As time progresses, more people are searching for financial advisor services and other types of service providers with the qualifier “near me” tacked onto the keyword search terms. Google generates the most relevant results, featuring financial advisory firms that are closest to the investor in terms of geographical proximity.
The question is how financial advisors can take full advantage of these searches, ultimately connecting with as many investors as possible who are looking for financial advisor service providers near them.
Recognize the Importance of Local Search for Financial Advisor Marketing
It is imperative your business optimize its online content to connect with locals in need of financial advisory services. In fact, nearly 50% of Google’s searches are related to local businesses and information provided by local service entities.
This is precisely why your entire online footprint should be optimized with the ultimate goal of ranking higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs) when searches are conducted that include “near me” or a variation of these words. If your financial advisory firm does not rank on the first page or two when this type of search is conducted by investors, you will lose out on valuable business opportunities to other financial advisors in your market.
Let’s take a look at how to best optimize for near me searches to boost your financial advisor marketing results.
A Uniform Business Name and Contact Information
It is a big mistake when variations of your business name are used on the internet. Your financial advisory firm name should be exactly the same throughout the entirety of your online footprint.
Furthermore, your company’s contact information such as your phone number and address should also be uniform throughout the entirety of your online content.
Double-check your company name and contact information on the top web directories and other parts of your online footprint to ensure your name and contact information are exactly the same.
This way, people will have accurate contact information, making it that much easier to find your business and initiate contact. Furthermore, those who search for financial advisors near them are much more likely to find your website if your contact information is accurate and consistent.
Update Your Company’s Google My Business Page
Digital marketing for financial advisors is not complete until the Google My Business Page is updated to make sure all of your contact information is accurate. It is imperative that all of your company’s basic information in the various directories is consistent and correct. You start by verifying the following information:
- Name of firm
- Accurate street address
- Hours of operation
- Contact information
- Keywords pertaining to your financial advisory firm
It will also help to add pictures with words that match the keywords you have selected in the quest to enhance your rankings in the major search engines.
Use Textual Driving Locations
Though this level of optimization is minor, it has the potential to make a difference in your SERP ranking when people search for your services near them. Add driving instructions that are based on nearby neighborhoods and landmarks and it will be that much easier to rank higher on Google and the other major search engines.
Keep in mind, some web users do not surf the internet on mobile phones that are GPS enabled. Rather many will surf the web and print directions to make it easy for them to find you by referencing local landmarks and neighborhoods. It will also help to explain how to reach your office from the north, south, east, and west.
Implement Schema Markup on Pages
Schema and HTML markup should be used throughout your online content. This strategy ensures your pages rank better when local searches are conducted. In short, schema and HTML markup make it that much easier for search engines to understand the information presented on your webpages.
Proper structuring of data facilitates search engine’s understanding of your online content and also enhances search engine communication with the site - a major plus. So go ahead and add accurate and relevant schema for local SEO and also for site optimization purposes. You will enjoy the added benefit of your site moving up in the SERPs, ensuring your hard work has an optimal impact.
Mix in Some Geographical Content
Add geographical content throughout your online footprint and it really will be that much easier for locals to find your financial advisory firm on the web. Examples of local content include nearby cities, neighborhoods, street names, zip codes, and close attractions. The use of such local identifiers will help your business rank that much higher when locals search for financial advisors in their area.
Rack up Those Reviews
The quality of your service is a large part of what separates your financial advisory firm from the rest. However, web sleuths won’t understand whether your services are worth the money unless others provide positive testimonials after paying for your advice and services.
This is precisely why you need as many online reviews as you can get. Reviews posted to your Google My Business page are particularly important as locals in need of financial advisory services will key in on this page when determining whether your business is worthy of their hard-earned dollars.
Don’t Over-focus on the Term “Near Me”
Contrary to popular opinion, the use of the words “near me” throughout online content does not make a significant impact on SEO. In fact, you can even move ahead without using this phrase and people will still be able to find your website just as well as they would have if you implemented the phrase throughout the entirety of your online content. Furthermore, using the words “near me” within online text sounds awkward.
Check to see if Your Listings are Correct Across the Web
It is not enough to merely ensure your business name and contact information is accurate on your Google My Business page. Search for financial advisors “near me” and look through the results to ensure your financial advisory firm is listed and all of your information is accurate. Ideally, your company will be accurately listed on all of these review directories to maximize your online exposure and steer that many more clients in your direction.
Focus on Links
Backlinks are more valuable than most financial advisors assume in the context of rankings in local searches. Your financial advisory firm will enjoy that much more success when people search for your services and “near me” if you implement relevant backlinks that are higher authority.
These backlinks should be used with anchor text that is geographically rich. Use variants of “best financial services” with your specific area added and “financial services” followed by your location with the optimal anchor text and it really will be that much easier to connect with local web sleuths in need of your services.
