Do NOT copy this wealth management firm’s navigation scheme

There’s a lot that I like about the way that a certain wealth advisory firm communicates with clients and the public. But its website navigation is terrible. It should get rid of the website frames that prevent users from going directly to content loaded on its website.

In its email notices, the firm tells me “Our latest quarterly commentary is now available on our Web site, www. [Firm Name.com], under News Room>Quarterly Overviews.“

That translates into my having to click three times because of the frames. In today’s quick-fix world, many people won’t have the patience to follow through.

Website frames have other disadvantages, too, as Shirley Kaiser’s article notes. For example, they may prevent your website from being properly indexed by search engines. That makes it harder for people to find the content over which you’ve labored.

I’d like to balance my criticism with some praise. I like how the firm always relates its investment commentary to the performance of clients’ portfolios. In fact, I’ve used some of their commentary to help teach “How to Write Investment Commentary People Will Read” to portfolio managers and marketers.

Note: updated on Dec. 18, 2017.