How to Design a Website for Financial and Advisory Services
People don’t just hire financial professionals for their expertise, they hire them for how they make them feel about their money: calmer, more confident, more in control. A great website can deliver that feeling before the first consultation.
For financial professionals, a top-performing website can function like a first advisory session before they ever pick up their client’s call. These sites don’t just look good, they work diligently to help visitors discover your client, book sessions, and stay informed.
Read on to learn how to design a financial services site for your client that quickly builds trust and converts anxious site visitors into calm, confident customers.
Build pages for trust
For some, choosing the right financial professional can mean the difference between early retirement and delayed retirement. That’s why, before anything else, visitors are looking to work with someone who’s trustworthy.
Every element of your client’s site should reinforce credibility. Aim for designs that feel modern but relatively buttoned-up. Prioritize readable typography, strong contrast, and clear hierarchy. Use generous white (or negative) space to offer clarity, simplicity, and transparency. What’s true for other professional sites applies doubly in finance: typos, broken layouts, and sloppy formatting are fatal mistakes. Nobody wants a typo-prone accountant or financial planner.
The about page should establish your client’s history, expertise, and track record. Clients hire people, not systems. Everyone on your client’s team should have high-quality headshots and visible credentials (RIA, CPA, CFA, CFP). Details like fiduciary status (when applicable) matter a lot to potential clients. If the team writes their own bios, give prompts that surface trust-building info: who they serve, what they value, and small human details (e.g., family, education, hobbies). This information helps visitors connect to your client and build the foundation for trust.
Tailor the funnel to their business model
The world of finance is complex and varied. A wealth advisor, financial advisor, and financial planner may sound interchangeable, but they can offer different services, charge differently, and face different compliance constraints. Take a moment to understand your client’s business and how they make money.
Finance coaches offer behavior-based guidance on how to meet financial goals, and typically charge flat, recurring fees. Investment advisors and wealth managers often charge a small yearly percentage of the total assets that they manage or “assets under management” (AUM) for clients. Certain financial professionals, like broker-dealers or commission-based financial advisors, make money on the products they sell, like life insurance or mutual funds.
Some firms offer comprehensive services, while others focus on a narrow need. Other financial professionals are focused on B2B services, like fractional CFOs, accountants, and retirement plan advisors. Each will have different needs and different tactics for marketing. A family office or private client firm that deals with high-net-worth individuals, for example, may angle for a more understated, word-of-mouth approach.
Keep in mind that financial professionals often have specific rules governing their product and marketing claims. Ask if there are any particular limitations that might affect what goes on their site, and invite a regulation-specific review. Having awareness of the full landscape of financial professionals can help when building sites for these clients. It can also demonstrate a level of attention that unlocks a valuable referral resource, as many of these professionals work together closely.
Increase conversions with essential features
Financial sites work best when they reduce friction and anxiety. Most visitors have the same basic questions: Is this firm credible? Will they work with someone like me? What’s the next step? Your client’s site should answer them. Design around clear offerings and an easy path to book, and build in qualification gates that protect your client’s time.
Streamline scheduling
With Acuity Scheduling, you can erase the friction associated with the typical “Call for an appointment,” offering a direct CTA like “Book a free strategy session” or “Schedule an intro call.” Making these actions as simple as clicking a button gets more people to take the next step.
Financial professionals can usually offer a low-stakes first conversation that can deliver real value to potential clients—like a no-obligation portfolio review, or free basic financial plans—as a way of sowing good will. This can build a foundation for a long, profitable relationship.
Intake forms are a great way to and learn more about leads prior to a first call. Include questions about things like goals, timelines, service needs, and investible asset ranges when appropriate. To make client onboarding as easy as possible, you can integrate these forms directly into Acuity Scheduling. Most importantly, the information can help your client walk into their first meeting ready to impress.
Target locally
If your client’s firm is local, make the most of their home-team advantage. Mention any of their local charitable or community-based work on the website. Local financial professionals likely know specific neighborhoods, streets, and even addresses where potential customers live, so set them up with hyperlocal targeting that doubles as a way of prequalifying leads.
If they’re B2B (fractional CFOs, retirement plan advisors, insurance brokers), tailor messaging to the specific niches they serve (e.g., dental practices, medical groups). Use map blocks for any physical offices, which is a critical strategy for local search engine optimization (SEO).
Position your client as a thought leader
Financial professionals have specialized knowledge that have real, substantial implications for most people: taxes, mortgages, retirement, protecting and growing wealth. This makes it an ideal industry for blogging and establishing authority.
For most professionals, blog posts that answer real client questions in simple language perform best. Clarity and simplicity build trust faster and better than jargon. If your client can make a site visitor grasp a difficult financial concept with minimal effort, they’ll likely want to do business with them.
If your client runs out of evergreen topics, prompt them to think like a magazine editor. Timely tie-ins—market volatility, inflation, bull/bear cycles, new contribution limits, and seasonal tax moments—can spark genuinely helpful posts people actually want to read. Financial firms can create special gated content within client resource hubs using Member Sites. These touches can reinforce a feeling of security, exclusivity, and value.
Put their website to work
A great website doesn’t just look great, it does real work. Websites answer questions, collect email leads, convert visitors to customers, and so much more. In addition to collecting prospective client information and streamlining conversion, adding Acuity Scheduling can take your sites to the next level by simplifying and automating the scheduling of routine client meetings. Fee-based planners, tax consultants, and other financial professionals can also use Squarespace Invoicing to send professional, branded bills for services rendered.
Because financial professionals often have compliance considerations, key pages and automated messages should be easy for them to review, approve, and update. Build systems for consistency, so the site only becomes more trustworthy over time. Professional automation, in slick and highly functional ways, can feel very high touch when done right. Blog content can be repurposed in Email Campaigns. These, as well as quarterly reviews, firm updates, and market reactions are great ways for a firm to stay top of mind.
Designing a website for financial and advisory services
As a web professional, you can help financial experts create websites that go beyond simple brochure sites. When done right, your client’s financial sites can become comprehensive business hubs that make it easy to book a first conversation, nurture prospects with ongoing updates, and deliver valuable services to existing clients.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers and web design agencies. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
