Every broker needs a basic website that provides a gateway to their services. But then how do you build an online presence that keeps people there once they arrive? By Kym Rampal
The first and perhaps most important step in making your website pay dividends is to make sure that once someone lands on your site they are going to want to use your services. So what makes a website so inviting that it encourages someone to go to the next step and contact you?
Here are a few of my top tips:
1. Wow doesn't always work
Far too many businesses develop 'nifty' websites rather than business practical websites. While Flash and cool scripts on web pages may make a visitor go 'wow!', it may not entice them to turn to your services.
In the dot-com boom era some of the most visited web pages were also the least earning. People (in those days it was usually university students) visited to slaver over some cool animation on the screen.
Seen the dancing baby? It was probably one of the most visited pages of the dot-com boom. Did it stop web sites that had it from going bust? Doubt it! (You can view the original here.)
If your graphic designer suggests Flash or is keen on including a lot of high-density imagery, ask them how would a search engine find and categorise your website.
"Search bots" (programs that visit your website to analyse and categorise it for listing on search engines) cannot read Flash or Images. They can only read words.
To see your website through the eyes of a "search bot" go to the Tools menu option in your Internet Explorer, click on Internet Options and choose the "Advanced" tab. Under Multimedia click off "Show Pictures". Refresh your web page and you will see it as the robot does when it visits your web page.
2. Making Contact Must Be Easy
How many times have you been on a website and wanted to make contact but been unable to find a phone number or even an email address? I was trying to buy some software online recently and wasted a lot of time searching for a phone number to double check that I was ordering the most appropriate product. Maybe they didn't want to encourage phone calls but I doubt that anyone in the broking industry would be unhappy about getting a call from a prospective client.
To make sure that no opportunity is missed every page must have a clear and simple 'call to action' that encourages the visitor to enter their details or pick up the phone.
If you want people to enter some information about themselves or their request try to keep the number of fields to a minimum. Name, email, phone and message is a great start. If you want to ask more specific questions such as the loan amount then monitor the number of inquiries you receive very carefully to make sure this isn't turning people away.
3. Content that results in an enquiry
In the finance industry we need to have internet sites that provide valued information to potential clients but only up to a point.
Some topics however are a 'no-brainer' as they always need to be included and easy to find. For example an 'About Us' topic reinforces your credentials and a 'Services' link will highlight the breadth of services or specialty you offer. These are just some of the topics that you shouldn't hesitate in including on your website.
But should you include a calculator that shows how much a person can borrow?
What about listing some of the latest lender interest rates?
This is where you need to think carefully about whether the information is going to lead to an inquiry or just result in another wasted website hit.
Calculators are great, don't get me wrong. But let's say the calculator suggests the person can borrow $200,000 when they really want to borrow $250,000. Whilst a broker will know that the difference between how much one lender will offer and another may be a factor of two, most borrowers are unaware of this huge variation. So in this case there is a good chance that this person may be able to get the loan they want even though your website calculator suggested otherwise.
And publishing interest rates? Apart from the obvious issues of quoting an interest rate without providing a Comparison Rate Schedule, why encourage borrowers to go direct to a lender when what you really want is for someone to ask for your help.
4. Website Design on a budget
If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person and comfortable with IT then you may decide to save a bit of money by building your own website. Unless you have extensive IT & design skills the best place to start is with a template to which you can add your logo and content.
There are a variety of websites on the Internet where you can buy templates. Take a look at http://www.templatemonster.com or do a search for "web templates" on Google. While most charge a small fee for the use of their templates some are even free.
Once you have chosen your template you need to decide what sort of content you want to include. Keep in mind your target market as this will guide not only the template you choose but also the style and depth of content you provide.
The internet also has some fantastic sites with free or very cheap photos and graphics. One of my favourites is http://www.bigstockphoto.com but again you can Google lots of other websites.
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Kym Rampal is director of Loankit (www.loankit.com.au)
