SEO FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES - STRATEGIES FOR
MAXIMISING YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
Boost Your Financial Services (or any) Business
Having a solid online presence is crucial for success in the financial services industry because the internet is the first place people go to find information. So having a website that ranks high in search engines is essential. In this article, we'll uncover the untapped potential of SEO for financial services and reveal the proven tactics for skyrocketing your website's visibility.
What Is SEO for Financial Services?
SEO for financial services is a digital marketing approach designed to enhance visibility in the search engines for websites in the investment, finance and banking industry. Financial services SEO involves using a number of different techniques together to get the best results, but unlike other industries you have to adhere to strict regulations,
SEO Tactics For Financial Services
Ranking high in search engines can ben challenging, especially in some highly competitive sectors of the financial services industry but it can be done. To succeed, you need a comprehensive financial services SEO strategy considering the industry's unique challenges.
As a SEO agency for financial services we've put together 20 actionable SEO strategies you can use to move the dial and significantly enhance your financial website's profile.
- Perform In-depth keyword research
- Optimise your website structure
- Create high-quality content
- Implement technical SEO
- Build high quality backlinks
- Focus on local SEO
- Improve mobile usability
- Utilise social media
- Implement schema markup
- Conduct competitor analysis
- Monitor SEO performance
- Ensure regulatory compliance
- Highlight E.A.T in your content
- Create engaging video content
- Encourage user engagement
- Optimise for voice search
- Prioritise website page speed
- Engage in guest speaking opportunities
- Conduct a comprehensive content audit
- Enhance internal linking
SEO For Financial Services - 20 Actionable Strategies
Perform In-depth Keyword Research
Keywords play a crucial role in SEO; using the right ones can help improve your website's visibility. To identify the keywords you should target, consider the products and services you offer and the search terms that potential customers will likely use when looking for them.
Are your potential clients looking for popular financial related terms like:
- investment management
- hedge fund manager
- investment fund
- what is value investing
- value funds
- investment fund manager
- discretionary investment management
- pension fund manager
- asset management firms
- asset management company
There are many different types of financial firms, but one of those keywords could apply to you and your website, so choosing the best one for your client profile is essential.
Keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs FREE Keyword planner can help you identify the best keywords to target.
Once you have identified your target keywords, the trick is to incorporate them naturally into your website's content throughout your main service pages, blog posts, landing pages, and product descriptions.
However, it is essential to avoid keyword stuffing, which is the practice of overusing keywords in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings.
Keyword stuffing is frowned upon by search engines and can result in your website being penalised. We see it a lot with older websites, which means they suffer traffic restrictions because of it. But most of the time, the client is unaware of it.
Optimise Your Website Structure
An intuitively structured website enhances user experience and supports SEO efforts by making content easily accessible. Organise your website with a clear hierarchy, using logical navigation that allows users to find information quickly with minimal clicks. Implement breadcrumb navigation to aid users in tracking their path and help search engines understand the structure of your site. This can also contribute to better indexing.
Utilising clear and descriptive URLs for each page is another essential element in optimising your website structure. Well-crafted URLs provide both users and search engines with an easy-to-understand indication of what the page is about. Ensure that your URLs are short, meaningful, and include relevant keywords to enhance your site's search engine visibility and usability. This practice supports navigation ease and strengthens your SEO efforts by more effectively communicating page content to search engines.
Create High Quality Content
When it comes to financial services SEO and financial marketing overall, content is king. Creating high-quality content that is informative, engaging, and relevant to help establish your business as an authority in the financial services industry and improve your website's visibility.
To create compelling content, consider your target audience's interests and pain points and create content that addresses these issues.
Don't create content to try and garner traffic for specific keywords; create precious content that your potential user base will love, Being known as an authoritative thought leader in the financial industry will pay better dividends than getting lots of traffic to a mediocre piece of content on a mediocre website.
In addition to blog posts, consider creating other types of content, such as infographics, videos, and whitepapers. This type of content is highly shareable and can help attract high-quality backlinks to your website, which is another critical factor in SEO.
