Financial websites are randomly looked over by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). They check to make sure that they provide the consumer with clear information and to make sure that the consumer is not being mis-lead. Their last review which occurred in 2005/2006 revealed that around a quarter of the 77 website reviewed did not have the best interests of the consumer at heart. They were hard to navigate and some sites failed to present key information to the consumer.
Market studies say that there are currently around 22 million people who have access to the internet and who shop online. 40% of these will use websites to gain insight and information into products and services they are considering purchasing. Around 18% do actually buy from a website. These statistics show that a company website should be considered essential. However, care has to be taken during the website design process. You should get in touch with a specialist when it comes to the design as the FSA are starting to crack down on those who mislead and do not play fair. They will be reviewing websites in the near future and hope to see standards improving.
One of the many features you can implement into your website design is an article database. By doing so, you can give an enormous amount of help and advice to the consumers who visit. These should be easy to find and organised into certain categories. They are also useful for promoting the services or products that your company sells.
When considering website design in Chelmsford you have to give thought to what content you are going to include on your site. The usual web pages that are considered standard are the “about us, contact us and information pages”. However, there are many more you could include as the more content the website has then the higher potential rankings it can acquire. When the consumer searches for a product or service using one of the popular search engines they will as a rule not look beyond the first couple of results pages. This means if yours is not in the top 10 and worst still falls on the 30th page, it will not be seen.
Other content you could include for your website design is a links page to independent bodies related to your sector. This can be such as the Citizens Advice, the Financial Services Authority or the Office of Fair Trading. Also, give some thought to adding a news web page. This can be updated on a regular basis. It can also be where you upload your company newsletter and you can also advertise news regarding new products or services that your company sells.
If you are looking for website design in Chelmsford, then ensure you choose someone who knows the sector you work in as well as how to maximise the potential of a website.
For financial website design and programming in Chelmsford contact us.