Unbiased.co.uk relaunches consumer proposition with highly targeted ‘find an adviser’ consumer search

• New faceted search helps to deliver more refined consumer / adviser matches
• Profiles will allow advisers to personalise their entry to showcase their firms with more relevant details
• Improved information hub helps consumers make the right decision on their finance and advice needs
• Unbiased.co.uk reinforces its position as the most comprehensive and up to date adviser database in the market

Unbiased.co.uk, the home of professional advice, today announces the launch of its new-look ‘find an adviser’ search on www.unbiased.co.uk, reinforcing its position as the ‘go to directory’ for consumers and businesses looking for advice.

A more targeted search facility

The new, faceted search will deliver even more targeted leads for advisers, by better matching consumer needs to adviser profiles, showing even more information about the over 20,000 listed advisers. 

Consumers will be able to refine their search by a range of selection criteria, which can be focused to more detail, or less, according to the user’s own choice.  While at the simplest level consumers can still search based on location, the new selection options now also include more relevant product areas, more qualifications, specialist advisers and accreditations (such as Chartered, Certified, SOLLA, ISO and BS standards). Consumers will be able to further refine their search by as much detail as the amount of money available to invest and size of pension or mortgage.  

Examples of the new consumer path to finding an adviser on unbiased.co.uk:

• Want to find an IFA who is just around the corner from you?
• Want to find a female adviser in Norfolk who is a long term care specialist, who you can pay by fee and is a member of SOLLA?
• Want to find a Chartered Financial Planning firm with an adviser who holds incremental pension qualifications dealing with small pension pots within a 20 mile radius AND see what clients have to say about them before you contact them?
• Want to find a solicitor who specialises in family law who is accredited to the children’s panel? 

More information on adviser profiles

At the same time, advisers will be able to populate their profiles with more information such as client testimonials, Statements of Professional Standing (SPSs), social media profiles, weblinks, adviser logos and adviser photos, making it even easier for consumers to choose the right adviser for their needs. Unbiased.co.uk further enhanced advisers’ profiles by allowing them to include a short introductory text, a ‘what we do really well’ section, ‘about us’ and compliance text. 

Unbiased.co.uk currently lists over 12,000 professional adviser branches, and more than 20,000 registered individuals, making it the most comprehensive adviser search in the market.  All of unbiased.co.uk’s advisers offer whole of market advice on the product areas listed. Unlike many other adviser searches, the data on the unbiased.co.uk website is collected directly from the adviser – unbiased.co.uk does not use lists from publishers or industry bodies to populate its directory - and financial adviser details are verified against the FSA’s database weekly to ensure that the data provided is current and of a high quality. 

In line with changes announced as part of the FSA’s Retail Distribution Review, unbiased.co.uk recently announced that an additional set of financial advisers will be included on its search as well as IFAs: those who offer whole of market advice on a restricted group of product areas, which unbiased.co.uk is calling ‘restricted whole of market advisers’. The new search will clearly label the different advisers and the new site lists information on the different financial adviser types in the market following the implementation of RDR, helping consumers to make the right decisions for their individual needs. 

Advisers can show their details as a basic listing on unbiased.co.uk for free and they have a choice to upgrade their listing for as little as £299+VAT for an annual subscription (or £29+ VAT monthly) until the end of this year,  giving them access to additional functionality. Enhanced advertisers will be able to view their profile statistics via a new dashboard in the secure adviser area. 

Karen Barrett, Chief Executive of unbiased.co.uk, comments, “We have spent a lot of time analysing our consumer data to ensure our new search delivers what consumers are looking for. The advisers listed on unbiased.co.uk offer a compelling solution for consumers looking for advice. They all offer whole of market advice on the product areas listed, ensuring the best client outcomes. Coupled with our new ‘refine option’, our search is intended to provide consumers with the best experience possible and deliver highly targeted leads to the adviser – a win win situation. 

“We know that building a comprehensive ‘find an adviser’ search takes a lot of time and effort in order to deliver a proposition that can cater for consumers from all around the country, with a widespread variety of advice needs. Unbiased.co.uk is the biggest and most accurate adviser search in the UK and we now have the most up to date search technology available to consumers and businesses to identify the right adviser for them. 

“We are committed to our ongoing marketing and promotional campaign to ensure the benefits of whole of market advice and the unbiased.co.uk search is front of mind for consumers looking for help with their financial and legal needs. We continue to dominate Google rankings and are the single most referred to adviser search amongst the consumer media.”

ENDS

 For more information contact:

Anna Schirmer/ Emily Falla/ Maddy Morgan Williams, Lansons Communications:  020 7294 3682

For expert commentary or case studies from over 200 media-friendly advisers, journalists should visitwww.unbiased.co.uk/bluebook.

Twitter: @unbiased_co_uk

LinkedIn: Unbiased.co.uk - Online networking for professional advisers

 

About unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website

Unbiased.co.uk is the UK's most comprehensive free professional adviser search website, focused on empowering users with the resources they need to make better informed financial and legal decisions.  We not only help consumers and businesses find the best adviser for their needs from over 20,000 IFA’s, financial advisers, mortgage advisers, solicitors and accountants listed on our search but we also help them research the market by providing relevant information and tools.  At unbiased.co.uk we like to be transparent about what we do and aim to provide the easiest way for consumers to find and compare advisers meeting their requirements.

The unbiased.co.uk website launched in 1998 and rapidly became the UK’s leading online destination for consumers and businesses looking to find an adviser.  Now attracting over one million visitors a year, unbiased.co.uk is the default adviser directory for consumer websites recommending their audience to ‘Find an adviser’.

Unbiased Ltd promotes the benefits of financial and legal advice to consumers and businesses and is supported by the following companies: