Frequently Asked Questions
I want a website. How do get started?
Just like in financial planning, the first step in developing a great website is consultation. Via a phone consultation with a member of our Sales Team, we can answer all your questions and help you choose the right website package for your needs.
How long will it take to build my website?
The timeframe for building a website can vary depending on the number of customizations required. After an initial consultation with our Sales Team, a new account is opened, and the DRAFT copy of the new website is usually ready for review within 7-10 business days. A DRAFT COPY of a new website may or may not include photos, profiles, logos and other customizations as these details must be provided by the client.
What is a "Maintenance-Free" website?
A "maintenance-free" website is a website package where the financial advisor is not burdened with the responsibility for keeping creating or maintaining the content of their website.
All AdvisorNet websites are "maintenance-free" because we take care of automatically posting fresh financial content to your website home page every month. So when clients come to your website to review their portfolio statements they will frequently see new articles.
What makes AdvisorNet different from other website developers?
Experience: Our 40+ years of computer expertise and 30+ years of financial industry experience means AdvisorNet clients receive superior technology support and unmatched financial technology advice.
Support: Because managing a website is POOR USE use of a financial advisor's valuable time, we only provide "Maintenance-Free" websites so that financial advisors can focus their time and energy of their most profitable activities: client appointments.
How will a website and e-newsletter help grow my business?
With every financial advisor in Canada selling almost the same selection of investments and insurance, the only way that advisors can differentiate themselves is by the quality of their client service.
A professional website packed with all sorts of valuable client resources sends a clear message to your client base about your commitment to providing superior client service.
The primary reason why clients visit their advisor's website is to check their portfolio statements. So clients greatly appreciate it when they are provide with an easy-to-use Client Login section where they can register for access and submit help requests.
Can I host my website myself or with another provider?
AdvisorNet builds and maintains all client websites / e-newsletters with a proprietary Content Management System. This system allows us to provide a very powerful and flexible website solution and to keep our services very affordable. But in order to maintain consistency of performance, content and compliance all website content must be hosted on the AdvisorNet web servers.
How can I see my website traffic?
Each AdvisorNet website includes special Google Analytics technology to allow financial advisors to view detailed traffic history related to any page on their website.
Basic Google Analytics statistics are displayed on the dashboard on our Control Panel and immediately visible upon login.
Advanced Google Analytics statistics can be viewed via the Google Dashboard accessible whenever any AdvisorNet user logs into their Google account.
What happens if I decide to change dealerships?
If you ever move to a new dealership, AdvisorNet will automatically update your website with whatever new dealer logo and disclaimer information is requested by your new dealership. Because AdvisorNet has built websites for advisors from over 20 different dealerships, we very likely already have the required logo and disclaimer information on file for any new dealership that our clients might choose to join.
How many pages of content does my website come with?
Each AdvisorNet website includes over 300 pages of financial content. In addition, each website is constantly upgraded with the addition of three new financial articles every month which are posted directly on the home page so that website visitors can easily find the most recently posted content.
Do I have to learn any special systems to maintain my website?
No, financial advisors do not have to learn ANY special technology systems to use their website. For requesting any special website or e-newsletters updates, AdvisorNet clients have the option of using our Client Service Portal, or by sending their requests via email to our Support Team for implementation.
Search Engine Optimization
AdvisorNet closely follows SEO trends and best practices as it has evolved from search giant, Google. Among Google and other leading search engines, one important statement is common across the industry: Content is King. A website's content is what attracts visitors and in terms of search results pages (SRP), it is the quality, timeliness and freshness of this content that determines the position (search engine position, or SEP) of a site among these listings.
According to Google engineer Johnathan Rockway:
Position on the results page should only depend on the quality of your content; if your site has the best content on the Internet for the user’s search terms, you should be the top result. You shouldn’t be able to change your position in the organic results any other way, like by exploiting bugs in Google’s ranking algorithm. The specifics of the ranking algorithm may change, but if your site is the best, you won’t have to worry about it.
For more details about SEO best practices, please refer to the SEO resources provided in our Control Panel.
Who takes care of compliance for my website?
We have relationships with Compliance Departments at over 20 different dealerships so we can, upon written request, automatically submit each AdvisorNet website/e-newsletter for the initial review and for each monthly update related to newly published newsletters.
What if I am subject to a compliance review by the MFDA or IIROC?
All website/e-newsletter revisions requests are tracked via our Client Management System to ensure that all compliance reviews are completed in a timely manner and so that website compliance records are available in the future should they ever been needed by an advisor in case of a HO, MFDA or IIROC review.
