IFA Websites

Best websites of the top 100 UK financial advisers and IFAs

Financial advisers websites can be beautiful as well as content-rich and this post aims to showcase some of the best an brightest in the UK. So here’s my “Best websites of the top 100 UK financial advisers and IFAs”, based on FT Adviser’s Top 100 list in no particular order.

Image courtesy of dalbera.

Introduction

The approach is a not-so-scientific combination of aesthetics and good content, coupled with the underlying make-up of the site and based wholly on my personal views. Some things however meant an instant dismissal from the list:

• Splash pages – they add no value and break the user journey. You might as well have a sign up saying please don’t come into our site we’re not sure about the home page.
• “Old” look and feel – by this I mean a site that was clearly designed about 10 years ago and has not been updated since. This is an inexcusable crime against consumers and shows a company not willing to reap the rewards of online.
• Flash – well chosen and carefully placed Flash content can really help a website, but entire websites that are built in Flash are simply not needed. They’re inaccessible (in the main), not search engine friendly and frankly overkill.
• Bad coding – not something everyone would check for, however badly coded websites are another cardinal sin in this day and age. IFAs have professional standards, so do web designers. Using web standards is the right way to build websites.

Surprisingly 15 companies on the list had no website listed, although this isn’t entirely down to them not actually having a website instead it’s some journalistic laziness on FT Adviser’s behalf. A quick Google search turned up most blanks in a matter of minutes. However there were still a couple without a website which is an interesting approach to take when most people in the UK have access to the internet.

Anyway, feel free to disagree and/or share your own examples in the comments section.

The runners and riders

Baigrie Davies

A clean and simple site that uses strong, large images to help generate a feeling of aspiration in visitors to the site. Home page content is short and sharp, but enough to explain what they do and why you should choose them.

AWD Chase de Vere

Another understated website that uses appropriate colours and imagery to appeal to their target audience, in the example screenshot above pre-Retirement couples. Sales information is sat alongside useful information and data for existing customers, including some need-specific guides which you can request in print form or download.

Grant Thornton

Whimsical is the theme here through the use of hand drawn and coloured images, giving the site a strong personality. The main content area flips between a number of topics dynamically, thereby revealing more about the organisation and it’s services as you watch. My only criticism of this would be the lack of supporting information, as it links straight to a “Contact us” form. Some additional detail to help the consumer understand their needs and the services offered would help prepare customers in advance of any contact.

Bluefin Group

Strong use of contrasting colours, namely dark blue and white, help bring clarity of purpose to this website and support the brand colour scheme and identity. Specific colours help distinguish each area of the site from the others in the navigation headings, which are then followed through into the relevant parts of the site.

Origen FS

Simple yet colourful. The white background provides a nice canvas on which Origin paints using the colours of the rainbow, both in the arrows used to highlight sections and the understated, yet powerful images. It would have been nice if the content behind the main pages didn’t open up in separate, small windows each time as this just feel unnecessary and breaks the continuity of the experience.

Proact Financial

The most colourful site here, which goes to show you can be bold and exciting in financial services. The styling of the logo is carried through into subtle parts of the overall design, for example as the green background that frames the main content or the even more subtle background in the header. The strong call to action is to ring or email them, which is repeated on every page of the site as a common element.

Best Invest

Blue is a safe colour to use on corporate websites as it conveys feelings of calm and security, so is particularity suited to financial sites. Best Invest has a very modern feel and is probably a personal favourite of all the sites listed here. It uses the right techniques to gain interest and then direct the customers accordingly, be that to contact them or to apply online.

Key Retirement Solutions

Another strong and very modern site, which is an excellent example of balanced use of colours and imagery. A single main image caters to their key audience and the left hand column displays a number of ways to contact them or find out more, drawing the customer into the sales process. They’re not afraid of giving the customer some tools and information to get them started or to find out more, but reinforce their contact model with the Freephone number call to action at the top of every page.

Orbit Benefits

Yes this is slightly repeating ourselves as we’ve covered Bluefin already, however the technology offering under the Orbit Benefits website is excellent. It’s modern and fresh, yet provides key information on the homepage without a need to dig around in the sit to find it. Icons are used to great effect on the home page to support the messages they put out as well as cropped, but scalable, images of key parts of the system. A very good example of how to produce a technology website.

Savills Private Finance

Another great example of how to pull together a finance website. They provide details on their service, but support it with “Best buys”, calculators and market commentary, giving the customer a good sense of expertise. Enough information is provided to help the customer get an idea of the products available, but stopping short of applying online. Again the feelings of security and expertise are sup[ported by good use of strong, bold imagery in the headers, which vary by section.

Conclusion

All of the sites featured above are great examples of UK-based financial advisers or IFAs, that clearly have invested time and effort in building and maintaining a strong online presence to draw customers to them and then compliment the ongoing relationship. What do you think of the sites chosen? Leave a comment below to share your views.

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