It’s true. A handful of managers have raised billions with terrible websites.
A handful.
And it’s far rarer today than it ever was.
In the new era of capital formation – where the allocation process is increasingly concentrated online – an effective website is a critical cog in the fundraising machine.
When your website frustrates an interested investor, they assume you will similarly frustrate them:
- Needlessly verbose language
- Complex or disjointed processes
- Technical deficiencies
These are red flags to investors. They may leave and never return - a great opportunity that you never even knew about.
A well-executed website, however, magnifies positive feelings about the firm. These sites are slick, well-structured and effective, with clear language and simple functionality. They signal to the investor that this is how the whole firm operates.
So, how can you tell if your website is a help or hindrance?
WebSCAN – the first objective measure of alternatives websites.
Over more than a decade, we have delivered dozens of websites for all forms of alternative asset managers.
Analytics tell us website entry points, traffic, and visitor patterns.
Investor interviews tell us what limited partners are looking for on a website.
That has taught us a few things:
- We know which pages investors visit and what makes them leave
- We know what information investors need – and where they expect to find it
- We have a strong view on what works visually and stylistically
The difference between knowing and having a strong view is a crucial distinction. While we have a strong opinion on what works creatively – and this will differ materially depending on the firm and target audience – there are many success factors we know with objective certainty.
WebSCAN is a new tool that provides a systematic assessment of these objective success factors across thousands of alternative asset managers.
We maintain a global database of these assessments across all major strategies.
Now, with the launch of WebSCAN, you can finally have clarity over how you compare to your competitor set, what best practice looks like, and how you can improve.
What can WebSCAN tell you?
WebSCAN systematically scores and ranks websites based on five objective metrics:
- Readability
- User journey
- User experience
- Update frequency
- Design function and efficiency
Readability
How much effort does it take a visitor to extract meaning from your writing?
Text that is clear and concise is more likely to be read, understood, remembered, and repeated – strengthening the firm’s brand and improving its chances with investors.
It doesn’t matter how brilliant you are if dense, complex writing means nobody can be bothered to understand you.
Score is based on various objective factors, including paragraph length and language complexity. Concise, easy-to-read text is rewarded.
User journey
How easy is it for people to navigate the website?
Finding the information a user needs shouldn’t feel like a test.
Limited Partners visit a manager’s website with a goal. If that goal can be achieved efficiently, visitors will infer that the firm is efficient, well organised, and easy to work with. The reverse, of course, is also true.
Sites that make it easy for visitors to navigate between pages and have critical information clearly signposted will receive higher scores.
User experience
How well does the website work?
User experience measures factors such as how long pages take to load, the stability of the elements on the page while it loads, and whether it adjusts to different size screens.
When pages load slowly or do not render properly on mobile devices, visitors become frustrated and are likely to leave. This reflects poorly on the manager. Investors forming their first impressions of a firm may see website issues as a sign of other technical shortcomings.
Sites that deliver their content quickly and consistently across all devices will score well.
Update frequency
How fresh is the content?
A blog page featuring three articles written several years ago suggests you can’t rise to this simple task. Barren news sections suggest your firm never does anything of note.
Websites gain points in this category when content is up-to-date and relevant, most obviously on your “News” or “Insights” pages. If these pages are not regularly refreshed with new content, the score will be lower.
Design function and efficiency
How visually engaging is the website?
The best websites use video and slick (but subtle) animations to create visual interest and draw the visitor closer. Styles are consistent across the entire site.
Scores in this category consider whether the site uses animations and videos, and whether Cascading Style Sheets is being used efficiently.
Not quite a cure-all
WebSCAN will give you an entirely objective view of many of the factors that determine online success – but it isn’t the entire story.
Investors will not engage if your design is drab and if your messaging is based on the standard boilerplate nonsense we see on most websites:
“Our proprietary deal origination process identifies companies we can partner with over the long term to unlock hidden value. We always keep an eye on the exit and are fully aligned with our investors.”
WebSCAN will tell you if your website has “good bones”, but you will need expertise for it to deliver its full potential. Our team are ready to assist.
Is your firm a top performer?
In the coming weeks, we will publish a series of reports covering WebSCAN analysis of various geographies and strategies, starting with a a review of the UK’s venture capital, growth equity, and buyout websites.
Find out if your website is best in class here.
And if you would like to learn more about WebSCAN, see how you rank, or benefit from a better website, please get in touch with our team.