Implement Technical SEO
Technical SEO is crucial for ensuring that search engines can crawl and index your site effectively. This includes optimising your site’s architecture, improving load times, and ensuring that your site is mobile-friendly, considering that Google now uses mobile-first indexing. Optimise your XML sitemap and robots.txt to guide search engines more efficiently through your site’s pages and content.
Regularly conduct technical SEO audits to identify and fix issues such as broken links, redirect errors, slow loading pages, metadata issues, and unoptimised images. Use structured data to enhance your content's visibility in SERPs through rich snippets to increase click-through rates by providing potential clients with quick information at a glance.
Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your site. The more high-quality backlinks you have, your website will likely rank highly in search engine results pages. To build backlinks, consider creating guest blog posts on other high-authority websites in the financial services industry. You can also participate in online forums and groups and engage with other businesses in your industry to build relationships and explore opportunities for collaboration.
Additionally, producing shareable content like infographics and detailed reports to attract backlinks from various sources, further boosting your SEO. These tactics will naturally lead to acquiring backlinks as others cite your expertise.
Focus on Local SEO
For financial services firms with physical locations, local SEO is critical. Claim and optimise your Google My Business (GMB) listing to improve your visibility in local search results and on Google Maps. Regularly update your GMB profile with accurate information, respond to reviews, and post updates about your services to engage with local clients.
Incorporate local keywords into your site’s content to help rank in local search queries. Encourage clients to leave positive reviews on your GMB profile and other relevant platforms, as these can significantly influence potential clients' perceptions and improve local search rankings.
Improve Mobile Usability
With the increasing prevalence of mobile internet access, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is imperative. A responsive design adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes, providing an optimal user experience. Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites in its rankings because it signals to search engines that your website is designed with user accessibility in mind, making this a critical area for focus.
Also optimise mobile page speed by compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing code. A fast-loading site is crucial for keeping mobile users engaged and reducing bounce rates, which positively affects your SEO rankings.
Utilise Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for extending the reach of your content and engaging directly with your audience. Regularly post updates, articles, and discussions relevant to your financial services to build engagement and drive traffic to your website. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and participating in conversations, which can boost your brand's visibility and reputation.
Use targeted advertising on social media platforms to reach specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This targeted approach allows you to reach potential clients who are most likely to be interested in your services, improving the efficiency of your marketing spend.
Implement Schema Markup
Implementing schema markup on your website helps search engines understand the context of your content, which can enhance your presence in search results with rich snippets. These snippets can include stars for reviews, prices for products, or even FAQs directly in the search results, making your listing more attractive and informative to potential clients.
Use schema for showing reviews, services, and your business location. This detailed data helps potential clients understand what you offer and the quality of your services at a glance, potentially increasing click-through rates and conversions.
Conduct Competitor Analysis
Regular competitor analysis is essential to stay ahead in SEO. Analyse your competitors' websites and backlink profiles to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Identify which keywords they are ranking for and the quality of content they produce. This insight can help you adjust your strategy to compete more effectively.
Look for gaps in their content that you can fill with your own unique and valuable perspectives. By providing content that your competitors lack, you can attract visits from potential clients looking for that information, increasing your site’s traffic and relevance.
Monitor SEO Performance
Monitoring your SEO performance is crucial for measuring success and identifying areas for improvement. Use tools like Google Analytics to track user behaviour, traffic sources, and engagement metrics. Google Search Console can provide insights into how your site appears in search results and highlight issues that could be impacting your performance.
Set specific, measurable goals for your SEO efforts, and use these tools to track your progress towards these goals. Regularly reviewing these metrics allows you to refine your strategies and make data-driven decisions to optimise your SEO results.
Ensure Regulatory Compliance
The financial services industry is highly regulated, and ensuring that your website complies with all relevant regulations is essential.
This includes data privacy, marketing, and financial services regulations. Failing to comply with these regulations can result in severe consequences, including fines and legal action.
To ensure compliance, you should work closely with your legal team and stay up-to-date with any changes to relevant regulations. It is also a good idea to review your website regularly to ensure that all information is accurate and up-to-date and that there are no regulatory violations.
