Brent Carnduff

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 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?

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.

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 – usually a broad, high search volume, and highly competitive keyword.

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

The URL – Uniform Resource Locator – or address for your web page, is still an “on-page” SEO element. It is one of your available opportunities to tell the search engines what your web page is about so it should contain your keyword(s) for that page.

The SEC’s long overdue update to the Advisor Marketing Rules, scheduled to be effective on May 4, 2021, will have a far-reaching impact on future advisor marketing opportunities.

The changes will allow advisors to solicit and display client testimonials, non-client endorsements, and 3rd-party review site ratings. While it may take some time to sort through all of the marketing and compliance implications of the 430-page document, there are some easy marketing wins for those advisors willing to make an effort to add client reviews to their marketing plan.