being challenged on this, you’re in the wrong place.

#6. The homepage is all about the firm, not the visitor

When a visitor lands on your website, it’s because they have a financial problem they want to solve, or an aspiration they want to achieve, and they’re there to learn if you’re the expert to help them.

That means your homepage needs to show you understand the reason they’re there, show some empathy, and explain that you work with people like them.

If your copywriter is starting every sentence with “we” or each section on the homepage is about your business, it’s a sign the balance isn’t right.

#7. Fees are disclosed without showing value

There are pros and cons to disclosing fees on your website that we don’t need to rehash here. If you decide to do it, though, the page will probably be one of the most popular, so it needs careful thought.

All too often, a website developer or agency that doesn’t understand financial planning will build a fees page without explaining the benefits or value, giving examples, or sharing comparisons. Even worse, some might simply link to your terms of business or client agreement documents.

#8. VouchedFor reviews are displayed without using the widget

There’s a right and wrong way to display VouchedFor reviews on your website.

If your developer understands financial planning, they’ll know the right way is to use the widget, not link out to VouchedFor, because you’re driving your visitor into the arms of thousands of other advisers/planners.

#9. Clichéd stock images

There’s an unwritten rule among some website developers that retirement has to be represented by a couple walking on a beach or, because advisers/planners work with money, images of the London skyline have to be used.

They’re clichés. You know it. Your visitors will know it. And in their heart of hearts, your website developers know it.

The better way?

Do everything you can to ditch the stock images by including more of you, your team, your office, your local area, and your clients.

#10. The homepage doesn’t show the real people involved in the business

Your homepage is the most important on your website, yet so many are terrible.

It should showcase your clients and your team, while explaining who you work with, using social proof to demonstrate the value you deliver and giving effective calls to action.

If you don’t have those five things, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

#11. The appropriate risk warnings haven’t been used

I know, I know, risk warnings aren’t top of the list of things that make an effective website, but think for a moment about the implications of not including them. Aside from compliance putting you on the naughty step, some consumers might be put off by their absence, thinking (wrongly) that because they’re missing, you aren’t regulated by the FCA.

#12. Using “adviser” and “planner”, or “advice” and “planning”, interchangeably

One choice isn’t always right, and the other isn’t always wrong. It just means your website should use language deliberately, not randomly. And consistency equals confidence. So pick one of these and stick to it.

Get the right people on your team

As we’ve said before, it takes at least five people to build an effective website for a financial adviser or planner.

Too often, though, sites are built on the cheap and (forgive the bluntness) by people who don’t understand financial planning for people who don’t understand marketing.

That lack of knowledge, on both sides of the equation, means advice and planning firms often end up with ineffective websites that cost them clients and slow growth.

Delivering what you need

Over nearly 10 years, we’ve developed a deep understanding of your clients and what you do for them.

So if you’re thinking about a new website in the next year, let’s chat. You’ll get candour, expertise, and a genuinely effective website.

Your journey to a better online presence starts with emailing abi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or calling 0115 8965 300.