Websites are one way advisory firms can demystify financial services for their clients, but who's doing it best? Here Nicola Brittain counts down the ten best adviser websites...
Click through to page three to see how we judged the winners and to see a list of 20 other sites that were close to making the grade.
Here we go...
10 Investment Quorum
www.investmentquorum.com
Total score: 37 points (out of 50)
Do you feature? We count down the ten best adviser websites
One of the stand-out sites for making plenty of the importance of its client relationships (and multiple awards). The site's design is clean and consistent while there is plenty of information and literature for clients (and prospective clients) to get their teeth into, including a news tab, client community section, blogs and white papers. There is a also a neat ‘clients are asking' section. Highly commended.
9 Petrus Financial Services
www.petrusfinancial.co.uk
Total score: 39 points
This good-looking site was a three-way collaboration between ABI marketing, London based Top Left Design and Petrus. The business model of the company is aimed at the high net worth and at-retirement' space and this is reflected in the site's use of stately imagery. It also provides case studies.
The contact section provides all staff phone numbers, photos and Linkedin profiles (you might think this a given on client-facing websites, alas...)
8 Investment Sense
www.investmentsense.co.uk
Total score: 40 points
So we agree that knowing - precisely - what services you offer just from looking at your website is important, right? Well, Investment Sense does this better than most. Don't know the difference between independent advice and plain old information? Well, helpfully, Investment Sense explains it at the outset (it's on the homepage).
Like the other sites on this list, the Investment Sense website is easy to navigate with few tabs to choose from. There is a slightly annoying 'ticker' along the top informing visitors of the number of national publications the company has been mentioned or quoted in, but we'll forgive them that (it's good marketing after all).
We particularly liked the site's 'Ask an adviser' tool - inviting consumers to pose their money questions to its advisers.
7 Eldon Financial Planning
www.eldonfinancial.co.uk
Total score: 40 points
Spoiler alert (sort of)! - Eldon is the only firm in our list to receive bonus points for breaking down its fees on its website, listing costs for the group's personal financial planning and wealth management implementation, among other services.
The page then goes on to compare the 'old model' way of charging consumers against 'adviser charging'. Whether or not clients read all this is unknown - but nevertheless, this is the kind of transparency we were looking for. Well done Eldon.
Click through to page two to continue the countdown...
