BlackRock, John Hancock Mutual Funds and Fidelity Investments topped Kasina’s list this year of best websites for advisors.
The 12th annual study, also listed J.P. Morgan Asset Management, American Funds, Oppenheimer Funds, DWS Investments, Putnam Investments, Vanguard and Franklin Templeton Investments, in that order.
The New York-based consultant built its list based on 156 different factors, including content, functionality and user experience, putting 42 advisor-facing websites through their paces, explained Eric Daugherty, principal and director of research at Kasina.
Of the top three, “BlackRock does a really nice job with its education tools and content,” he says. “A great example is a Roth IRA conversion calculator, which is timely, intuitive and an easy tool for advisors to use in client meetings.”
Meanwhile, John Hancock got top marks for its job-changes resource center. “It speaks to the needs of a specific client group, those looking for new jobs,” Daugherty said. “Again, it’s a timely resource.”
For it’s part, Daugherty said Fidelity is a strong performer across the board, but what it does particularly well is data capture. “It segments users’ online experience based on what they know about an individual advisor, such as which funds he’s invested in,” he said. “That way, Fidelity targets its messaging around those funds, and doesn’t present information that advisor doesn’t care about.”
Generally speaking, there are a couple of areas fund companies in the top 10 excel at, Daugherty said The first is thought leadership, making their portfolio managers and executives available to site users as experts, increasingly posting videos in addition to static formats. Winning sites also present information that is portable, allowing advisors to easily email documents or repost interesting information they find on their own websites.
