How to Build a Financial Advisor Website

Having a website for your advisory business matters for remaining visible in a competitive landscape. The best financial advisor websites are the ones that are designed to convert and turn casual visitors into loyal clients. Having a website as a financial advisor is extremely important as it can be an instant way to build some credibility and help potential clients find you. But what goes into a good advisor website that has a successful social media presence? These tips can help you build a site that attracts prospects’ attention and actually keeps it. Here’s how you can get started building a financial advisor website.

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Start With a Winning Bio

When a new visitor arrives at your website, it’s important that they’re able to easily discern who you are and what you do. Financial advisor websites that succeed at this goal make this information easy to find and compelling to read.

“Your bio or about us page is the heart of your website,” says Paul Sundin, a CPA and tax strategist at Estatecpa.

Prospects visit this page because they want to know more about you, which may be a precursor to using your services.

“They’ll be trusting you with something very important about themselves,” Sundin says. “So if you want to win a client, win their trust through your about us page.”

So what should a good financial advisor bio page include?

At a minimum, you’ll want to share:

Your name and professional credentials
A few relevant career highlights
Who you help and what you do for your clients

It can also be helpful to include some interesting personal details to add color. The more personality you can inject into your bio, the more relatable it may be to prospects. If you can build that initial connection with your bio, prospective clients may be more motivated to take the next step and reach out.

Keep It Simple

When creating your advisor bio or mapping out what information to include on your business website, make sure your plan reflects a “less-is-more” rule in mind.

“One mistake I see advisors make is trying to put too much on their website,” says Corey Noyes, owner and financial advisor at Balanced Capital.

Falling into that trap can result in a website that’s overwhelming for visitors if there’s simply too much to take in all at once.

When considering what to include on your financial advisor’s website, stick with what’s going to be most relevant and useful to visitors. That includes:

A well-written bio or about us page
A section detailing what you do and/or what type of clients you specialize in helping
Contact forms or links
Required legal forms and disclosures

Noyes also recommends including a page that includes your pricing and fee schedule.

“A lot of planners are very nervous to do this,” he says. “But I can tell you from experience you’ll win clients simply because you displayed your pricing and your competitors didn’t.”

Including pricing information can send the signal that you encourage transparency. And that can be another step in fostering trust among prospective clients who are considering using your services.

Focus on User Experience

When building a website for your advisory business, it’s important to look at it through the lens of a prospective client. This can help you get a feel for what kind of user experience is most desired and how that aligns with the one your site currently offers. Here’s another way to think of it. Imagine that you’re a regular person who’s looking for advice on how to manage your 401(k). So after some searching on Google, you find two financial advisor websites that look promising.

The first has a cluttered homepage and clunky navigation. After clicking around for 20 minutes, you get frustrated and head to site #2. This site has a clean, simplistic design and in less than a minute you’re able to find the answer to your question. So between the two, which advisor are you more likely to want to work with?

“One mistake to avoid is having a website that’s confusing to the visitor,” Webster says. “If there’s too much going on, they won’t know where to go next, which creates a negative user experience.”

Webster says that when choosing a design for your site to consider what your audience is most likely to prefer. If you primarily serve older clients, for instance, they may prefer a layout that’s simple and easy to read. A younger client base, on the other hand, may be more attracted by a financial advisor website that includes the newest tech or stylistic elements.

Mobile accessibility also matters for expanding your reach and connecting with your target audience.

“Almost everyone has a mobile phone and they use it to browse,” Sundin says. “Your website has a greater chance of being viewed on a mobile device so make sure that it’s responsive.”

That means ensuring your site loads quickly and completely on mobile devices and that there are no pop-ups or banners blocking your content. A site that’s slow to load or hard to read on mobile may cause visitors to click away before they have a chance to learn what you’re all about.

DIY or Hire a Pro to Build a Financial Advisor Website?

If you’re creating a financial advisor website for the first time or improving upon an existing one, it’s important to consider whether you want to do it yourself or outsource it. Doing it yourself can save money, though it may require an investment of your time. And there can be another benefit as well, says Noyes, who built his own advisor website from scratch.

“I chose to do it on my own rather than hire out the project because I wanted to learn how to use the software so that I can easily update and make changes to my site,” he says.

But if you lack the technical know-how or simply don’t have time to create a brand-new website, you may prefer to let a professional step in. Webster says if you’re considering working with a marketing firm that builds websites, to vet them fully beforehand. Specifically, consider how they align with your needs, goals and the message you’re trying to convey to prospective clients.

Another option is to reach out to the owners of financial advisor websites that mirror what you’re looking for and ask if they’d be open to referring their developer or designer. They may or may not be willing to part with this information, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Financial Advisor Website Builders

If you don’t want to hire a firm to build your website, and you don’t have the necessary skills to do it yourself, then there are options for you to use a website builder. There are numerous website builders that will work for financial advisors and you just need to find one that works for you. That means making sure the backend content management system is easy for you to use and doesn’t cause headaches for your team.

You’ll also want to find a template that can help you build out the right look and feel of your site. You want something that is professional but is also going to make your firm feel like it can connect with potential clients. Most website builders will have a template that works for what you’re aiming for. Here are some website builder options.

WordPress: The most widely used content management system on the internet. WordPress is very customizable and can be easy to use once the website is built. Plus you can find nearly unlimited templates to choose from. You may need more technical knowledge, though, to get started.
Squarespace: This is another website builder that continues to grow. It’s not as customizable as WordPress but you can be up and running within a few hours if you use one of their plug-and-play templates.
Wix: Wix is similar to Squarespace but you might find more template options. The choice between the two really comes down to personal preference.
Webflow: This is another web builder that requires you to have a little bit of knowledge in navigating websites. However, it’s built to make it easy to move what you want around the website with ease. The content management portion is not as intuitive as the other website builders on the list.

Bottom Line

Having a financial advisor website that’s optimized for search engine visibility and appealing to the eyes and needs of visitors can be essential for scaling your business. If you don’t have a website yet or you do but you’re not actively using it to drive leads, you may be missing out on a valuable growth opportunity. There are numerous tools that can help you create the right website that can help take your business to the next level.

Tips for Sourcing Clients

Automate lead generation. SmartAsset AMP (Advisor Marketing Platform) is a holistic marketing service financial advisors can use for client lead generation and automated marketing. Sign up for a free demo to explore how SmartAsset AMP can help you expand your practice’s marketing operation. Get started today.
Ask for referrals. Sometimes landing a new client can be as simple as asking your existing clients for a referral. This is something you can do through your content marketing via social media posts or email marketing.
Expand your search. More investors are searching for financial advisors online these days. Rather than limiting your search for leads to your local geographic area, consider how you can widen your search to connect with clients who may be turning to digital channels to find financial professionals.