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In part 1 of this series, we looked briefly at an overview of what Search Engine Optimization used to be versus what Search Engine Optimization is now. One thing that we know for sure is that what used to work, doesn’t work anymore. One of the biggest game changers in SEO over the years has been content marketing . For some background on content marketing, and how it relates to Financial and Insurance Advisors, click here before reading on.
The old SEO was largely focused on finding target keywords and then building an SEO campaign around those focused keywords. It was understood that search crawlers looked for keywords in website content and that it was most effective to use those keywords in titles, meta-descriptions and the first 100 words of an article. Content was created and those keywords were inserted in all the right places. If you were an Advisor that was early to market, and there wasn’t a lot of competition around your keywords, chances are you would see some success. Traditional SEO focused more on trying to rank high using target keywords and less on trying to fulfill the needs and requirements of the people using these keywords to make searches.
SEO used to be a strategy that was fairly easy to take advantage of. It didn’t take rocket science to trick Google into ranking a poorly put together website high on their search results page.
But then…
Online competition increased, consumer awareness improved, and in came the new SEO.
Unlike old SEO strategies, the new SEO puts focus on value, quality and engagement. Keyword research has become far less important than good content marketing and creation. Today’s SEO is in large part a combination of creating and sharing great content. It has become about communicating with your current and future customers without trying to promote your Advisor services, a method of helping your prospects by teaching instead of selling. If you are creating valuable content focused on questions and topics that are relevant to your business and your client’s and prospect’s interests and challenges, they should naturally contain the keywords for which you want to rank.
Google is now looking for more active engagement with your site’s content. This is why unique and valuable content is more effective then ever. High quality content offers Advisor’s clients and prospects unique and applicable information that they can engage with, like and share. If more people are liking and sharing your content, you have a better chance of getting ranked higher in search engines than if you were to solely target the ‘’right’’ keywords. Additionally, creating high quality and unique traffic helps to drive more t raffic to your website, drives client engagement and leads, and has a long-term effect for your web presence .
So, what are two of the most important things Advisors should be doing to get results?
Today, SEO is in large part a byproduct of excellent and unique content. By taking time to invest in sharing and creating high quality content, you can educate your clients and prospects, and build a credible, industry-leading business in the process.
I think this is a win-win that we can all agree on.