September 17, 2024

SEO for Financial Services: A Complete Guide to Boost Your Online Presence

SEO in the financial world isn’t just about keywords and rankings—it’s about building trust in an industry that relies on it. Financial websites fall under Google’s YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) guidelines, which means they need to meet higher standards of trust, accuracy, and expertise. Why? Because when it comes to financial advice, investment tips, or banking information, people need to know they’re getting reliable guidance. Google gets this, so it rewards websites that exude trust and expertise.

‍

That’s where E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) comes in. For financial service websites, meeting E-E-A-T standards isn’t optional—it’s a must. Think of it as your digital credibility score. To build that trust, your site needs expert content, reliable sources, and a professional look that shows you mean business. But all this is easier said than done.

‍

But don’t worry, we’ve got you. Grab a cup of coffee and let us walk you through our SEO for financial services guide. By the end of this guide, you will have gained the skill that should help you boost your website’s visibility and attract the right clients. Let’s get started.

‍

Keyword research: The foundation of SEO

Keyword research is like your GPS for SEO—it guides you to what your audience is actually searching for so you can create content that hits the mark. If you’re a financial advisor, start by thinking about broad topics like “investment advice” or “wealth management”, then drill down to more specific keywords like “how to choose the best investment advisor.”

‍

If you’re a lending provider, you may start with broad keywords like “how to get a business loan” or “personal loans” then zero in on high-intent keywords like “get a business loan from a bank”.

‍

For credit unions, you may try to rank for broad keywords like “credit union in [location]” or “credit union services” as well as specific search terms like “credit union with low interest loan”.

‍

This way, you’re covering both popular terms and niche queries that show high user intent.

‍

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Moz to discover top and mid-funnel keywords. Don't try to rank for high-volume high-competition keywords right away as you have little chance of ranking for them. Pick keywords with decent search volumes and reasonable competition initially then work your way up.

‍

Check out your competitors, too. Analyzing their keyword strategies can reveal opportunities you might be missing. Spot the gaps where you can offer more detailed or better content, and capture the traffic they’ve overlooked.

‍

And remember, it’s not just about finding the keywords—it’s about understanding what people are looking for. Are they hunting for information, comparing options, or ready to make a decision? Knowing this helps you tailor your content to meet their needs.

‍

SEO content strategy for financial websites

Okay so you know what keywords to target but how do you actually use them? Our advise is to utilize high-intent keywords on content for the main pages of the website and top-of-the-funnel keywords for auxiliary pages.

‍

For instance, a wealth management firm should utilize keywords like “wealth management for pro athletes” or “financial advisor for athletes” in the content of their sports wealth management page. The page copy can be structured in the PAS framework (Problem, Agitation, Solution) to identify the reader's pain point, stress the importance of the issue, and then present a solution.

‍

Top-of-the-funnel keywords like “how to …” or “what is …” are best reserved for the FAQs, blogs, or help center. You can create long, detailed pillar posts on key topics relevant to your business, like “Investment Strategies 101”. Afterward, link these to relevant pages of the main website and to related, more specific content pieces—your cluster content. This strategy not only enhances user experience but also strengthens your internal linking, helping search engines see the big picture of your content.

‍

Don’t forget to keep your content organized and easy to read. Use clear headings, bullet points, and concise paragraphs so visitors can quickly find what they’re looking for. Sprinkle relevant keywords naturally throughout your titles, meta descriptions, and content to signal to search engines what each page is about.

‍

Financial topics can be tough to digest, so mix in some visual content like infographics, videos, or interactive tools. Imagine how much more engaging a retirement calculator or an investment strategy infographic can be compared to plain text. These visuals help simplify complex ideas and keep your audience engaged longer.

‍

Technical SEO: A must for financial websites

Technical SEO focuses on your website’s behind-the-scenes elements, making sure everything runs smoothly and is easy for search engines to crawl.

‍

You’ll need a well-structured website with clear navigation to help users and search engines find information easily. Make sure your site has a logical layout that guides visitors from one page to the next, moving them smoothly from learning about your services to making a decision.

‍

Make sure that links, both external and internal, use absolute URLs of landing pages to prevent unnecessary redirects or broken links.

