Today’s customer has the privilege of having access to unlimited information at the click of a button or a tap of their phone screen. In fact, 93 percent of all online experiences start with a search engine, and with Google being the most popular search engine, consumers head to Google to check out their options before making a purchasing decision
Now, the question is – is your financial services website present or visible enough to respond to their needs and inquiries? This is where SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, comes into play.
Making use of SEO is a digital marketing strategy for the long game, and it may not bring revolutionary results overnight. But given enough time and with the right systems in place, it can do wonders for your business to generate inbound leads. While many of its aspects tend to be more on the technical side, here are some simple SEO steps you can do to improve your website drastically.
1. Plan Your Keywords
By planning your keywords, you decide what you become searchable for. With tools such as Google’s very own Keyword Planner, you can get a glimpse of what people are typing into Google’s search bar. Use this to your advantage and write your website copy or create content based on these keywords.
The first page of any search result is where you want to be. It’s a no-brainer that the higher you rank on a search results page, the better you establish yourself as an expert in your field, and the more traffic you drive to your website.
2. Position Your Keywords Strategically
Once you have your keywords planned, it’s not a good idea to cram them all into one page – your homepage, for example. Every page on a website is different. By targeting different keywords to different pages, the different aspects of your business are highlighted. Make sure your keywords or phrases are included in your page titles, headings, and descriptions.
3. Add Regular, High-quality Content
The average website would usually contain the homepage, services page, about page, and contact page, which is pretty straightforward. But that doesn’t leave much room for all the keywords you may want to include in your website. Starting a blog is an effective way to add more content and provide more value to your site’s visitors.
By creating articles around the specific problems and questions that your clients may have about finance, not only do you help potential clients find the answers they need, but you also position yourself as an expert and build trust. Being consistent with content creation also opens up opportunities to add CTA’s and encourage engagement through comments.
4. Create a Google Business Profile Page
Proximity is one of the factors that help users in decision making, which is why it is important to establish yourself locally, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by signing up for a Google Business Profile. Having your address, business hours, and contact information readily available upon search significantly helps conversions.
Also take the time to optimize your GMB page with a keyword-rich description, high-quality images, and of course, a link to your website.
5. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly
In the U.S., 57 percent of all online traffic comes from smartphones and tablets, with users spending more than five hours per day on their smartphones. With this, you’ll need a mobile-friendly website that also loads fast. This means that on a smartphone or tablet, your text should be easy to read without having to squint.
It should be easy to navigate with large enough buttons and links, and of course, it should be pleasing to use (a bit of visual wow factor never hurts). If your site isn’t fast and mobile-friendly, 61% of your visitors won’t hesitate to immediately leave your website.
6. Let the Experts Handle It
When it comes to digital marketing strategies, you’re sure to face a lot of competition with other brands. Everyone is vying for the spotlight whether it’s through SEO, social media marketing, or Google Ads. Digital marketing, especially SEO, is a time-consuming and continuous process, which is why it’s a good idea to outsource this type of work to the experts.
Your time is precious and should be spent on what you do best. When you leave your SEO efforts to an experienced team, you gain an edge against your competitors and you gain more time to focus on growing your financial services firm.
Ready to start cutting through the competition? Contact us with your needs and we’ll come up with personalized solutions to skyrocket your business.