Too many financial advisers and planners treat their website like a commodity.

A box to tick.

A job to get done.

A must-have developed without passion.

That’s a mistake.

A website can make or break your marketing strategy. It’s your shop window, where potential clients decide whether you’re the right adviser or planner for them.

The problem is that most adviser and planner websites still look and feel the same. Same cliché-ridden stock images, same vague promises, same lack of proof. And if you look the same as every other adviser/planner, potential clients will assume you are the same.

That’s why standing out matters.

The good news? Our research* shows there are seven things most advisers/planners don’t do. If you dare to be different, your website will stand out from the crowd.

#1. Client testimonial videos

Only 3% of firms include client testimonial videos on their website.

That’s mad.

Few things are more powerful than hearing a real client explain, in their own words, what life was like before working with you, what you helped them do, and how they feel now.

It isn’t you telling people you’re trustworthy. It’s someone else showing them, and that’s always more convincing.

#2. A fees page

Only 13.8% of firms disclose fees on their website.

Fees pages divide opinion but, if you want to stand out from the crowd, disclosing your fees online is a great way to do it.

Yes, some people will tell you that publishing fees puts prospects off.

Good, I say.

If someone was never going to be comfortable with your fees, they should find that out before they book a meeting and waste everyone’s time.

A good fees page does three things:

• It reduces uncertainty
• It makes fee conversations easier when you do speak to the right people
• It filters out poor-fit prospects, improving the quality of those who do get in touch.

#3. Pictures of your clients

Only 6.2% of firms showcase their clients online.

In our experience, too many websites focus on the adviser/planner and their services, rather than the client.

Showing clients on your website helps prospects see who you work with and allows them to say “that’s me”, helping them feel immediately at home. And, of course, pictures of real clients always beat generic images of stock models.

Testimonial videos are a great way to include images of your clients. If you don’t want to do that, ask your clients to supply photos of themselves to use alongside written testimonials.

#4. Pictures of your team on the homepage

Only 18.4% of firms display team photos on their homepage.

If your clients are the heroes of your website, your team are their guides, taking them from where they are now to where they want to go.

Your clients will develop deep relationships and bonds with you and your team over the years of working together. So introduce them to each other at the earliest possible stage.

When a prospect lands on your homepage, they should quickly see the real people behind the business. It makes you more approachable, more personal, and more real.

#5. Embedded VouchedFor reviews

Only 5% of firms showcase VouchedFor reviews on their website.

This is another easy win most firms miss.

VouchedFor reviews help prospects see that other people have had a good experience with you, and they reinforce your expertise at exactly the moment someone is deciding whether to trust you.

If you’ve gone to the effort of collecting VouchedFor reviews, don’t make people leave your website to read them.

Instead, bring the proof to them by embedding the reviews on your website using the code supplied by VouchedFor.

#6. Embedded Google reviews

Only 5.2% of firms embed Google reviews on their website.

Everything we’ve said about VouchedFor applies to Google reviews.

Collect.

Embed.

Let them do their work.

#7. Individual pages for every team member

Only 30.4% of firms give each team member their own page.

That number should be much higher.

People want to know who they might be working with. They want to put faces to names, understand backgrounds, and get a feel for the people in the business.

Individual profile pages are the best way of doing that because they start the process of a prospect getting to know, like, and trust your team – the people they’ll be working with.

Return on investment isn’t in doubt

Let’s be blunt.

A website isn’t automatically an effective website.

If your site looks dated, generic, or has no social proof, I guarantee it’ll be costing you enquiries, without you even realising.

Instead, treat it like the valuable marketing asset it should be by including these seven things, investing properly, and working with the right team.

If you do that, I guarantee it’ll return many times what you paid for it.

Commodity to financial return

If you’re unhappy with your website and feel it could be delivering more, you’re in the right place.

Our bespoke websites are proven to stand out and deliver significant financial returns.

Your journey to a better website starts with an initial chat with Abi Robinson, our head of client engagement. Email abi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300 to set that up.

*All the data in this blog is based on our 2025 website survey looking at the sites of 500 advisers/planners.