The Five Elements in Top Converting Websites

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More people are flocking to the web and searching for you and your firm. Your advisor website must be set up to properly convert prospects who may be visiting you for the first time.

A “high converting” website means visitors are completing the desired goal you set out to achieve. It could be signing up for your newsletter, booking time on your calendar or downloading your e-book.

You can pay a lot of money for a website design. But that doesn’t mean that it’ll have a good conversion rate.

Before we dive in, I want to outline some important points:

  • It takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds!) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they’ll stay or leave.
  • First impressions are 94% design related.
  • Users spend an average of 5.94 seconds looking at a website’s main image.
  • 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.
  • 64% of site visitors want to see a company’s contact information on its homepage.
  • 70% of small business websites lack a call to action (CTA) on their homepage.

To improve your website, I’m sharing the top five elements the highest converting advisor websites have in common.

1. Cater to a specific niche

I said it before and I’ll say it a thousand times over: You. Need. A. Niche!

Clearly establishing your niche before you go into the website design process is going to differentiate you from the nearly 13,000 other registered investment advisors. Marketing yourself as someone who works specifically with divorcees and widowers, for example, establishes you as an expert in a field that is underserved. Since this group is narrow, you have the opportunity to become a well-known expert much faster and your visibility will increase.

Additionally, establishing your niche before setting out to develop your website is going to drive the tone of voice, messaging, and look and feel. Clearly establish on your website who you do (and don’t) serve. Be explicit and direct about your expertise and your target demographic. Make sure who you serve is straightforward from the moment site visitors land on your homepage, so a user doesn’t have to scroll to find out.

In the example below from Meridian Special Needs Partners, it’s very clear right when you land on its homepage that they specializing in working with individuals and families who are caring for loved ones with disabilities.

Investors hire financial advisors based on their expertise in one specific area. If your core focus changes, clients will doubt that your firm will continue to have knowledge in the areas that matter to them. By staying true to your original niche, you are showing current and prospective clients that you are loyal to your specialization.