As a person who earns a living coaching financial advisors, I am always looking for ways to improve my skills and grow my business. I have been looking for a way to leverage the power of search engine optimization for the advisors we serve.
Does it work? Will leveraging the power of search engine optimization get you more clients, increase your AUM, and grow your revenue? Read on to discover more about search engine optimization for investment advisors.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization (known as SEO) refers to the strategies you can take to get potential clients to your site. SEO is not all about website traffic. It is a process aimed at ensuring that anyone who visits your website needs your services. To do this, you need to focus on increasing traffic to your site from organic and free searches for various keywords. It’s best to understand the difference between search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Unlike SEO, search engine marketing or SEM refers to paying for advertisements that appear when someone uses designated search terms.
Does SEO Work for Financial Advisors?
SEO gives you the opportunity to put messages in front of people who need your expertise and services. Data from Google shows that mobile searches for “financial advisors” have grown by more than 75% in the last two years. This means the Internet is often the first stop for many people who want to hire a financial advisor.
Many wealth management prospects rely on Google searches to prepare a “short list” of advisors they will contact. They use use their smartphones to book almost everything, including restaurants and services. They also use mobile searches to get advice and ideas. It is not surprising that mobile searches with the qualifier “should I” have increased by more than 65% in the last two years. Similarly, searches for “what should I invest in” have also grown over the years.
The big news is that more than half of these investors don’t have any brand in mind when searching for services and products online. At least 86% of prospects spend at least an hour gathering information and comparing their options online.
Data shows that many investors gather information online before contacting a financial advisor. They search online to find out more about you, your customer service, and offerings. As technology becomes a vital part of our lives, financial advisors can use SEO to adapt to changing shopping behaviors.
Effective SEO Strategies for Financial Advisors
Using the right SEO strategies can help you attract the right clients and elevate your firm. The biggest secret to leveraging the power of SEO is understanding intent. Unlike traditional marketing strategies, prospective investors who search online often have a specific intention in mind. They could be looking for a service or product.
They could also be looking for education and information.
There are more than 30,000 searches for keywords related to “financial advisor near me” every month! How can you use SEO to appear higher in the organic rankings when these keywords are searched?
Initially, identify phrases and keywords that prospects are searching. Then, add these keywords to your website. You can do that by developing content that provides practical solutions for your readers sharing financial tips and articles using those keywords.
It’s important to understand the four types of SEO (on-page SEO, off-page SEO, cross-border SEO, and local SEO.) On-page SEO refers to changes you can make on your site to get more quality traffic. Off-page SEO is about building external links from other websites. Cross-border SEO is geared towards international audiences, and local SEO is geared towards local prospects.
These SEO techniques are powerful tools for financial advisors to get in front of the right audiences by increasing their organic ranking.
If you are interested in learning more about SEO, take at look at this Beginner’s Guide to SEO.