Before a prospect will part with their money or trust your site to deliver sound financial advice, you have to prove yourself in several different ways. Your financial website design and content are going to carry a much heavier load than the average site.
Here are ten tips to make sure your site will pass muster and help build your credibility.
1. Load Fast
No matter what sort of website you operate today, it has to load fast, and it has to be responsive. The average visitor will only wait three seconds for a site to load before moving on.
2. Be Responsive
Chances are high also that the majority of your visitors are looking at your site on a mobile device. That means a responsive design that adjusts to the size of the device’s screen is also a must.
3. Reflect Your Audience
In both design and content, your site must be instantly recognizable to your target customer. If you are speaking to Corporate Executives about estate planning, your site should speak to them in their language—literally.
4. Use Effective Imagery
Just as important as the words on your site, the images you choose to use say a lot about your authority and credibility. Yes, your visitors will recognize a stock photo as such.
5. Publish Authoritative Content
Content that educates your audience and speaks to their needs will also make you look more credible. Many financial institutions look and sound alike. The articles you publish on your site and blog give you a chance to stand out and put yourself on your ideal client’s side.
6. Use Infographics
Consider using charts, graphs, and infographics on your site. These help to visually grab a visitor’s attention. They also give you a chance to present complex information simply.
7. Segment Your Content
Consider dividing up the content on your site by the life stage it represents. You can demonstrate you care for your customer’s financial needs throughout their life, from buying their first car to buying a retirement home—and improve your search visibility online when you do so.
8. Use Testimonials
User-generated content is another way you can set yourself apart from your competitors. That photo of a satisfied customer standing with his family in front of their new home with his testimonial about your help is very valuable.
9. Use Location Finders
Make it easy for prospective clients to find you and do business with you. Include a location finder page that states your hours of operation and contact information for each location.
10. Integrate with Social Media
Your place in the online community is quickly merging with your “real-world” community. You become a real entity to the search engines as well when you can be found in more than one place online.
Your Financial Website Design
The common thread in all these tips is to make your website as unique as your business. A cookie-cutter web template with the same mission statement as a half dozen other financial sites will cause visitors to leave your site as quickly as they arrive.
Customizing your website doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. You can go online to get a free consultation with our experienced web-design firm to find out exactly what you can do to make your financial website design work its hardest for you.