Planning guide
What should a financial planner's website say to new clients?
A financial planning website does its best work before anyone meets. It should help a prospect understand who you are, how planning works at your firm, and how you are paid, so the first meeting starts with trust instead of suspicion. Here is a practical outline, with notes on what to show and what to leave out.
Lead with the people and the process
Prospects choose a person first. Give each planner a page with a recent photo, education, credentials, career background, and a few lines on the clients they enjoy working with. Then add a process page that walks through the relationship: introductory meeting, gathering information, presenting recommendations, putting them in place, and regular reviews. A home page, about page, process page, fees page, and contact page form a sound base for most firms.
Explain fees in plain words
How a planner is paid is one of the first things careful prospects try to find. Describe your structure clearly, whether it is a flat fee, hourly work, an ongoing arrangement, or something else, using language your firm has approved. Link to the disclosure documents you provide. Visitors who understand the fee before the meeting tend to arrive with better questions, and the people who would never be a fit can self-select out early.
Keep the first request light
A meeting request needs names, a phone number, an email, the preferred format, in person or video, and a general reason picked from a short list such as retirement, a business sale, or an inheritance. Leave out balances, account numbers, income, and Social Security numbers. That information belongs in the secure tools you use after a client engages you, and a short note by the form can say so.
Be careful with the rest of the site, too. Avoid charts that suggest future returns, testimonials your firm has not cleared, and claims you cannot document. If articles or market commentary appear on the site, have the responsible person at your firm review and date each one before it is published.
Help local clients find and check you
Many people want a planner they can meet in person, so local search matters. Keep your Google Business Profile accurate and consistent with the site, list each office, and name the areas you serve. Pages for the client situations you know best give search engines something specific to match. Your firm decides whether and how to display reviews. Make it easy for a referred prospect to confirm your background with a clear about page and profiles.
