The finance and insurance industries represent 8.3% of the U.S. gross domestic product, making it one of the most competitive fields of business. Around 6.3 million people work in the finance industry, sharing an estimated $151.9 billion in services. Financial services also account for the highest percentage of millionaires.

These numbers show how a career as a financial advisor can offer good financial stability with unlimited earning potential. However, in such a competitive market, it’s important for today’s financial experts to find ways to stand out from the competition. We’ll review how finance SEO can help bring your financial services company more organic traffic.

 We’ll also review how Google treats the financial service industry and what that means for the content on your website. 

It’s important to keep these industry standards in mind for SEO success while learning how to position your firm as an authoritative leader. This guide will cover a few tips on how to optimize your site’s SEO, including for local search.

What is Financial Services SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) can help financial service providers increase their client base. The financial services industry is more competitive than ever, making it even more important to stand out in the market. 

A comprehensive SEO strategy does that by ranking your financial services website at the top of the search engine results pages for those seeking your services. 

An SEO campaign that includes on- and off-page elements and in-depth keyword research can significantly increase your search rankings. Finance or home loan company SEO is one of the best ways to position your brand as an industry leader while also generating more organic traffic to your website.

Why is SEO Important for the Financial Services Industry? 

Financial services SEO helps your website get seen by the website traffic that’s most likely to become clients. SEO for financial services offers the following benefits.

Increased Website Traffic

SEO strategies aim to increase your search engine rankings, which brings you more traffic. More website traffic puts your financial content and contact information in front of highly relevant potential clients.

More Client Conversions

More targeted traffic leads to more client conversions. When you match search intent and bring relevant traffic to your website, you’re more likely to convert them into a client.

Better Brand Awareness

More search traffic also boosts brand awareness, helping to establish your company as trustworthy. Reputable websites also, in turn, rank higher, and when traffic eventually requires your services, they’re more likely to contact you. Whether a financial advisor or real estate professional, SEO can boost brand awareness.

What Are Challenges For Finance Websites to Rank on Search Engines?

The financial industry is extremely competitive, making ranking high for finance-related keywords a requirement in today’s digital times. However, a digital marketing strategy that implements SEO isn’t without challenges. Here are some of the most common challenges:

• Increasing competition: Finance is an extremely competitive online landscape, with new players entering the market regularly.
• More local SEO competition: More financial planning businesses are learning of the benefits of SEO, meaning more competitive search terms and a need for high-quality content are needed.
• Industry knowledge: Outsourcing financial SEO isn’t always easy because of the industry knowledge necessary for creating trustworthy web pages or content.
• Content quality requirements: Google has strict requirements for content in the financial industry, making expert SEO knowledge important.

SEO Strategy For Finance Websites

Financial services companies can benefit from a comprehensive SEO strategy that’s catered to them and their goals. We have compiled a list of effective SEO strategies for financial professionals.

Perform a Site Audit 

Every financial services SEO strategy should begin with a site audit. An SEO audit includes a deep dive into your website’s on- and off-page factors, which helps identify areas of improvement. Complete a site audit on your financial services website with the following steps:

• Input your website into a site audit tool, like SEMRush or Moz.
• Make a list of quick improvements, including site speed or crawl errors.
• Identify existing keyword rankings
• Take note of keyword gaps.
• Assess website content and note any areas of improvement.
• Create a checklist with a timeline for all SEO strategies.

Do a Competitor Analysis 

After identifying what your website does well compared to any areas of improvement, it’s also necessary to consider your competitors. Identifying your biggest competitors in the industry can help discover new keywords and help maximize your budget by finding out what works and what doesn’t. Complete a competitor analysis with the following steps:

• Identify your industry competitors.
• Review each competitor’s strategy and existing rankings.
• Compare competitor rankings to your own.
• Analyze their on-page content.
• Complete a backlink review.
• Make a list of keyword and backlink gaps.

Find Effective Keywords

Before you can optimize your website for the most relevant keywords, you’ll first have to identify which keywords your target audience is searching for and which are most likely to increase traffic. Find effective keywords through keyword research with the following steps:

• Choose a keyword research tool (good options include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMRush, or Moz Keyword Explorer.)
• Identify your target audience and market.
• Explore commonly used keywords in the financial industry using tools like Answer The Public or Google Trends.
• Compare competitor rankings to your own.
• Review search volume for top-ranking search results in your industry.
• Identify which local keywords are searched most related to your industry.

