What reaction you want from viewers to your website? Read on for suggestions to liven it up.

Boring

Think back to the most boring lectures you attended in college.  The professor droned on about a subject in which you had no interest.

Is that how viewers feel when they visit your website?

Investing and financial planning may be fascinating to you. Many others don’t share your passion.

There’s a reason the majority of Americans don’t have a will.  You read that right.  Most Americans haven’t taken the most rudimentary step necessary to protect their heirs from the cost and complexity of dying intestate.

How excited are these people to engage in a discussion about “holistic wealth management” with you?

Not very.

Most advisors’ web pages are incredibly boring. They’re filled with stock images, dense content, insider jargon, and self-serving information.  This isn’t a formula for maintaining interest.

The average amount of time investors spend on an advisor’s website is only 3 minutes.

The content on your website should be so compelling it will motivate reluctant investors to initiate contact with you in this brief period.

A stock image on your home page of a retired couple on a beach is unlikely to cut it.

Take a fresh look at your webpage.  Is it boring? Would it motivate you to pick up the phone?

Evidence

There’s abundant evidence – often ignored – about what your website should convey.  It’s summarized in these books:

The Smartest Sales Book You’ll Ever Read, my book

The Trust Mandate, by Herman Brodie and Klaus Harnack

Advice That Sticks, by Moira Somers

It comes down to two words:  Warmth and likability.

If your website is focused on your qualifications, you may come across as cold and impersonal.

Implementing this research is complex, but at least you now understand the goal.

Cost

You can create a basic website for as little as $5 a month.  Here’s advice you might find shocking.

If you have a generic website, or if having one is your goal, you should do it as cheaply as possible.  In my experience, a one-page website that identifies you, lists your qualifications, tells what you do, what you charge and provides contact information, is likely to be as effective (or ineffective) as your current website.

If you want a website that follows the research, maximizes the possibility of attracting the business you seek and has customized videos which are also evidence-based, your cost will range from $5000-$20,000. 

This cost would likely be offset by the fees generated by one new client, who remained with you for a year or two.

In my opinion, there’s very little of value between the least expensive website and one that is consistent with the evidence.

Resource of the week

You should read any (or all) of the books referenced above.  It’s a small investment in your future.