Financial advisors’ web pages are in need of a makeover, according to an audit conducted by Vancouver-based Advisor Websites.

Last year, the company studied 879 North American advisor sites and found that most shared the same problems: pages that lost visitors quickly, were hard to navigate and were difficult to read.

Loic Jeanjean, Advisor Websites’ director of sales and marketing, shares the four most common mistakes found on advisor websites — and how to fix them:

1. No clear call to action
Your website should have a clear call to action. What do you want visitors to do once they land on your home page? Should they call for an appointment? Subscribe to your newsletter?

Before you can define what action you want from your visitors, Jeanjean says, you need to identify the objective of your website.

That objective could be to attract new clients or to retain your existing client base. For many advisors, the goal is a combination of the two. If so, provide ways to engage visitors that will fulfill those objectives.

For example, you can offer potential clients a complimentary discovery meeting with you. Allow them to register online.

“[People are] more willing to fill out a web form than to pick up the phone and call somebody.” Jeanjean says.

Another bonus is that you’ll have the opportunity to meet that prospect in person and explain what you do best.

To keep your current clients engaged, provide them with educational resources. Ways to subscribe to your blog or newsletter should be visible.

2. Most sites (80%) have extremely high “bounce” rates
Your visitors “bounce” when they spend 10 seconds or less on your site. On average, seven out of 10 visitors were bouncing from the sites of advisors in the study.

Some of the reasons for this problem include:

  • a lack of credentials, such as the advisor’s designations and experience;
  • no contact information;
  • too much text and poorly written copy; and
  • outdated visuals.

You have about three seconds to convince people that you can provide what they need, Jeanjean says. You must create a good first impression by the problems listed above.

Next: Three clicks or fewer
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Three clicks or fewer

3. One-half of sites required more than three clicks to access information
Every page should be accessible within three clicks or fewer, according to website developing standards.

People will stay on your site if they can find what they need quickly. Jeanjean recommends a “flat” navigation menu, which means your main subject headings are easily visible. Pages that should require only one click are those that explain your philosophy and describe your background and your team.

Your contact information should be on every page. Don’t expect visitors to search for it.

4. A majority (70%) had long paragraphs and run-on sentences
If you’re bombarding visitors with endless text that is not reader-friendly, you’ll lose them.

Capture your audience’s attention with text that is clear, concise and impactful.

For instance, if you want to showcase awards or designations, don’t bury them in a paragraph. Instead, separate them using bullet points so they stand out.

Jeanjean also recommends that you pay attention to your font size, colour and style. Accessing information through a screen requires sharper text, so avoid light colours and stick to “sans serif” fonts, which are better suited for reading online.