Help Centre

Managing your website contents

For our clients we have created a programme called "Website Manager" to enable you to manage the contents of your website yourself, and view details of registered clients. Depending on the functionality of your chosen package this means you can:

• edit content of allocated pages
• edit your Staff List
• add your own news items
• broadcast news to registered clients
• add links
• make special offers through the Tell-a-Friend facility
• register, view and manage client details

You will also use Website Manager to upload clients' portfolios, add items to the Staff Intranet, and view website stats and search engine submisson progress.

Many of our clients have said say they hadn't realised how much they were getting with their websites until we took them through the use of Website Manager over the phone!

Existing clients: just click on the button top right to access your own pages.

Enquiries: contact us for further details.

Making the most of your website

The success of your website depends on more than its design or contents, however good they are. Don't think that enquiries will come flooding to you just because your website has been launched, as this is unlikely without further work on your part.

The most successful websites are those which are well marketed to the intended audience, whether they are your existing clients or new business.

The following are some tips and pointers which you should consider as you plan your site, and review at regular intervals.

Ensure existing clients know your web address
Your website address, or URL, should be on every bit of paper and in every e-mail signature that leaves your offices.

Use your site with your clients over the phone or at a meeting
Our clients have found that taking clients to a certain part of their site, either during a phone call or at a meeting, has saved time and speeded up business. This is particularly relevant where you have Add-ons such as calculators (eg to demonstrate a shortfall in pension funding), comparative term assurance quotes, mortgage research systems or one of the fund supermarkets.

Put your name and web address repeatedly in front of clients
It is unlikely that clients will log on to your site the first time they note its address, so a regular newsletter, or e-mail informing them of a newsletter on your site, will raise their awareness of your site and the services it offers them.

Publish your site by all available means
There is increasing competition for financial sites, so you have to ensure yours can be found as easily and widely as possible. On-line possibilities include:

• on-line directories (some make a charge). The best we have come across include Unbiased.co.uk - IFA Promotion's database which matches consumers’ details with the most relevant IFA from the 9,000 member firms listed - subscribe to their OnLine Marketing package to ensure a link back to your own site. You can also check their database via our own link here. Other directories include Find (lists firms by area, priority listings available), Search IFA (accepts a limited number of IFAs per postcode), FindaPro (no charge), as well as Adviserweb (free listings for clients of IFA Systems). If you are a member of a professional body, eg Institute of Financial Planning, make sure they have your up-to-date details and your website address. Find out about local websites and get your site listed there.
• search engine submission actively telling search engines about your site. We can offer help in this area - contact us for more details.
• reciprocal links eg between your site and a local estate agent's site (but be careful this doesn't mean your site becomes clogged with links to other sites!)
• banner advertising. Not as successful as it first was, but may still be useful on some sites. We can design banners for you if you wish - contact us for a quote.

Traditional methods are still very valid - mailshots, newsletters, adverts, press releases, advertorials, radio ads - all on a repeat basis.

If you really want to make a splash, engage the services of a specialist marketing company
Few of us have the time or expertise to set up and run an effective marketing campaign. If you want your site to attract large volumes of new business, we suggest you talk to a marketing specialist who has some experience of both financial services and the Internet (eg The Insurance Marketing Department.)

Keep your site up-to-date and relevant
An out-of-date site does not attract fresh interest. Add pages, update your News features, add new services and on-line facilities - and have something to e-mail your clients about. Search engines also like sites which change - they will log them afresh! Keep checking out our Website Add-ons page - we are constantly adding new features which can enchance an Adviser's website.

Review your site's success
Whether you are serving existing clients, or seeking new business, you need to check your site does what you intend it to. Monitor enquiries received: check on your web stats to see its activity, how people found you etc: request comments in your Guest Book: ask clients what they want from your site.......

Ensure you and your staff are familiar with the website
A lot of time can be saved by taking a client round your site while on the phone to him/her - but you first have to be familiar with your site to know where to guide your client to! Make sure all your staff know your web address and can find their way around it too!

Would you like a quotation?
Click here to request a quotation for any of our services which interest you.

Our portfolio
Click here to view some of the sites we have designed for IFAs.