Understand YLYM

‘Your Life Your Money’ refers to a category of industries in which Google requires stricter content quality. Financial advice falls into ‘YLYM,’ which means Google has higher standards for your website and content. Google has more stringent requirements for ‘YLYM’ content because topics like personal finance and investment strategies impact a user’s financial stability and situation.

Financial literacy statistics show a large population of people of all ages, genders, and demographics who can benefit from financial services. However, Google requires that you demonstrate your expertise before attempting to do so.

Establish EEAT

Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EEAT) are additional Google guidelines that demonstrate first-hand experience and knowledge. ‘YLYM’ industries should uphold Google’s EEAT standards to rank high in search results.

Maintain standard EEAT protocols for your website with the following steps:

• Publish only high-quality, expert-level content.
• Be transparent, including the author and credentials.
• Use only credible resources when inputting internal or external links.
• Build authoritative backlinks.

Publish Financial Educational Content on Your Blog 

High-quality, industry-leading educational content is important for a few reasons. For one, a financial blog is an excellent way to achieve high rankings through optimized keywords for financial services. Additionally, a blog allows you to create trust with potential clients. Further your SEO efforts with high-quality financial content with the following steps:

• Research your target audience, including the content they’re most likely to read.
• Hire highly qualified writers.
• Leverage industry relationships for trustworthy, valuable external links.
• Uphold a high standard of quality for all new and existing pages.
• Create an in-depth “About Me” page that outlines your experience.
• Publish unique, in-depth content (i.e., a financial services guide or other in-depth educational content.)

Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile Friendly 

Mobile search leads the industry with more mobile users searching the internet than any other type. SEO for financial services should include a well-optimized website that’s mobile-friendly. Key pages should be easily accessible on a smartphone or tablet, including content, images, and contact us forms.

Build a Strong Link Profile

Establishing trust is crucial in the financial industry, whether from potential clients or Google search bots. An effective method financial services providers can use to build trust is through building a strong link profile. Backlinks are links that lead traffic from one website to another. 

When you secure link placements on high-value, trustworthy websites, they transfer some of that trust to your own website. Build a strong link profile with the following steps:

• Make a list of trustworthy websites.
• Create publish-worthy content.
• Conduct research that leads to others linking back to you.
• Reclaim unlinked mentions.
• Offer to update outdated content on another website in exchange for a link.
• Submit industry consultation to journalists.

Ensure Best On-Site SEO Practices 

On-site SEO involves optimizing web pages and content for search bots and targeted traffic. Optimize your on-site factors with the following steps:

• Create internal links that direct traffic from one page to another relevant one within your website.
• Optimize each page with headers, a title tag, image optimization, and meta descriptions.
• Focus on a good mix of short and long-tail keywords.
• Apply schema markup to your financial website using local business structured data.

Focus On Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves the optimization of your website’s technical components, ensuring it’s easy to browse and interact with. Finance companies can improve the technical factors of their website with the following steps:

• Check your website speed using tools like Google PageSpeed.
• Use XML sitemaps to tell Google what pages to browse and index.
• Review your Google Analytics account and Google Search Console for site errors.
• Fix redirect errors or broken links.
• Ensure HTTPS for increased website security.
• Find and replace duplicate content.
• Ensure optimized URL structure.

Improve Your Local SEO

Local SEO techniques are especially important for businesses attempting to reach local traffic, including those in the financial services sector. Local SEO strategy focuses on bringing you organic traffic from those in your target market. A few great ways to increase your local SEO efforts include:

• Optimize your Google Business Profile.
• Identify local SEO keywords.
• Collaborate with other local area businesses for shared online marketing initiatives.
• Submit citations to online financial directories.
• Keep an active social media page.
• Ensure your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across all online listings.

Measure and Improve

Monitoring and measuring your keywords and ranking factors helps financial companies know what’s working and what’s not. Using data, you can adjust your SEO for financial services to better meet your goals while still maximizing your budget.

Continue monitoring your rankings and keyword gaps. Keep a close watch on your direct industry competitors to ensure you’re keeping your SEO strategy competitive.

SEO has the potential to boost organic traffic and help financial advisors sign more clients. However, it’s important to note that SEO requires good research and data analytics, especially in the financial sector. High-quality content that helps readers is also especially important since finance falls into Google’s higher standard categories.

With the right optimization strategy, though, you can boost your online traffic and encourage highly relevant users to learn from you, eventually becoming one of your clients.

Leveraging the Power of Search Engines

The majority of financial services clients today are seeking information via search engines. If you want your financial services business to appear at the top of the local search results, SEO is a must. Using a variety of techniques and publishing valuable content are just a few of the best ways to achieve higher rankings and turn increased traffic into clients.