Since September 2026 we’ve rebuilt the homepages of five UK mortgage brokers and later-life advisers as working prototypes. They ranged from a site on Wix to an established WordPress site with years of blog posts worth keeping. Two pulled in their Google reviews through free third-party widgets.
The sites were different, but the same questions came up each time. These are the ten patterns we now build into every broker homepage, what each looks like done well, and the compliance rule each one has to respect. A broker site has to persuade and stay within the financial promotion rules at the same time, and most of these patterns do both.
An affordability or repayment calculator gives visitors a useful number in seconds, and it’s often the first thing they interact with. The good versions show the rate, term and assumptions beside the result and say it’s illustrative. The same goes for any example rates on the page: date them, or they quietly become misleading.
The rule: a calculator result is a promotion in its own right. Show the assumptions, and keep the repossession warning (“Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage”) close by. If you offer to email the result, the form needs a clear privacy notice.
First-time buyers, home movers, remortgagers, buy-to-let landlords, self-employed applicants and later-life borrowers want different reassurance. A homepage that offers each a route in the first screen beats a single “get a mortgage” button. The self-employed route is the one most often missing, and it’s where many applicants assume they’ll be turned down.
The rule: some buy-to-let and commercial lending isn’t regulated by the FCA. If those routes sit on the same site, label them clearly.
Millions of fixed-rate deals mature in 2026 and 2027, and lenders’ own product transfer offers reach those borrowers first. A simple “Is your deal ending in the next six months?” prompt, with a reminder sign-up, gives the broker a reason to be in that conversation. We cover the problem in detail in The 2026 Remortgage Reset.
A short visual walkthrough, from first call to completion, plus a list of the documents to gather, takes the fear out of the process. It also answers the procedural questions people now type into AI search tools, which gives the page a better chance of being cited.
“Fast, friendly service” says nothing. “Most clients have a decision in principle within two working days” says a lot, but only if it’s true and you can show it.
The rule: every claim has to be fair, clear and not misleading. If a speed claim holds for most cases but not all, say so.
Borrowers want to know whether you search the whole market or a panel of lenders. State it plainly near the top, along with the number of lenders if you work from a panel.
The rule: the description has to match your actual scope. If you show lender logos, check the lenders allow it.
Say how you’re paid: a fee, lender commission, or both, and when any fee is charged. Leaving it to the first call makes people suspicious, and the Consumer Duty’s focus on price and value makes vagueness harder to defend.
Reviews do the most work beside the enquiry form or the calculator result. Two of the five sites we rebuilt pulled reviews through free widgets. They’re a quick win, but check what the widget’s filters hide and how its free-tier branding looks.
The rule: curating only five-star reviews can create a misleading impression. We explain the testimonial rules in FCA Rules for Adviser Websites, and compare review platforms in VouchedFor, Unbiased and Google Reviews.
A mortgage is a personal decision, and people want to know who they’ll be talking to. Named advisers with photos, qualifications and a link to the firm’s FCA Register entry do more for trust than stock images of keys and front doors.
Much mortgage research happens on phones, in the evening. Keep the enquiry form short, offer click-to-call and online booking, and make sure it all works on a small screen.
The rule: risk warnings and disclosures have to stay readable on mobile too. The FCA’s March 2026 review specifically criticised warnings in small or low-contrast type and warnings left to the end of long mobile journeys.
[Screenshot placeholder: a mobile view of one prototype showing the enquiry form and a risk warning, names blurred.]
Open your homepage on your phone and work down this table. Anything you can’t answer “yes” to is a gap.
| Pattern | The check | Quick fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Calculator | Can I get a useful number without scrolling far, with the assumptions shown? | Add the rate, term and “illustrative” note beside the result |
| 2. Borrower routes | Can a first-time buyer, remortgager, landlord and self-employed visitor each find their route in the first screen? | Add a row of route buttons under the headline |
| 3. Deal ending | Is there a reason for someone with a deal ending soon to get in touch now? | Add a remortgage reminder sign-up |
| 4. Process | Can I see what happens next, and what documents I’ll need? | Add a four- or five-step walkthrough and a checklist |
| 5. Claims | Could I prove every claim on the page if asked? | Replace vague claims with specific ones, or remove them |
| 6. Market access | Does it say whole of market or panel, accurately? | Add one plain sentence near the top |
| 7. Fees | Can I find out how you’re paid without calling? | Add a short fees section or page |
| 8. Reviews | Are reviews next to the enquiry form, and do they give a fair picture? | Move them; check the widget’s filters |
| 9. People | Can I see who I’d be speaking to, and check them on the FCA Register? | Add named advisers with photos and an FRN link |
| 10. Mobile enquiry | Can I enquire or call in under a minute on my phone, with warnings still readable? | Shorten the form; add click-to-call; check text size and contrast |
The quickest way to judge these patterns is to see them applied to your own business. We’ll build a working prototype of your new homepage at no cost, around your services, your borrowers and your existing brand. Put it beside your current homepage; if it doesn’t make the case, you keep the comparison.
If you’re wondering what a full rebuild would cost, How Much Does a Financial Adviser Website Cost in 2026? gives real figures, including running costs.
David Dawkins is the founder and director of Heer Digital. Before founding Heer in 2012, he worked in marketing and product management in regulated financial services at GE Capital, GE Money, GMAC-RFC and the AA. He now leads Heer’s website work for IFAs and mortgage brokers. Connect on LinkedIn.
