Why do financial advisors need SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)? Aren’t methods like search ads faster and easier to track?
Here’s the thing!
Suppose your firm is only visible when it’s advertising, that amounts to online invisibility. People only see you when you’re actively advertising and forget about you immediately after.
This is like having a store without a sign on a high-traffic street. Without that sign, your store is hidden among 10 or more other stores that offer the same services you do.
Now, it doesn’t matter how much better your services and expertise are—as far as the Internet is concerned. They can’t see you, and even when they do, they don’t remember.
Now, what’s the probability these financial services leads reach your location?
And what if I told you it gets worse? These leads see your lack of a sign as a signal that your store is less trustworthy and capable of delivering the services this person needs compared to the competition.
Even if they do see you, this first impression already has you struggling to gain ground when you’re already in last place.
These financial services leads you would love to turn into clients, don’t get a chance to find out that your financial advisory services are the perfect fit for their financial goals and preferences.
This is where SEO for financial advisors comes in. For financial advisors, SEO is not just about getting to the top of search results; it’s about building trust, growing your client base, and showcasing your expertise where it matters most.
In this article, I’ll share how UK financial advisors are using SEO and what you need to do to claim the online visibility and credibility you deserve.
Why SEO for Financial Advisors (By the Numbers)
Having a website is not enough. An estimated 90% of websites get no traffic from organic searches. This means your firm has to work hard for every single online visitor you earn, often paying per click for leads that don’t become clients. Your acquisition cost goes up; your ROI down.
Now, don’t get me wrong: pay per click advertising can deliver leads when used efficiently. However, that effectiveness comes from integrating paid advertising into your SEO for financial advisors strategy.
On the other hand, organic search visibility (achieved through SEO) can deliver high-value traffic through a targeted SEO strategy.
An estimated 68% of online experiences start with a search engine. Within this number, 93% of those searches are through Google.
Now, I’ll go out on a limb here and presume that you’re a “numbers person”. You appreciate the hard data and want to be able to calculate your return on investment.
I’m the same way. That’s why I also like the fact that SEO ROI is very traceable.
Using a combination of Google Analytics and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) analytics, you can measure the following:
- How many website visitors come from organic search
- What percentage of those visitors become leads
- What percentage of leads become clients
- How much revenue each client generates
You can use these data to quantify in real numbers the ROI you generate through SEO.
You’ll be able to see your acquisition costs. And through it, you can strategically lower those costs and scale what works best for your firm.
By focusing on SEO, financial advisors can not only enhance their online visibility but also build a stronger, more credible brand that resonates with potential clients.
Core SEO Strategies for Financial Advisors
Implementing a well-rounded SEO strategy involves a combination of different techniques and practices. It’s easy to get overwhelmed…
Trying to do too many things.
Spreading your budget too thin.
That’s why I’m a fan of simplicity. So, what do I mean by that?
Let’s focus on the areas that matter most, build a foundation on effective SEO strategies and grow from there. I like to keep SEO strategies simple, focused, and effective.
Here are the core strategies and tactics I focus on for financial advisor SEO.
SEO Audits
An SEO audit is the first step in understanding your website’s current performance. It involves analysing various elements like content, structure, and technical aspects to identify areas for improvement.
Conducting a thorough audit helps you understand what you’re already doing well on your website. Then, what can you optimise to improve your site’s search engine ranking—and, in turn, the high-value leads it generates?
Audits can be eye-opening. For many of my clients, they’ve be the turning point where they realised what digital marketing ROI could look like if you simply improved their website. You can schedule your free website audit here.
Optimised Web Design
A website optimised for organic search is designed with search engines and user experience in mind. This includes:
- Having a responsive design on all devices
- Fast loading times
- Easy navigation
- Clear structure
Now when people think of about SEO, often they believe we’re doing all of this for search engines. It’s true that websites perform better when the search engine can understand the website structure.
But an optimised website provides also a delightful client experience. This experience seamlessly guides visitors through the website while encouraging them to engage with you.
This engagement may include:
- Sharing their email
- Downloading a guide
- Using an online tool
- Asking a question
- Commenting on a blog post
- Or even scheduling a consultation
Each of these gets the visitor more invested in your brand. They become a lead with whom you can follow up to offer bespoke financial services.
We can break website optimisation into two primary categories: on-page SEO and off-page SEO.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimising the elements within your website to improve its visibility on search engines. This includes attending to technical elements like metadata, internal linking, URLs, and markup.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO focuses on building your website’s reputation and authority through external factors. This includes acquiring backlinks from reputable sites, citations, and social signals.
This all sounds very technical, but it boils down to networking. As you might network at a financial services event to build connections in your industry, you strengthen your website’s connections by networking online.
