Search me

(December 2005) A woman named Debbie contacted me recently after looking me up on the web (this is sometimes called “googling,” after the popular search engine). She inquired whether I was the same Deanne Gage who grew up in Nova Scotia with her parents, sister and cousin. It was, in fact, me and Debbie turned out to be my cousin’s high school chum. Debbie had lost touch with my cousin over the years and I was able to re-establish that friendship.

Who hasn’t googled someone? Whether it’s finding an old classmate, getting the dirt on a possible suitor or searching for long-lost family members, googling can be used for an array of possibilities.

So you can guess who is googling advisors. That’s right, prospective clients. One good advisor I know, whom I’ll call Joe, was caught completely off guard when prospects came into his office knowing his children’s names and his hobbies after googling him. Somehow issues like providing sound financial advice fell off the radar.

So, if clients or prospects google you, will they find you? (Advisors with common names like John Smith can be forgiven for the time being.) What’s your web presence like? Will said googlers see the firm you work for? Is the image you want to convey easy to see? Are your credentials visible? Or is your interest in horticulture the main focus? If the answer to the latter question is yes, it’s probably time to beef up your professional web presence.

We all know most people find advisors through referrals from family and friends. But what’s the first thing they’ll often do once they receive a name? Check out the advisor’s website. And if people can’t find a referral, chances are they will start their search online. So it stands to reason that the advisors who have good, professional websites will receive more queries.

Joe has decided to take matters into his own hands by creating his own website. He wants to design it in such a way that when his name is entered on a search engine, it will come up first. The website will convey the information he wants prospective clients to see — how he runs his practice, his services, his relevant credentials, his contributions to better serving the industry and his published articles about financial issues. Joe emphasizes his website is not for current clients — who could care less about technology — but for people who don’t know who he is and what services he provides.

Not sure how to start a website? Your dealer might be able to help you. You can also identify the most important things to put on your website, like your mission statement, your unique selling proposition, credentials, newsletters and, of course, your photo. Writing a glowing bio was especially tough for Joe since he’s no expert on writing, so he sought some help from a marketing specialist.

Watch the ratio of text versus visuals. Believe it, I still see advisor websites that have so much text, it hurts your eyes! White space goes hand in hand with solid website design.

If you google my own name, you may see my marathon finishing times, and perhaps some decade-old postings to a skydiving newsgroup. But what’s front and centre are my professional endeavours — the magazines I work (and worked) for. And that’s the way it should be. After all, you have a rep to protect.

Deanne Gage is editor of Advisor’s Edge, deanne.gage@advisor.rogers.com