Top 5 Mistakes Advisors Make On Their Websites

By Barbara Kotlyar, Senior Marketing Manager, ByAllAccounts on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

1.) Using Generic Stock Photos, When You Should Be Using Real Pictures

Advisors know that using images is great for inbound marketing, so they find the typical stock photo of pretty people, smiling and meeting over a board room table. However this image does not help the prospect get to know you or your firm. Instead show pictures of your office with real people that work at your firm. Images are helpful if they clarify something for visitors; in this case the stock photo isn’t helping your prospect get to know you better- so why use it?

2.) Using a 'Contact Us' Form Instead of Providing Your Contact Information

There's nothing wrong with having a "Contact Us" form on your site, but it should never be the only means of contacting your firm. If your prospect or client needs help, they want it now. They don't want to fill out a form and wait to see when, if ever, they get a response. Let prospects get in touch with you via email and/or phone by making that information readily available on your website. In fact I suggest having your contact information at the bottom of every page to make it easy to find no matter where they are on your website.

3.) Incoherent 'About Us' Page

Does your 'About Us' page explain what you do in business gibberish, or using words and phrases common to the general population? Make sure that someone who has never hired an advisor before can understand why you are in business, who you work with, and what services you offer from this page. An easy test is to have a few people read the page and explain it back to you. I would suggest including a high school student, and a grandparent in your test group to make sure it’s clear to any age group.

4.) No Blog

Prospects want to learn about you, and in today's world where people are performing in-depth research on their own before ever contacting a firm, an 'About Us' page isn't enough to tell the full story. After reading through a sample of blog posts, prospects have a much better understanding of who you are and what you believe and are much more likely to engage. Especially if the blog posts address topics and problems they have, with clear solutions and ideas to address them.

5.) Not Including Social Sharing Buttons on Your Blog

If you have a blog, you have taken the time to create interesting content that prospects and clients will enjoy- and may even want to share! That's why it's frustrating to look for a "Tweet this”, or “Like this" button, only to realize there aren't any social sharing buttons on your blog. These buttons make social sharing easy by making it so they don't have to copy and paste your URL and compose a message. Easy social sharing options will get your content more visibility, which means more traffic, better search engine rankings, and even more referral opportunities when your clients share your content with people in their networks.

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