Many Australians can choose where to invest their superannuation and as part of this process they will visit the websites of potential funds. Their experience on these websites (often within the first 15 seconds) will play a significant role in which fund they choose.

Apart from wanting to know that the fund will provide good returns, as they visit websites they also want to know:

• How long will it take to join and how painful will the process be?
• Why should I choose this fund over another fund?
• Do people like me join funds like this?
• Are current members satisfied with their experience?
• How do I get my questions answered?

I reviewed the websites of 35 Australian super funds from the perspective of a potential member. Three things surprised me as I visited these websites:

1. I was surprised by how many websites haven't prioritised the experience of the potential member.
2. I was surprised by how few (2 out of 35) websites provided a lead magnet to capture potential leads.
3. I was was surprised by how few (3 out of 25) websites provided a real-time communication option.

Here's 9 features that every super fund website should include, including 23 examples.

Start with why

In a sea of choices, potential members want to know why they should choose your fund out of all the others:

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Serve visitors who aren't yet members

People are visiting your website who are not yet members. Make sure they know they've come to the right place:

Promote the impact

If your fund is about more than just financial returns, make sure this is clear:

Get visitors clicking

Without a compelling reason to stay, most visitors will leave your website within 15 seconds. Give potential members a reason to click beyond your homepage by including links that stir curiosity:

Illustrate superior performance

If your fund performs better than other funds, don't just tell potential customers - show them:

Provide a real-time communication channel

Live chat is the preferred consumer-to-business communication channel for millennials. However, only three super funds (MTAA, Spaceship and Verve Super) provide live chat on their website (AMP has this function, but it doesn't work). To get live chat up and running, LiveChat (affiliate link) and Intercom are two leading services to explore.

Talk up awards and ratings

Your website isn't the time to be humble - if you've won awards, tell...

Relieve switching anxiety

One of the biggest obstacles to switching is the effort and potential paperwork involved. Relieve their anxiety by telling them how easy it will be:

Provide a lead magnet

Approximately 96% of website visitors are not ready to make a decision. A lead magnet is a way of capturing the details of potential members so you can keep in touch with them and hopefully convert them in the future. Only two websites invited potential members to keep in touch:

Share stories from satisfied customers

Positive stories from current members are persuasive. Find (true) stories and make them prominent: