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If you know us and our platform, you know that we love SEO. While it’s not the next-gen marketing tactic, it’s still one of the best ways to build authority on the internet and it pays its dividends over months and years, rather than weeks and days.

The importance of SEO in the wealth management space is no different from any other industry: It should be a major pillar of your marketing program. It’s one of the reasons why companies like SmartAsset, who deploys an arbitrage model (working both the investor and advisor market on the internet), are generating massive valuations.

Many investors, especially over the last 18 months, have jumped to Google to seek a financial advisor. In fact, among those investors 40 or younger, 73% rely on a Google search, while 52% say they use LinkedIn to find an advisor.¹

But many advisors struggle with how to write for search while maintaining an effective story. You often see people trying too hard to write for Google’s algorithm,  and missing the mark on writing a compelling piece.

And while we’re not going to dive into the complete guide to SEO (if you want to dive into a full SEO guide, you can head here or here), we cover the checklist for writing for Google more effectively.

Here are nine checklist items to download, print, or remember when writing content.

1. Story. Think of the page as having a beginning, middle, and end. Each section is independent, but flow and keeping the story connected are key.

2. Active. Avoid passive voice when possible. “The advisor focused on value” vs. “Value was focused on by the financial advisor.”

3. Deep. Google loves words. Over 600 words is ideal for SEO and ranking on Google. More words won’t hurt you.

4. Clear. Headlines and subheads should be compelling, attention grabbing, and easy to understand.

5. Conversational. Avoid using industry jargon. Use targeted keywords 2 times for every 100 words.

6. Bulleted. Points should be quick, succinct, and symmetrical. If your bullet point is six sentences, it shouldn’t be a bullet point.

7. Independent. Headlines, copy, pull quotes, and pages should be strong enough to stand alone. This helps you build on the “Rule of 2” and “F shaped pattern” – where readers pay most attention to the first two words of a sentence, the first line of a paragraph, then often skim down the left side of the page.⁠

8. Optimized. Metadata descriptions for each page are critical. Meta Titles: 60 characters. Meta Description: 160 characters.

9. Identifiable. The brand is “we.” The reader is “you.” This lends to approachability and makes for cleaner, conversational sentences.

Rounding the SEO Checklist out

While the checklist can guide you for Google, it doesn’t replace the work required to conduct the research, build the content strategy, and produce the content consistently. Written content marketing is about building the writing muscle, not only by delivering consistently, but by understanding how engaged readers are with the pieces you’re putting out.

Keep writing, Keep shipping.

Some additional resources:

A Content Guide – How to Determine the Right Topics for Your Clients

5 Ways Content Marketing Can Grow Your Business

Building Your Practice’s Website for Google

1. “Op-ed: There’s an Increased Demand for Financial Advice. Are Advisors up to the Challenge?,” CNBC, 2021.