Google looks at how many people and websites are interacting with your website. Search engines consider these to be “trust” signals. And that digital PR translates into better visibility for your website.
SEO Content Strategy
High-quality content is the backbone of SEO. For financial advisors, this means creating valuable content that addresses the needs and interests of your audience. A strong content strategy involves keyword research, creating informative articles, and regularly updating your site with fresh content.
Do you know there are online financial services and SEO tools that can tell you the questions your target client is asking Google? You can use this knowledge to provide more high-quality, relevant information on your website. This eliminates the guesswork when creating website content that your audience will find useful in the formats your audience interacts with most.
Local SEO
If your financial advisory services are location-specific, local SEO is essential. This includes optimising your site for local search terms, ensuring your Google Business Profile is up-to-date, and using local citations and schema markup.
Local SEO helps you reach potential clients in your specific geographic area, making it easier for them to find and choose your services. It also ensures you’re not wasting money trying to reach people who are not likely to become clients because they live and work in another community.
These strategies, when combined, provide a comprehensive approach to SEO that can significantly enhance a financial advisor’s online presence, attract more clients, and build a strong, reputable brand in the financial industry.
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Implementing an SEO Campaign for Financial Advisors
Creating an effective SEO campaign for financial advisors involves several critical steps to ensure a comprehensive approach:
Conduct a Thorough Audit
When I work with a financial advisor, I start by analysing the website’s current performance, identifying technical issues, and understanding the competitive landscape. This audit will serve as the foundation for your SEO strategy.
Because I specialise in SEO for financial advisors specifically, my audits are guided by years of industry experience. This helps me quickly analyse the data to understand the best approach for your firm.
Develop a Custom SEO Strategy
Based on the audit, I can create a bespoke plan that incorporates on-page, off-page, and local SEO tactics. This plan should focus on achieving specific business goals, such as:
- Increasing website traffic
- Generating leads
- Enhancing brand visibility
Integrate SEO Components
Implement tried and tested on-page SEO techniques, like optimising meta tags, headlines, and content, while building a strong backlink profile through off-page SEO. Additionally, we’ll focus on local SEO practices if your services are geographically targeted to help you reach the right audience in the most cost-effective way possible.
I’m a huge proponent of simplicity. I don’t believe you need dozens of SEO strategies or tactics in play. We will quickly find out the ones that are most effective, learn, and scale to meet business goals.
Monitor and Adjust
From the start, I make sure we can track everything. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
We’ll regularly track your SEO campaign’s performance using analytics tools. We’ll ensure your SEO strategy is integrated into your other marketing efforts so that each method you use works together.
Once I analyse key metrics like traffic, conversion rates, and keyword rankings to assess the effectiveness of your strategy, I can adjust your tactics based on this data to continually improve results.
My goal is to deliver clarity to SEO. I believe you should be able to see it working— visibility growing, more leads, better leads, and so on.
If something isn’t working, we know quickly and can pivot to get results faster.
See my finance marketing case study on how a wealth management firm increased high-value website traffic by 14% and leads by 8% in just 3 months by deploying these strategies.
Common SEO Challenges for Financial Advisors
While SEO can be incredibly beneficial for financial advisors, it does come with its unique set of challenges I want to share with you. Avoiding these pitfalls can prevent significant wasted spending and effort.
- Compliance and Regulatory Constraints: Financial advisors often face strict regulations that limit what they can say online. SEO strategies must ensure that all content complies with FCA standards and guidelines to avoid potential legal issues.
- Highly Competitive Keywords: The financial sector is extremely competitive, with many firms vying for the same high-traffic keywords. Financial advisors need to be strategic about keyword selection, focusing on long-tail and niche keywords to gain traction in search rankings. In other words, it’s not enough to simply start making financial advisor content. Everyone is doing that. You need to be strategic and focused with clear goals and a well-defined lead generation machine.
- Content Quality and Relevance: Creating high-quality, relevant content that resonates with potential clients is essential for SEO success. However, consistently producing valuable content that addresses user needs and aligns with SEO best practices can be resource-intensive and challenging.
- Building Authority and Trust: Establishing authority in the financial sector requires time and effort. Financial advisors need to focus on building a strong backlink profile, gaining citations, and maintaining an active online presence to boost their site’s credibility.
SEO for Financial Advisors
SEO is a powerful tool for financial advisors in the right hands. When you’re looking to enhance yor online presence, attract more clients, and build a strong brand, SEO delivers. By understanding the importance of SEO, implementing effective strategies, and overcoming common challenges, financial advisors can achieve significant growth in their digital marketing efforts.
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