A well-designed website is essential for connecting with prospective clients, promoting your advisory services and establishing your brand reputation. But how do you build a site that’s eye-catching, engaging and designed to provide a superior user experience? An advisor website design checklist can guide you through the process.
Add new clients and AUM at your desired pace with SmartAsset’s Advisor Marketing Platform. Sign up for a free demo today.
Financial Advisor Website Design Checklist
Building an advisor website from the ground up can feel overwhelming. But a checklist can help you break the process down and make it more manageable. Here are some of the most notable features to cover as you work on creating (or updating) your firm’s website.
Content Management System and Theme
Before you can begin designing your site, you’ll need to set up the back end. That means installing a content management system (CMS) and a theme.
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) used to design and build websites online. To create a basic website, you would need to:
- Purchase a domain name (this is your web address where your site lives online).
- Purchase a hosting plan (hosting provides the resources and space for your site to run).
- Install WordPress through your web host.
- Install a theme.
Once you’ve completed those steps, you can move on to the next part of your website design checklist, which is customization.
Brand Assets
Brand assets are the elements of your website that define your firm’s brand. This part of your website design checklist covers your:
- Logo (or logos if you have more than one)
- Tagline or slogan
- Color palette
- Font selection and typography
You can design your logo using design software or hire someone to create a logo for you. You can then upload your logo to the back end of your website and add your slogan or tagline.
Site colors and fonts can be customized through your theme settings. Most website themes allow you to change colors or fonts by selecting from menu options.
What colors work best for an advisor website? Color psychology suggests that blue invokes a sense of calm and trust, while yellow encourages feelings of hope or aspiration. While you don’t have to use that exact color scheme, a quick scan of competitor sites will tell you that many advisors incorporate those colors into their designs.
Social Media Profiles
Social media is a powerful marketing tool for advisors. If you’re active on social media, you can incorporate that into your website design. Specifically, that means including logos for and links in your site’s header, footer or both for the channels you use.
That might include:
- YouTube
- TikTok
Your site theme may have the icons built in. You’ll just need to select the ones you want to display and add your URL for each one. Your theme may automatically match icon colors to your chosen color palette, but if they don’t, that’s something you can adjust in the back end.
Home Page
Your site’s home page is likely the first page a prospective client will see, so it should neatly encapsulate who you are and what your firm is about. Here are some of the design elements you might include on your home page to grab a visitor’s attention and drive engagement:
- Logo
- Top menu with important links
- Login button for your secure client portal if you offer one
- Brand statement
- Short paragraphs summarizing who you are and what you do
- Introductory video
- One or more calls to action (CTAs)
- One or more lead magnets
- Testimonials
- Media mentions
- Contact form
- Contact information
- Required disclosures
Breaking your home page into sections can help you convey this information in a way that’s visually compelling and not overwhelming.
For example, your first section can include your brand statement or ask a question that addresses a key pain point for your ideal client. Right beneath that, you can include a button with a CTA that encourages visitors to click and learn more about what you do and how you help your clients.
Below that, you might include a lead magnet in its own section, followed by an introductory video that explains your core services. The next section is where your testimonials might go, with images of your clients included.
Near the bottom of the page, you can add a section for your contact form or a link to an interactive tool. For example, if you’ve developed a retirement readiness calculator, you could include a CTA directing visitors to check their results.
You’d finish off the page with a section at the bottom for your contact information, locations and disclosures. Ideally, prospects should be able to scroll your site from top to bottom for a complete picture of what your firm is about and how to contact you.
Secondary Pages
Your home page is your opportunity to make a good first impression, but your website design goes beyond page one. Consider other pages you may need, including:
- A detailed bio page for yourself
- Bio pages for each member of your team
- A detailed page explaining your firm’s services, including who you work with (or don’t) and the minimum AUM, if one is required
- Pages promoting in-person or virtual seminars and conferences that prospects can attend for more information about what you do
- A blog page if you create blog posts, informational articles or other content
- A page for podcast transcripts or YouTube videos if you use either type of content to promote your firm
- Mission and values page
- Pages for each lead magnet you offer
- A contact page
- A resources page listing tools or links that prospects and clients might find helpful
- Links to your Form CRS and FINRA Broker Check profile
- Pricing information, if applicable
As you design each page of your site, remember to keep compliance top of mind. For instance, if you plan to include testimonials on your home page or a secondary page, the SEC’s marketing rule requires you to make certain disclosures about those statements.
Technical Elements
There are a few technical elements you’ll want to incorporate into your website design. For instance, if you’d like to track where your site traffic is coming from, you’ll need to add code for Google Analytics on the back end.
You’ll also want to ensure your site has a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate, which you can obtain from your hosting company. And it’s often helpful to install a caching plugin, which can help maintain a faster page loading speed.
Your site should look good on desktop, but it also needs to offer the same degree of functionality on mobile. Testing your site on mobile can help you pinpoint flaws in your design, such as images that are too large or too small, or elements that are misaligned.
Finally, consider the accessibility dimension of your site. That means:
- Adding appropriate alt text to all images
- Ensuring that your pages are structured for screen reader compatibility
- Accurately labeling buttons and other fields so a screen reader can read them
- Making sure that any downloadable files, such as lead magnets, are in an accessible format
- Including captions or transcripts for videos that you share
A web design consultant can help you with these and other aspects of building your site if you find it to be too overwhelming. If you’re looking for a pro to assist with website design, look for an individual or company that works with advisors or other financial professionals.
Ask for a portfolio or links to samples of their completed design work to evaluate whether their aesthetic fits your vision. And of course, ask about their pricing and what level of support they’ll provide once your site design is live.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do Financial Advisors Need a Website?
A website is not a requirement to advise clients, but it is advisable to have one if you plan to market your firm online. Your website is a digital calling card that can help you attract and engage with prospective clients.
Can an Advisor Design Their Own Website?
Advisors who have the time can design a professional-looking website from the ground up with the help of online tools. Advisor website templates, for example, give you a basic structure to work with that you can customize to fit your brand and messaging. You don’t need to know how to code to build a website, though some basic knowledge of HTML is helpful.
How Often Should Advisors Update Their Websites?
It’s always important to update your website promptly if any key information changes. For example, if you bring a new team member on board or another member departs, you’d want to update your bio pages to reflect that. At a minimum, you may want to go through each page of your site design once every year or two to look for any areas that may need to be freshened up.
Bottom Line
Website design may be unfamiliar territory for you, but once you understand the basics, it becomes easier to find your way. The checklist provided is intended to help you cover the most important points for creating or updating your site so it can help you connect with more clients.
Tips for Growing Your Advisory Business
- A website is just one part of a well-rounded marketing plan. You may also rely on social media, email marketing and digital ads to connect with prospects. If you’re looking for another channel to add to your plan, you might consider partnering with an advisor marketing platform. 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.
- Compliance rules for advisor websites extend to recordkeeping, and you’re required to ensure proper archiving of your site pages and any communications you send to clients or prospects. Archiving software can help with this. You’ll also need to list all required disclosures and take steps to secure your site against cybersecurity risks.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/Petar Chernaev, ©iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen, ©iStock.com/Marco VDM