Google recently confirmed a major update to its local search algorithm. The update – named Vicinity by the SEO community – rolled out between November 30th and December 8th, 2021. It is the largest change to the Local Algorithm since the Possum update in 2016. The update is different from the usual algorithm update as it isn’t fixing bugs or targeting spam. Instead, it is targeting proximity – how close is the searcher to your business. While proximity has long been a ranking factor, in the past it has been possible to overcome some proximity issues through keyword stuffing, at least for SEOs ..read more

Google would like all of us to become a publisher – or at least to “think like a publisher.” Many financial firms are embracing this concept, planning and writing content at an unprecedented pace. But what does it really mean to “think like a publisher?” Magazine and newspaper publishers—online and off—are responsible for the bottom line. They make money by attracting advertisers, who pay to reach the publication’s audience. As a result, publishers are committed to keeping readers . . . and attracting new ones . . . with high-quality content in different forms. An editorial calendar ..read more

The addition of Financial Calculators to an advisor’s website is a common consideration during the design process. The tools are well known, readily available, and are a regular offering on many finance-related websites. The downside – professional calculators can be an expensive add-on. Are they worth it? Case Study A client who was offering Calculators asked that same question. He was paying high annual fees for a very nice set of 10 financial calculators for his website. It was time to renew and he wanted to know if, from a business/marketing perspective, they were worth the extra cost? Hi ..read more

Do a search for broad financial industry terms such as Financial Advisor, Financial Planner, or Wealth Management. Unfortunately, the local organic search results for broad keyword terms are often dominated by 3rd-party local or industry review sites such as Yelp, national financial sites like  Smart Asset, Fee-Only Network, and Investopedia, or local and national media lists. Google has determined that this is what searchers are looking for, so it is what it delivers to them. The phrase Barnacle SEO, first introduced by Will Scott on Search Influence in 2011, is as applicable in today’s ..read more

Are you a Financial Planner, Financial Advisor, Financial Adviser, or Wealth Manager? This is one of the first decisions you have to make when you optimize your website for search. Why? Because the homepage is usually the highest authority page on a website, making it your best opportunity to rank for your most important keyword. 5 Considerations When Selecting the Keyword for your Advisor Website’s Homepage 1. Personal Bias Many advisors  I work with are comfortable using these terms, at least some of them, interchangeably – they do not feel one describes their practice better than anot ..read more

Think like a publisher. Marketers around the world are embracing this concept and are planning and writing content at an unprecedented pace. But what does it really mean to “think like a publisher?” Magazine and newspaper publishers—online and off—are responsible for the bottom line. They make money by attracting advertisers, who pay to reach the publication’s audience. As a result, publishers are committed to keeping readers . . . and attracting new ones . . . with high-quality content in different forms. An editorial calendar helps publishers, plan ahead, develop seasonal con ..read more

Truth be told, I’m not actually that good with grammar. I certainly don’t consider myself a stickler or anywhere near the level of an expert when it comes to the finer points of the English language. I often rely on Grammarly, a great extension for Chrome, to avoid the common pitfalls of punctuation, capitalization, and other grammatical fundamentals. Grammar Girl can accomplish the task as well if you’re looking for something a little less techie. If you want to avoid causing your readers to foam unpleasantly at the mouth, please take a moment to see if you’re guilty of these common writing ..read more

You’ve likely heard that people generally don’t read websites or blogs word for word. Rather, they scan, “picking out individual words or sentences.” Short vs Long Copy It’s a short leap of logic to assume that readers prefer short copy. That assumption would be wrong. In fact, studies show that longer posts perform better. They tend to rank higher in search, get more social shares, attract more inbound links, and convert better. So the secret to better blogging isn’t to write shorter copy. It’s to write text that: is easily scannable includes the use of headlines and subheads uses bold or i ..read more

Since the release of the Chrome 68 web browser – which accounts for 81.2% of all web search – in July of 2018, Google has displayed this warning message to prospective visitors on non-https websites: Google has been moving in this direction since 2014 when it announced that the HTTPS protocol would be “a very lightweight” ranking signal. Early adaptation was slow but the latest data from MOZ show that page-one (and 2, 3, 4, 5 . . .) organic search results are dominated by  HTTPS URLs. If you are still using HTTP it is impacting both your search rankings and the rat ..read more

Growing up in Western Canada, we would occasionally enjoy a cold pop on a hot summer day. However, since moving to Oregon in 1990 and later relocating to Idaho, that same sweet carbonated beverage is, without question, a soda. Preferences in word usage are common within different regions of the country and over different periods of time. This holds true for what we call the professional who creates financial plans and manages our investments as well. Changes in Broad Financial Keyword Usage Over Time In 2004, according to Google Trends, the most popular search term for those services was “fin ..read more