Brokers are important in today's mutual fund business, no doubt about it. And firms are going to great lengths to keep advisors happy. So, it perhaps comes as no surprise when fund companies are continually retooling their web presence to meet the needs of the advisor. The latest firm to give its website a facelift is Alliance Capital.

The firm contends that its new design for its online service provides easier navigation and more information about its products. It is also consistent with the look and feel of Alliance's portal website.

One new feature Alliance is trumpeting is that the site can be customized to fit the advisor's needs. The user can create a "Quick Links" page as well as a list of specific funds that are most frequently researched. Other features include online registration so that advisors can gain immediate access.

The bottom line here appears to be getting advisors to the site, not losing them (through a long registatration process), and getting them to come back. Since fund companies view advisors as one of their most important audiences, this strategy is sensible enough.

"The improvements that we have implemented to our advisor site allow us to provide our advisors with a dynamic web site which contains the product information, resources and tools they need to succeed," stated David Frankel, senior vice president of e-commerce at Alliance. A dynamic website could equal returning eyeballs on a frequent basis. 

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