Top SEO Strategies for the Finance Industry in 2023

Mobile-first indexing refers to Google’s practice of using the mobile version of a webpage for indexing and ranking.

This shift was made in response to the growing trend of internet usage on mobile devices. Today, the majority of Google searches are conducted on mobile devices, and this trend is only expected to increase.

In the context of the finance industry, mobile-first indexing has significant implications. Here’s what this means for your finance website:

Responsive Design for Finance Websites

Your website should be designed to respond and adapt based on the device it’s being viewed on.

For example, a financial advisory firm’s website should be easy to navigate on a smartphone, with clear and easily accessible information about services, advisors, and contact details.

Load Speed for Financial Industry Websites

Mobile users are often on the go, and they expect websites to load quickly.

For instance, a banking website should load account information, loan applications, and other services promptly to provide a seamless user experience.

User Experience for the Financial Industry

The mobile version of your site should be easy to use.

For instance, a mobile investment platform should have large, easy-to-tap buttons for buying and selling stocks, and text should be large enough to read without zooming in.

Financial Content

The content on your mobile site should be the same as the content on your desktop site.

For example, a financial news website should ensure that all articles are fully accessible and readable on mobile devices, not just on desktop.

Structured Data in Finance

Structured data should be present on both versions of your site.

This data can help Google understand the content on your site, which can improve your visibility in search results. For instance, a loan comparison site could use structured data to clearly indicate the interest rates, loan amounts, and terms of different loans.

Finance Meta Data

Ensure that titles and meta descriptions are equivalent on both versions of your site.

These elements are important for SEO and should be optimized on both desktop and mobile versions. For example, a financial planning service should ensure that its page titles and descriptions accurately reflect the content of each page and include relevant keywords.

By focusing on mobile-first indexing, you can ensure that your finance site is well-positioned to rank well in Google’s search results, regardless of the device a searcher is using. This can lead to increased visibility, more organic traffic, and ultimately, more clients for your financial services.

2. Core Web Vitals: A Closer Look for the Finance Industry

Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important in a webpage’s overall user experience.

They are made up of three specific page speed and user interaction measurements: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

This measures the loading performance of your website.

To provide a good user experience, LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading. For a finance website, this could mean the time it takes for a key visual, like a headline or a graph on a stock performance page, to be fully displayed.

First Input Delay (FID)

This measures interactivity.

To provide a good user experience, pages should have an FID of less than 100 milliseconds. In the context of a finance website, this could mean the time it takes for the site to respond after a user clicks a button to submit a form or selects a dropdown menu to sort investment options.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

This measures visual stability.

To provide a good user experience, pages should maintain a CLS of less than 0.1. For a finance website, this could mean preventing unexpected movement of page elements while a user is trying to select an option or read information. For example, if a user is about to click on a “Contact Us” button and a late-loading ad pushes that button down the page, this would result in a high CLS.

In the finance industry, where users are often dealing with important and sensitive information, meeting these Core Web Vitals is crucial. A slow, unresponsive, or unstable website can frustrate users and potentially make them lose trust in your services. By optimizing for these factors, you can provide a better user experience, which can lead to higher engagement, improved trust, and ultimately, better business outcomes.

3. E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): A Detailed Examination for the Finance Industry

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

It’s a framework that Google uses to assess the quality of web content, and it’s particularly important for websites in the finance industry, where the information provided can have a significant impact on a person’s financial well-being.

Expertise in the Finance Industry

This refers to the depth of knowledge or skill in a particular area.

In the finance industry, demonstrating expertise could involve providing well-researched, accurate, and up-to-date financial advice. For example, a blog post on investment strategies should be written by a financial expert who has a deep understanding of the topic. This could be demonstrated by the author’s credentials, such as a degree in finance or experience in the financial sector.

Authoritativeness for Finance Websites

This refers to the credibility or reliability of the website or content creator.

It’s about being recognized as an authority in your field. For a finance website, this could be demonstrated by high-quality backlinks from reputable financial websites, positive reviews, or endorsements from recognized experts in the field. For instance, a financial news website could gain authoritativeness by being frequently cited by other reputable finance publications.

Trustworthiness With Finance Expertise

This refers to the level of trust that users can place in the content from a website.

In the finance industry, trustworthiness is crucial due to the sensitive nature of financial information. This can be demonstrated by having clear and accessible privacy and security policies, showcasing positive customer testimonials, and providing accurate and transparent information. For example, a banking website should use secure (HTTPS) connections, clearly explain its policies on handling personal data, and provide accurate information about its banking products and services.

By focusing on E-A-T, finance websites can improve their Google rankings, but more importantly, they can provide valuable, reliable information to their users. This can lead to increased user trust and engagement, and ultimately, better business outcomes.

4. Local SEO: An In-Depth Look for the Finance Industry

Local SEO is a search engine optimization strategy that helps your business be more visible in local search results on Google. Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO. For the finance industry, this is particularly important for businesses like local banks, credit unions, financial advisors, and insurance agents.

Here’s what local SEO involves:

Google My Business for the Finance Industry

This is a free tool that allows you to promote your Business Profile and business website on Google Search and Maps.

For a financial advisor, this could mean setting up a Google My Business profile with information like the business address, hours, services offered, and contact information. It’s also important to regularly update this information and respond to reviews.

Online Directories for Finance Websites

Your business should be listed in relevant online directories, and the information in these listings (especially your name, address, and phone number) should be consistent. For a local bank, this could mean being listed in directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and local business directories.

Financial Client Reviews

Online reviews can significantly impact local search rankings.

