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I’ve gained new insights working with advisors rewriting and redesigning your web pages. I want to share some of the most notable ones with you. Ignoring these insights may be the quickest way to lose a prospect.
The importance of evidence
Because we limit our service to evidence-based advisors, we deal only with advisors who already understand the importance of peer-reviewed research. Yet, when it comes to your web page, many advisors ignore the evidence.
Clients and prospects make decisions emotionally, and then rationalize them objectively. Unless your web page makes an emotional connection with the viewer, it’s unlikely to serve its purpose.
Investors who come to your website are interested in your human qualities. They want to know your values and what your work philosophy is so they can determine if they can trust you.
Inspiring trust requires an entirely different approach to website content and design.
Window dressing basics
You can learn a lot about website design by following basic principles of window dressing.
The next time you’re walking along a street or mall (remember them?) filled with your favorite shops, focus intently on the street-facing windows. Start by checking the background color. Its purpose is to “focus your eye on the display, rather than the busy environment of the shop behind.”
Now look at the actual display. It has a few selected items and a consistent theme (like lifestyle, or brand).
The foreground is the glass, which can be enhanced with lettering to reinforce the central theme.
An effective window lures the customer into the store.