(This blog post is part of a series discussing 10 Success Factors for Online Investor Relations. Read the previous related post — “How to Appeal to Investors through Your Website” — here.)
Your website navigation is like the road map of your investor audience to various sections in your site.
Hard to imagine life without handy GPS navigation devices. Don’t you agree?
Google Maps. Car GPS screens. They’re just some tools that make things easier when you’re getting around a new place. They save time. And enable you to reach your destination as quickly as possible.
It’s the same principle with websites. The navigation system within your site is like the road map of your investor audience to various sections in your webpage. It helps them track down information they need without much effort.
That’s why it’s important that your navigation is well organized and easy-to-follow. This will encourage your stakeholders to quickly reach vital segments in your site, like your Investor Centre or Annual Reports page.
Remember, the two-click rule applies in navigation. After your audience makes the first click, you’re not entitled to the next one. You have to sell the second click. (Btw, a “scroll down” is considered a click too.) So be sure you have clear messages in your site to sell the next click.
And as investors smoothly engage in your pages, their overall user-experience will be enhanced. They’ll linger to discover further details regarding your business. Eventually, this would lead them to make a decision on your company.
Check out these 3 areas where you can improve on your website navigation:
1. Organise your main navigation bar
Your main navigation bar contains all the links to the different pages in your site. It’s ideal to have this on the top or left side of your website. This way investors can easily locate it and use it for exploring your site.
Have clear categories in your main navigation bar for stakeholders to quickly obtain facts and figures. Avoid cluttering it, especially when you have many sections and pages.
It’s wise to include a navigation bar on your home page, on every internal page as well as in your sub-pages. For sub-pages, you can simply expand the navigation when moused over.
2. Provide internal page navigation
You wouldn’t want your audience to get lost within your website. It’s best to add full navigation in every internal page through a left-hand navigation column.
A right-hand navigation is not as easy to notice. And when investors won’t find things in your site, they usually won’t stay long. So keep it simple and obvious. This way they won’t have to click as much before they pick up the info they need.
3. Utilise promo boxes
Most investors don’t usually read everything on websites. They mostly scan the pages. That’s why you need to present data in an engaging format.
One way to do this is through promotional boxes with icons or images that catch investors’ attention. These boxes will have links that lead to the relevant messages you want to highlight. Like your latest AGM video, share price charts or email subscription.
Put these promo boxes on your home page, the investor welcome page and other key sections they frequently visit.
As investors smoothly engage in your pages, they’ll linger to discover further details about your company.
In conclusion, there’s no point in having a corporate website if your investors will have a hard time searching for information they need there. Strengthen your navigation to ensure they effortlessly access essential pages. You can do this by properly equipping your site with a main navigation bar, internal page navigation and promo boxes. As investors linger in your site, they’re more likely to stay engaged and on board.
Next step
Maybe a full website review would be timely for you? We can help you check for any gaps or areas that need reinforcement in your site.
We’ve been assisting ASX-listed companies with their online investor relations strategies since 2002. You can click here if you want to check out our clients.
Feel free to also visit our IRM website through this link.
If you’d like to chat with one of our account managers, please call +61 2 8705 5444 or email clientrelations@irmau.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Online Investor Engagement Specialists
