We create a lot of client websites at Paladin Digital Marketing, and there are always 6 elements that you can find on the best financial advisor websites:
- A professional blog
- Timely articles of interest
- Case studies
- News updates
- Podcasts or videos
- Event announcements and/or exclusive offers
Content is critical when it comes to a financial advisor’s website. It’s the primary reason people go online – to be informed, find answers and solve problems. Frankly, many Internet users want to be astounded. The ease with which Internet surfers can click off of one site and onto the next renders any content-poor site into a fleeting flash of colors, buried for good in their history archive. Time is money for your online clients and prospects, and they are looking for value in return for their time. A well executed website is critical for your inbound marketing strategy to work.
Websites that contain a variety of categories that are updated periodically with quality and fresh content will grab more attention than those that are nothing more than a static, electronic brochure. Relevant, compelling content is the key to attracting new visitors to your site, keeping them there and enticing them to come back. It is also the way to grab the attention of the search engines and ensure that your site climbs in the ranks. But for content to have this effect, it must be well-written and constantly updated so it continues to be relevant and timely.
Content for a Financial Advisor
The goal of a financial advisor’s website is to attract visitors and keep them around long enough to make the right impression. Therefore, its content needs to be updated and refreshed constantly.
The more frequently the updates occur, the more vitality your website will have. This earns the attention of the search engines and makes it more valuable as a resource for your clients and your community.
While it may seem like a lot of work, adding fresh, relevant content doesn’t have to be a difficult or time-consuming task. Most practitioners assign the task of updating the website to an office assistant. This person can be provided with a number of different types of content, which can be created by you or obtained from another source.
Writing for the Internet Reader
Consider the way you read website content. Chances are you skim and scan. If you’re not engaged by the first paragraph, you move on. You scroll through the headlines or subheadings. And if the article seems to ramble on without providing anything of value, you look for something else to read.
Studies show that 79 percent of Internet users scan website pages instead of reading word-for-word, and because people read 25 percent more slowly from a computer screen, they become restless.
Knowing that people read differently online, it becomes vitally important to structure your content appropriately. The look, feel and structure of your content become critical elements. Your content needs to be both visually engaging and easy to absorb. Online readers want their content in small bites, not huge mouthfuls that are difficult to swallow.
Make your content Web-ready by applying these simple techniques:
- Use short and concise phrases (don’t delay the main point)
- Use a scannable layout (categorize the content, use multiple heading levels, use visual elements and bulleted lists that break the flow of uniform text blocks)
- Use plain, objective language (don’t sell; give your users some reasonable, objective reason why they should use your service or stay on your website)
Blogging
If you spend any time on the Internet, you’ve undoubtedly stumbled into the blogosphere. Blogs aren’t defined by the type of content they contain; rather, they are a mechanism for generating a continuous stream of new content, whether it’s a news update, product reviews or information on a service you provide.
In your web apparatus, a blog serves two main purposes. First, it becomes the medium for demonstrating your expertise, unveiling your personality and establishing you as a thought-leader in your field. Secondly, it provides your website with continuous content updates that make it livelier, so visitors will return to your site. And it makes it more visible to search engines. When search engines send their “bots” out to your site, as they do at least once a week, your site will rank higher in the search results if they find new content.
Your blog becomes a traffic hub of sorts because it is internally linked with your website and can drive traffic to and from your social sites, all of which expands your footprint and increases your visibility. A well-maintained blog can be the difference between the average financial advisor websites and the best financial advisor websites.
If Writing Isn’t Your Thing
For some advisors, writing content, such as a weekly blog or a timely article, can be extremely rewarding. For others, it can be a struggle – they have neither the time nor inclination to create web content or write articles for their sites. For the latter, don’t fret. Writing services can be outsourced for a reasonable cost. You may want to consider:
- Enlisting guest bloggers. Among all of the financial advisors who manage a website, there are many who publish a blog, and many of them would love the increased exposure that guest-blogging would bring. Alternatively, you could simply publish a blog post that you found to be interesting and relevant. If you haven’t already done so, you should set up a blog feed through Google Alert that will automatically send you blog posts and articles based on a topic or keyword.
- Publish industry and third-party articles: Within the financial services industry, there are hundreds of publications and information sources rich with relevant content. In most cases, all that is required to publish a third-party article is an appropriate attribution crediting the source. News and feature articles found in the media are also a great source of fresh content.
- Hire a blogger or article writer: You may know someone who enjoys writing and who shares a passion for your business. Spending a little bit every month for quality articles or blog posts is a very good investment for the return of web traffic and the search-engine page rankings it can produce. Just make sure the content is quality, written by agencies or authors who understand you business and the needs and interests of your clients.