How much will my website package cost?
While many web development companies charge between $90 – $125 per page for custom websites, because we specialize in websites and e-newsletters for financial advisors our pre-built database contains over 300 pages of compliant financial content ready to be used for any AdvisorNet website.
By spreading our development costs over hundreds of websites, we can offer a wide selection of "Ready-to-Go" website themes for incredibly low setup costs. After your website goes LIVE you would then be charged a monthly maintenance fee.
Visit our PRICING page to for full details on website setup and maintenence costs.
What are my payment options?
You can choose to pay your monthly administration fee either by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or by a direct debit (PAD) from your bank account. All website fees are calculated monthly and automatically billed at the beginning of the each new quarter for the upcoming three month period.
What if I decide to cancel? Are there any penalties?
You can cancel your account at any time. There are no penalties or fees.
Do I have to sign a contract?
No, we do not ask our clients to sign long-term contracts. Nobody likes to be locked into a service contract so we charge a simply monthly fee for your website/e-newsletter services. If in the future, you decide to cancel your website account you can do so without any hassle or delay.
If I start with a Business Pro-Standard website is there any cost to upgrade to a Business Pro-Deluxe site later?
If you start out with a Business-Pro Standard website and then decided to upgrade to the Business–Pro Deluxe website package at a later date, the upgrade fee to add the e-newsletter service to a website is the difference between the package setup costs. Your monthly administration fee will be adjusted automatically at the beginning the next month after your website upgrade has been completed.
What types of custom pages can I have on my website?
The custom website pages that are automatically customized for each client are as follows:
- Home
- Team
- Contact Us
- Disclaimers
- Privacy policy
- Client Login
- Services
Each website includes the capacity for an unlimited amount of custom pages. Beyond the standard website pages, some advisors also choose to provide new information for pages relating to such topics as:
- Testimonials
- Special Reports
- Special products (Manulife One)
- Insurance Services (Manulife Travel Insurance, Extended Health Insurance, etc.)
- Seminars & other special events
AdvisorNet builds custom website pages upon request for a small one-time fee per page which is determined by the complexity of the customizations. All updates to custom pages are included for FREE with an advisor’s regular website administration fees.
What branding options do I have?
Each website is branding according to the client’s preferences. As a minimum, all MFDA or IIROC advisor websites include their dealer’s logo and also (if available) their own personal company logo. Websites can also be customized with whatever colour scheme an advisor currently uses on their printed business materials to ensure continuity between offline and online marketing resources.
Can I use social networking on my website?
Yes, all website packages can be customized with social networking links for websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter.
Can I use audio or video on my website?
Yes, if an advisor has the desire to use video or audio files on their website, these media files can be hosted on their website and linked to any of their website pages. The advisor can also choose to provide media links on their website and have those links to media files hosted by third-party companies such as their dealership, mutual fund companies or insurance companies.
How do I know how many people are reading my e-newsletter?
Each AdvisorNet Email Marketer account includes tracking technology that allows users to see how many of their subscribers have opened each newsletter issue and which article links have received the most "clicks".
How many printed newsletters are included with a Deluxe website?
Each e-newsletter issue includes links to PDF copies of the primary articles which can be printed by subscribers as needed or by the financial advisor in unlimited quantities as needed for distribution via regular mail or special client workshops.
How many email addresses do I get with my website?
Each website account comes with 10 customizable email accounts that can be used by a financial advisor and their team members. If an advisor’s team exceeds the default allotment of email accounts, additional email accounts can be provided for a small fee of $2.50 per month.
How are my emails protected against spam and viruses?
AdvisorNet protects all client email accounts again Spam and Viruses via the AdvisorNet Email Security System This protection is available for FREE with all website packages.
Can I retrieve my email messages remotely?
Yes, all AdvisorNet accounts include a WebMail service to allow financial advisors to access their email accounts remotely whenever they are away from the office.
Can get my email on my iPhone/iPad?
Yes, all AdvisorNet email accounts are accessible via mobile devices. To setup email on an iPhone or iPad, simple download our STEP-BY-STEP Instruction Guide and follow the instructions provided.
Where do I get a domain name?
If you do not already have a domain name, AdvisorNet will assist you in choosing a great domain name for your website. As long as your AdvisorNet account is active, your domain name will be renewed annually for free.
What if I already have a domain name?
If you already have a domain name, AdvisorNet can assist you in reconfiguring it for use with your new website. If you also want the Free Domain Renewals that are included with your account, we can assist you in the process of transferring your domain into the AdvisorNet Domain Management System so that your domain can be automatically renewed each year.
