You know that most people have a Smartphone. You know they use it to find businesses as well as research information online. But do you have any idea what your financial advisor website looks like on a mobile device?
That’s right, it may be different than what it looks like on a desktop computer.
As more and more people start to replace their home computer with their phone, making sure you have a mobile-friendly website is even more important. Statistics show that in the U.S., 94 percent of people with Smartphones search for local information on their phones, and 77 percent of these mobile searches occur at home or at work, places where desktop computers are likely to be present. Just like they replaced the “home phone,” cell phones are now slowly taking the place of computers. In many homes, this is already the case.
As this phenomenon grows, it’s important to know that the desktop version of a website might be difficult to view and use on a mobile device. A non-mobile-friendly site may require visitors to pinch or zoom in order to read the content. Users find this experience frustrating and are likely to leave the site for another that is mobile-friendly, readable and immediately usable. Quite possibly, this could be your competitor’s site.
As you can see, having a mobile-friendly site is critical to your business and will continue to be so. You have to ensure visitors have a good experience on your site when they’re visiting from their mobile devices.
It’s not just Millennials who are making the switch from desktop computers to Smartphones either (though this is especially important if you’re targeting a younger generation). While most adults and even senior citizens are starting to use their phone to research information on the Web, for the younger generation, this is all they may know. Know your audience and create content for them.
In general, your site should display well on a desktop or laptop computer, on a Smartphone display and on different platforms. Test your display and functionality on Macs, PCs, iOS and Android devices, at a minimum.
Your website analytics report will shed some light on the types of devices you should really look at. Charts like the one below will show you how visitors are coming to your site, on what devices and what platforms. As you can see below, while most leads for this company are still coming in via desktop, there’s literally a piece of the pie that came in via a mobile device, and these people should not be ignored. This number will only increase.
When designing for mobile devices, websites should keep displays simple for fast downloads. Enable compression and eliminate redirects that can slow a download, especially on your home page. Remember, you don’t have long to grab your leads’ attention – it’s just seconds! Consumer attention spans are decreasing at a rapid rate.
Click here to assess your site’s mobile friendliness.
If your site was made by selecting a template from a third-party website software, you should research and find out how you can customize your site to make it more mobile friendly.
If you decide to work with a professional digital marketing firm, here are 5 things to look for to make sure you choose the right agency:
- Are they familiar with your field? The financial services industry can be very confusing, so working with a specialist that is familiar with the terminology and your clientele will pay huge dividends in the long run.
- Do they focus on Inbound Marketing? If you’re updating your website, make sure you integrate the latest marketing trends, things like drip campaigns, local SEO strategies, social media marketing and reporting tools.
- Do they follow the same standards you are looking to portray with your site? What does their site look like on a mobile device? Does their own site grab your attention the way you want yours to grab your clients’ attention?
- Do they offer any sort of follow-up? It’s important to analyze your site to determine what is working and what isn’t.
- Have they delivered results for other clients in your field? What are others saying about their services?
Having a mobile-friendly website is not just recommended anymore. It’s a crucial step in generating leads and growing your business. When more and more people follow-up on financial advisor leads and recommendations via a Smartphone, you don’t want to be left behind. Chances are your competitors also see this trend and have updated their sites.
Imagine this: A group of friends is having lunch after a day of golf and discussing the best ways to invest. One recommends the name of a financial advisor. So, the investor takes out his Smartphone to immediately research the firm. If the site is not mobile friendly, the investor will more than likely go somewhere else. Business lost right then and there.
So, is it time to update your website?
Here are 5 questions you should ask:
- Is your website projecting the right digital first impression?
- Are you satisfied with your current website’s messaging, content and offers?
- Is your site competitive with other advisor websites in your market?
- Is your website producing leads for your firm?
- Is your website mobile friendly?
If you answered “no” to any of the above, contact us to see how we can help bring your site up-to-date. If you love your site but answered “no” to any of the above, Paladin Digital Marketing can also retain your current website (as-is) but incorporate our Inbound Marketing services to increase your Internet visibility and website traffic. We can also improve the productivity of your current site by making certain enhancements.
Creating a custom website isn’t inexpensive, but it is the best way to increase your leads and therefore, your business. When done right, your digital marketing budget will pay for itself with the amount of business it brings in.