Highlight E.A.T in Your Content
Google emphasises Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E.A.T) in its ranking algorithms, especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) websites, which include financial services. Ensure that any content you produce is written by experts in the field, whether that includes yourself or other partners, employees in the business, Also make sure that it's backed by thorough research and clear data with links to relevant sources where applicable. Display your authors' credentials prominently and link to the professional profiles to enhance trustworthiness.
Develop content that informs and reassures clients of its accuracy and your firm's authority in the financial industry. This high level of trust can significantly impact your SEO by increasing user engagement and shareability, leading to better rankings.
Create Engaging Video Content
Video content can significantly enhance user engagement and time spent on your site. Create high-quality, informative videos that explain complex financial concepts in simple terms. Embed these videos within relevant content on your site to improve user engagement and provide value that text alone cannot.
Optimise your video content for SEO by including relevant keywords in the title, description, and tags. Ensure your videos are accessible and include transcripts to make the content available to a broader audience. Videos not only enrich your content offerings but also boost your SEO by increasing engagement and interaction rates.
Encourage User Engagement
User engagement is a powerful indicator of content quality and relevance, which influences SEO. Facilitate this engagement by including interactive elements like comment sections, polls, and social media share buttons. Engage with users by responding to comments and fostering discussions, which can build a community around your brand.
Encourage users to share their experiences and reviews on your site and social media platforms. This user-generated content can enhance credibility and attract more visitors by showcasing real-life testimonials of your services' effectiveness.
Optimise for Voice Search
Voice search is growing, and optimising for this trend is essential. Voice queries are often longer and more conversational than typed queries, so include natural language and question-based content that aligns with spoken queries. Focus on local SEO, as many voice searches are for local services and information.
Create content that answers common questions directly, which can increase your chances of appearing in voice search results. Consider the typical questions a client might ask about your services and craft your content to respond to these queries concisely and clearly.
Prioritise Page Speed
Page speed is a critical SEO factor affecting user experience and search rankings. Optimize your site's loading times by compressing images, minifying code, and using efficient hosting solutions. Regularly test your page speed with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and adjust as necessary to keep your site running quickly.
A fast-loading site retains users better and reduces bounce rates, which can positively impact your SEO rankings. This is particularly important in the financial services sector, where clients expect quick and efficient online experiences.
Engage in Guest Speaking Opportunities
Engaging in guest speaking opportunities, such as podcasts, webinars, or industry conferences, can increase your visibility and establish you as a thought leader in your field. These opportunities allow you to share your expertise with a broader audience, attracting potential clients and partners to your firm.
Ensure each speaking engagement includes a mention of your website, helping to drive traffic and improve your site’s authority. Sharing valuable insights and practical advice can lead to increased respect and recognition in your industry, further boosting your SEO efforts.
Conduct a Comprehensive Content Audit
Regularly audit your website’s content to ensure it remains relevant, accurate, and engaging. Update outdated information, enhance underperforming content, and remove what is no longer relevant or useful. This helps maintain the quality of your website and ensures that visitors find valuable and up-to-date information.
Promote newly updated content on social media and through email campaigns to increase visibility and drive traffic back to your site. A well-maintained website encourages repeat visits and increases the time users spend on your site, both of which can positively impact SEO.
Enhance Internal Linking
Effective internal linking ensures that users and search engines can navigate your website easily. It helps distribute page authority throughout your site and can enhance the SEO performance of individual pages. Link related content together using descriptive anchor text that helps users and search engines understand what the linked page is about.
Review your internal linking structure regularly to ensure it supports a logical user journey and maximizes SEO benefits. This strategy not only improves user experience but also boosts your overall site's effectiveness in search rankings.
Conclusion
Search engine optimisation is critical to the success of any business in today's digital age, and the financial services industry is no exception. By implementing the tips outlined in this article, you can improve your website's visibility, attract new customers, and establish your business as a leader in the financial services industry.
Remember that SEO is a long-term strategy that requires patience and persistence, but the results are well worth the effort. By creating high-quality content, building high-quality backlinks, and adhering to regulatory requirements, you can create a powerful online presence that drives business growth and success.
Shane McEvoy is a seasoned SEO and inbound marketing expert with nearly 30 years of experience in advertising. He established Flycast Media, a specialist B2B digital agency, and is a published author of two well-received guides while contributing to several industry publications - read his complete profile here.
