Are you a Certified Financial Planner® looking for a new website or have you recently passed your CFP examination? For the last 15 years at Advisor Websites we have had the luxury of being in the front row seat of the website revolution. Our experts have shared some wise words for planners looking to spark their online presence.

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Consumers are searching for Certified Financial Planners

Customers are searching for information on products, services, or businesses prior to making purchases. An estimated 89% of consumers turn to Google or other search engines to find information, while 62% also research on social media sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn.

Therefore, when someone is looking for a Certified Financial Planner®, this process is much the same. We know that as a CFP, most of your practice's growth will come from referrals, which is why having a website will give you the competitive advantage needed to land new clients.

Use your website as an online business card

One of the most popular ways CFP's use their website is as an online business card. When a prospective client searches for your name on the internet, they want to find you relatively quickly, and somewhere on the first page of a search engine.

When CFP's take the online business card approach, they are only interested in having basic information appear, such as their name, a picture, a quick bio, and contact information.

This approach is a good way for prospective clients to put a face to your name, learn about your credentials, and know where they can reach you.

Websites bring value to your clients

If your practice is already well-established, there are other great benefits that websites can offer. As innovations continue to make the internet more secure, clients are increasingly looking for solutions that allows them to view their portfolios online. If you have a website, you will easily be able to create a space where clients will be able to access their accounts using services offered by NetX360, or Pershing.

Another feature of having a website is the ability to create events and allow the public to sign up directly on the site. Sending out confusing sign up forms by email or snail mail can prove to be both time consuming and ineffective, which is why having a signup form directly on your website will make it easier for everyone involved!

Blogs keeps clients and prospects coming back to your website

If you are really looking for a way to engage with your clients online, many planners choose to post blogs on their website.

Blogs allow you to post industry news and interact with your clients on a personal level. Although there are a lot of planners who blog, some still stay away from it because they are worried about the lack of concrete compliance regulations currently in place.

Whether or not you choose to have a blog is up to you, but before you make a decision, you should check with your compliance compartment and do your best to find out exactly what you are and are not allowed to post.

Of course, there are more benefits to having a website as a Certified Financial Planner® than the benefits mentioned above. There are still many Certified Financial Planners that do not have a website and this article is simply aimed to let CFP's know how to get started, and about possible features available within a website.