Investor Relations Websites: 5 Things Every IR Site Should Have

June 26, 2019 12:24 pm Published by
Many investor relations websites are average at best, delivering only the bare minimum required to comply with SEC requirements. Many companies, however, have started investing in integrated, interactive IR websites. An investor relations website should conveniently deliver the tools users want for research, interaction and engagement.

Your IR website’s must-haves for investors to get the most out of it:

1. Integrated Newsroom Platform
It can’t be said enough: Investors want information all in one place. That’s why a company’s newsroom should not only have recent press releases with company news and earnings announcements, but also an archive of releases dating up to five years.
 
This section of the website should also be searchable, so investors can easily find key events in the company’s history and releases from past quarters. Companies can make it even easier on investors by breaking the newsroom down into content categories, such as earnings, product launches, etc. It should be easy for an investor to find an earnings release.
2. Earnings Calls & Webcast Archives
Earnings calls are conference calls held each quarter where companies share details about SEC filings such as 10-Qs and 10-Ks with investors and financial analysts. In these calls, management shares the company’s accomplishments that quarter, highlights its financial results, and answers questions from investors and analysts at the end of the call.
 
IR websites should have easy access to all the company’s earnings calls and the webcasts associated with them. This is simple but important.
 
Some companies that host IR sites also now allow you to go beyond just your average scripted earnings call and webcast. The best webcasts include easy access to investor materials, real-time stock quotes and social platform sharing..
3. Investor Presentation
Imagine how many different presentations an investor hears every month. The best way to communicate core business values, financial information and forward-looking strategic thinking to investors is to organize any information an investor would want to know in a presentation that can be added to the IR website. A survey by Corbin Advisors found that of those surveyed, 92 percent use an investor presentation as part of their investor process.
 
The presentation should include strategic initiatives, insight on the future of the company and key points from the financial results such as revenue and cash flow that are covered in the company’s earnings call..
4. Interactive Stock Chart
When examining a company’s performance, investors want to be able to examine the company’s stock performance from multiple perspectives and across multiple points in time. Visualizing stock performance also gives points of comparison that will help investors understand how the business has grown or declined. The trading prices, price changes and trading volume help shareholders determine a company’s value and worth. This information ties directly to the investment decision and cannot be left out of an IR website.
 
In addition, the ability to hover over the chart to check day-by-day stock prices empowers shareholders to interact and engage with stock data. Interactivity and a strong visual presentation are key.
5. Mobile-First Design
Mobile IR sites are both convenient for users and higher ranked in search engines.
 
Smartphones have become a pivotal part of life. We use them for research, purchase decisions and even socializing. This is no different for investor relations. Companies planning IR websites need to acknowledge that investor relations is increasingly done on the go.
 
Further, with Google announcing its mobile-first indexing in 2018, all investor sites need to be optimized for mobile viewing to be effectively ranked in the search engine results page (SERP).

 
The Bottom Line
The whole reason IR websites exist is to make a wealth of information conveniently available for investors. Companies that do this well are a step closer to increasing investor sentiment and maintaining shareholder trust.
 
Have more questions about your investor relations website? Issuer Direct has the answers.

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