Encourage your customers to leave reviews, and be sure to respond to them – whether they’re positive or negative. For instance, a local insurance agent could ask satisfied clients to leave a review on Google or Yelp.

Local Keywords for Finance Professionals

Your website should include keywords that are relevant to your local area.

For example, a mortgage lender in Austin might target keywords like “Austin mortgage lender” or “home loans in Austin”.

Local Finance Content

Creating content that is relevant to your local area can also boost your local SEO.

A financial planner could write blog posts about financial planning issues specific to their city or state, like tax regulations or local investment opportunities.

By focusing on local SEO, finance businesses can reach more potential customers in their local area, stand out from their competitors, and increase their chances of being found by people looking for financial services in their area.

5. Voice Search Optimization: A Comprehensive Examination for the Finance Industry

Voice search optimization is the process of enhancing your digital content to improve the likelihood it will be recognized and chosen by voice search technologies, such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. As more people use these voice-activated assistants to ask questions and conduct searches, it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to optimize for voice search.

In the context of the finance industry, here’s what voice search optimization might involve:

Natural Language for Finance Related Searches

Voice searches are typically more conversational and longer than text-based searches.

For example, a user might ask their voice assistant, “What’s the best way to save for retirement?” rather than typing “retirement savings strategies” into a search engine. To optimize for these types of queries, your content should include these conversational phrases and questions.

Long-Tail Keywords

Because voice searches are more conversational, they often include more long-tail keywords.

These are longer, more specific keyword phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they’re closer to the point of purchase or when they’re using voice search. For instance, a financial advisor might optimize for long-tail keywords like “how to plan for retirement in your 40s” or “best low-risk investments for retirees”.

Local SEO

Many voice searches are local in nature.

For example, a user might ask, “Where’s the nearest ATM?” or “Find a financial advisor near me”. As such, it’s important to optimize your website for local search by maintaining an up-to-date Google My Business profile, ensuring your website features your correct contact information, and targeting local keywords.

Structured Data

Structured data, also known as schema markup, can provide voice search devices with additional information about your website and its content. For example, a bank could use structured data to indicate its location, hours, and services, making it more likely to be chosen as a result for relevant voice searches.

Fast Loading Times

Voice search devices often pull answers from the top-ranking pages, and page speed is a significant ranking factor. Therefore, ensuring your website loads quickly can improve your chances of ranking well for voice searches.

By optimizing for voice search, finance businesses can reach more users, provide quick and accurate information, and stay ahead of the curve as the use of voice search continues to grow.

6. Semantic Search: An In-Depth Analysis for the Finance Industry

Semantic search is a data searching technique in a which a search query aims to not only find keywords, but to determine the intent and contextual meaning of the words a person is using for search. Google and other search engines use semantic search principles to deliver more meaningful search results by understanding searcher intent, query context, and the relationships between words.

In the context of the finance industry, here’s how semantic search could impact your SEO strategy:

Understanding User Intent for Finance Searches

Semantic search is all about understanding user intent.

For example, if a user searches for “how to save for a house,” they’re likely looking for advice on saving money for a down payment, not just general savings advice. Your content should be designed to answer these specific user intents.

Using Related Keywords for Financial Markets

Semantic search understands that words can have different meanings in different contexts, and it also recognizes synonyms and related terms. For instance, if your content is about investing, you might include related terms like stocks, bonds, portfolio, and financial markets.

Creating Comprehensive Financial Content

Because semantic search aims to understand user intent, it often rewards content that fully answers a user’s question.

For example, a blog post about retirement planning might cover topics like 401(k)s, IRAs, Social Security benefits, and investment strategies, providing a comprehensive answer to queries related to retirement planning.

Structured Data

Using structured data can help search engines understand the context and meaning of your content.

For example, if you have a financial calculator on your site, you could use structured data to indicate what the calculator does and what kind of input it requires.

Entity Recognition

Semantic search also involves understanding entities and their relationships.

In the context of finance, entities might include things like financial institutions, types of financial accounts, or financial regulations. Your content should clearly identify these entities and explain their relationships.

By understanding and leveraging semantic search, finance businesses can create content that better aligns with user intent, provides more comprehensive answers, and ultimately ranks better in search results.

7. Video Content: A Detailed Examination for the Finance Industry

Video content is a powerful tool for engaging your audience, conveying complex information in an easy-to-understand format, and improving your website’s SEO. As internet speeds increase and attention spans decrease, more and more users are turning to video content over text-based content.

In the context of the finance industry, here’s how video content could be utilized:

Finance Explainer Videos

Finance can be a complex topic, and video is a great way to break down complex financial concepts into digestible information. For example, a bank could create an explainer video on how mortgage rates are determined, or a financial advisor could create a video explaining different investment strategies.

Customer Testimonials

Video testimonials from satisfied customers can be a powerful way to build trust and credibility. For instance, a credit union could share testimonials from members who have benefited from its services.

Product or Service Demonstrations

Videos can be used to demonstrate how to use a product or service.

For example, a fintech company could create a video showing users how to use its app to track their investments.

Company Culture Videos

Videos that showcase your company culture can help build a connection with your audience.

For instance, a financial planning firm could share a video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at their team and their approach to financial planning.

Educational Webinars

Hosting webinars on financial topics and sharing the video recordings can position your company as a thought leader in the finance industry. For example, an accounting firm could host a webinar on tax strategies for small businesses.

SEO Benefits

Videos can increase the amount of time users spend on your site, which can positively impact your site’s SEO.

Be sure to optimize your video content by including relevant keywords in the video title, description, and tags.

By incorporating video content into your digital strategy, finance businesses can engage their audience in a new way, explain complex financial concepts, and improve their website’s SEO.