IFA Life, an online business and networking website, has launched an online advisor directory.

While the web is now the first place people turn when searching for an IFA, many advisors have discovered potential clients are still struggling to find them online.

Despite advisors setting up their own websites, IFA Life found that its social networking site had sparked a volume of requests from consumers looking for professional advise.

"There's a perception amongst many IFAs that once you've got a website you can sit back and wait for the enquiries to come in. It doesn't work that way. There are a lot of simple techniques which you can employ to make sure you appear high in Google search results, but one of the best things you can do in the meantime, is to broaden your Internet presence by listing your website on sites where consumers are searching for financial advisers, " said Philip Calvert, IFA Life founder and internet marketing expert.

The directory lists advisors’ websites by town and for free and will raise the chance of their site appearing on a Google search. Networking sites, such as IFA Life, are popular among search engines who are attracted to high levels of content -  articles, blogs and posts.

As well as being listed in his directory, Mr Calvert advises IFAs to join “human search engines” such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Ecademy. “We've been monitoring the number of financial advisers who are using Facebook, and it has been steadily increasing. Online social networking is no longer seen as just for teenagers; it's now a mainstream business and search tool," he added.