‍

Implement self-referencing canonical tags to all pages to prevent duplicate content or URLs with parameters from appearing in search results and keyword cannibalization. Keyword cannibalization means multiple of your pages are competing against each other for the same keyword.

‍

If your financial website is multilingual, don’t forget to apply hreflang tags so that search engines know the relationship between the English pages and the localized versions. Without hreflang tags, search engines may have a difficult time matching users from different regions or languages with the correct locale of your website.

‍

Security is also crucial in the financial sector. Implement SSL certificates to keep your site on HTTPS, which not only protects your visitors’ data but also signals to Google that your site is secure and trustworthy. A site without proper security can lose credibility fast, turning away potential clients.

‍

We’ve written several guides about technical SEO addressing various technical issues, do check them out:

‍

Page speed optimization

When someone clicks on your site, they expect it to show up quickly, like flipping a light switch and instantly seeing light. If your website takes too long to load, visitors get frustrated, exit your site, and head directly to your competitors.

‍

A quick hack to speed up your website is to optimize your images as they are often the root cause of a slow website. By compressing images and resizing them to fit specific viewports, your website becomes lighter and faster to load.

‍

Need an almost instantaneous way of speeding up your website? Try extending your website cache expiry to 365 days. Think of caching as saving a shortcut. When a user visits your site, their browser stores certain parts of it. The next time they visit, the site loads faster because some of the information is already saved.

‍

Finally, work with your front-end developer to rework your HTML, JS, and CSS as needed. Sometimes, the code has extra bits that aren’t necessary. By cleaning up and simplifying the code, the site runs faster, just like cutting out unnecessary steps in a recipe. You may also need to reduce plugins or removed unused ones as they can slow down performance.

‍

Off-page SEO and building authority

A link is the underlined word or phrase that you often see in web pages, news articles, or blogs. They direct users to sources of information but they are valuable in SEO too. Think of backlinks as votes of confidence from other websites. When website A links to website B, this tells Google that the former vouches for the latter. Earn enough backlinks and Google will start to trust your website and place it higher in search results.

‍

Aim to get links from reputable sources in the financial world, like industry blogs, forums, or financial news sites as you’ll get the most SEO value from these domains. There are plenty of ways to get links such as guest blogging, digital PR, or partnering with bloggers to build a strong backlink profile that boosts your site’s authority.

‍

Another way to earn backlinks is to get involved locally by sponsoring events, participating in community activities, or supporting charities. These efforts not only create opportunities for backlinks but also help you connect with your community and build your brand’s credibility.

‍

While customer reviews don’t directly impact SEO, they can foster trust and show potential clients that you’re listening by responding to reviews, whether they’re glowing or not-so-great. This can help convince potential customers to choose your financial services over others.

‍

Local SEO: Capturing the nearby market

Local SEO is essential if you have a physical presence or serve clients in specific regions. With local SEO, your brand and physical location will be displayed in local search results for search terms like “near me” (e.g. “bank near me”) and location-based keywords (e.g. bank in manhattan).

‍

This is where your Google Business Profile comes in. A Google Business Profile is like your online business card. Make sure it’s complete with your address, contact details, and hours of operation. Encourage clients to leave reviews, and respond promptly to boost your local visibility.

‍

If you operate in multiple locations, you should create dedicated pages for each one. Optimize these pages with local keywords and customize the content to speak directly to the needs of clients in each area. This strategy helps you rank better for local searches and connect with nearby prospects looking for services like yours.

‍

Measuring and monitoring your SEO efforts

SEO isn’t a one-and-done deal—it’s an ongoing process. To keep things on track, you need to measure what’s working and tweak what’s not.

‍

Keep an eye on metrics like organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates. Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Ahrefs to monitor your site’s performance.

‍

If you notice high bounce rates or low engagement, it might be time to revisit your content or technical setup. Regular audits can also help you spot issues like broken links, slow-loading pages, or content gaps that need attention.

‍

Need help?

SEO for financial services can seem overwhelming, but the right strategies can help your business online. Hopefully, this guide has given you a clear path forward. If you’re ready to take your SEO to the next level or need some expert advice, don’t hesitate to reach out for a free strategy consultation. We’d love to help you boost your site’s traffic and bring in more qualified leads.

‍

Let’s chat about your current website and SEO efforts, and together, we’ll create a custom plan that gets results.