When it comes to financial planning, few visitors to a website will be ready to hire the firm immediately. So, how do you get visitors to turn into clients? Having a killer website is the first step to getting site visitors to become clients. In fact, it takes 0.05 seconds for visitors to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they’ll stay on your site or leave. With an eye-opening statistic like that, it’s vital that your website makes an impact from the moment visitors land on your homepage.
In a recent survey that we did, we found these 5 things that all advisor websites had in common that generate 6-10 or 11+ clients per year. To help you create a website that will generate leads, we have outlined these 5 website elements that are a surefire way to boost your online performance to reap the results you have been aiming for.
1. Have A Killer Homepage
We know that most site visitors form an opinion about the credibility of a website in just 0.05 seconds, so your homepage and more specifically the area above the fold is incredibly important. You want your homepage to make a good first impression. We’ve found that about 50% of advisors who include in “as seen on” section on the homepage generate 8-10 or 11+ clients per year. Adding this is a great way to build trust and make a good first impression.
In the example below, Kyle Moore, CFP®, founder of Quarry Hill Advisors, has a great “as seen on” section on his homepage. When Kyle first started out he responded to every media opportunity possible in order to prove that he was a trusted expert in the financial industry. Having an “as seen on” section on your homepage builds credibility and helps you stand out from the rest.
Another way to knock your homepage out of the park is to establish trust while also specifying your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Twenty Over Ten CMO, Samantha Russell, share four essentials components to create a strong UVP in the video below.
It’s pertinent that your homepage clearly addresses your client’s needs and how you can best serve them. In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Glide Financial, is very upfront about how they uniquely serve medical professionals in the statement, “Your time away from the office should be spent relaxing and rejuvenating – not struggling to understand your retirement needs.” This speaks directly to their pain points and establishes trust.
2. Robust, Engaging & SEO Optimized Blog
If you are looking to create compelling website content that will boost your SEO ranking, a blog is just what you need. However, having a noteworthy blogging presence takes time and effort. It’s critical that you consistently optimize blog content in order to help your SEO.
In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Life Strategy Financial, has an amazing blog. Everything about this advisor’s blog is great – their cadence is great and they’re optimizing their blog posts using best practices like header tags, links, and meta descriptions.
3. Incorporate Video
Utilizing video on your website is a guaranteed way to get visitors to stay longer and engage with your website. In fact, the average user spends 88% more time on a website that has video.
In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Veritas Wealth Management, is using not only a video background as their homepage hero which is immediately captivating to any visitor but they include personal video on their homepage as well. This is a really nice touch to give visitors a chance to virtually meet their advisor, Troy, to get to know him personally and professionally in a visual and engaging way rather than having a resume or long-drawn-out bio.
4. Engagement Tools
Getting your visitors to truly engage with your website is the secret behind getting them to stay on your site longer. Engagement tools could include things like using a meeting scheduler such as Calendly, or things like Riskalyze.
In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Avaii Wealth Management, has a “what’s your risk tolerance?” button on their homepage. This is a great way to get site visitors thinking and get them to engage with your website.
5. Offering A Freemium
Offering a freemium to your site visitors is a great thing to incorporate on your homepage. It shows that you have valuable information to offer and that you are willing to share this information to help your clients with their financial needs. In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Drucker Wealth Management, offers the first chapters of their book download at the bottom of their homepage in exchange for contact information.
Don’t have time to author a book? We get it. A whitepaper download is another great option! In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Eastern Planning, Inc. offers a free white paper download, “7 Principles of Long-Term Investing”.
Key Takeaways
At the end of the day, just remember this – it’s pertinent that you have an optimized and up-to-date website with elements that will make visitors want to stay. Having a great website is the first step to getting more clients and proving your credibility to site visitors.
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About the author
Lauren Beichner
A part of Twenty Over Ten’s digital marketing team, Lauren is a Content Creator. A true Carolina girl through and through, she loves everything about Fall (yes, especially #PSL ☕) and can’t resist a fluffy yellow lab.