Running a finance website means juggling content deadlines, industry trends, and accuracy in the financial services sector. The last thing you need is to worry about whether your target audience can actually find your content online. That’s where a professional SEO audit for finance authors comes in.
If other financial websites appear on Google Search when readers look for search terms like “personal finance blog” or “investment advice” and yours doesn’t, you’re missing out on valuable organic traffic from readers and financial institutions actively looking for insights.
With the right SEO strategy and SEO best practices, your search engine optimization efforts can boost online visibility and attract consistent readers. If you’re unsure where to begin, follow this audit to help your website appear higher in search results and search engine results pages.
What Is SEO for Finance Authors?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) means improving your finance website’s visibility when people look for financial services or money-related topics on Google Search and other search engines.
When readers type search queries about investing, budgeting, or writing for the financial services sector, your site should appear as a trusted source that answers their questions. When Google Search Engine recognizes that your site offers valuable and relevant keywords related to financial services, it’s more likely to feature your web pages in search engine results.
The main benefits of SEO for finance authors include:
- Consistent lead generation: Readers and financial institutions find your site when actively searching for expert insights.
- Builds credibility: High search engine rankings increase authority within the finance niche.
- 24/7 visibility: Your content drives organic traffic around the clock.
Finance author SEO services have a high ROI. According to research, SEO drives 1,000%+ more traffic than organic social media, and SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate.
SEO Essentials for Finance Authors
Getting SEO right for finance authors means focusing on key areas that establish authority and strengthen your online reputation within the financial services sector.
- Create high-quality content: Generic finance posts won’t stand out. Instead, write SEO articles that answer your readers’ most pressing questions using relevant keywords that fit user intent.
- Technical SEO health: Slow loading, broken links, or poor mobile usability reduce rankings. Clean design and efficient code help search engines understand your content and improve your technical SEO performance.
- Local SEO optimization: Optimize your Google Business Profile and local listings so your brand appears in local search when people look for finance professionals or consulting in your area.
- Keyword research: Regularly conduct keyword research to discover high-value search terms, search volume, and new target keywords that match your target audience.
- Trust and authority: Showcase your background, testimonials, and features on financial services websites to strengthen trust signals with both readers and search engines.
Learn more about how to get clients as a finance author.
How Do I Do an SEO Audit for Finance Authors
An SEO audit reviews your website to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. It covers both technical SEO and content strategy, showing exactly where your site can improve its search rankings and organic traffic performance.
1. Check Your Website Speed
Slow websites lose readers and harm search engine results. If your pages take longer than three seconds to load, people often leave before reading. Google reduces search visibility for slow websites, so improving speed should be a top priority.
Use these free tools to test your site’s performance:
- Google PageSpeed Insights: Provides detailed speed scores and optimization suggestions.
- GTmetrix: Breaks down loading issues and helps improve your technical SEO.
- Pingdom: Checks page speed from multiple global locations.
Common issues for financial websites include oversized images, too many plugins, and poor hosting. You can often improve speed by compressing images, cleaning up code, and upgrading hosting for faster search traffic performance.
2. Identify Relevant Keywords
Keywords are the search terms your potential readers use on Google Search. You need to know which target keywords matter most for your site.
Start by brainstorming what your target audience searches for, then use SEO tools to check search volume and competitiveness. At our agency, we use Ahrefs and Google Search Console, but free options like Ubersuggest can also help.
Avoid broad, high-competition words like “finance.”
Instead, target long-tail specific keywords such as “how to build a budget after college” or “best personal finance podcasts.” These attract qualified readers and build steady organic traffic.
3. Analyze Local SEO
A strong local SEO strategy helps finance professionals appear in search engine results when nearby readers or clients search for finance-related topics. Even online businesses benefit from local credibility.
Focus on these areas:
- Google Business Profile: Verify and optimize your listing with accurate details, photos, and categories.
- NAP consistency: Ensure your name, address, and phone are consistent across all directories.
- Local citations: Appear in trusted directories and industry listings to improve your local search performance.
- Location pages: If you serve multiple areas, build unique relevant pages for each.
Search your services and location on Google Search to see how you rank. If competitors appear higher, strengthen your local SEO signals.
4. Check Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Your title tags and meta descriptions determine how your content appears in Google Search. Each page on your finance website should have a clear, keyword-optimized title and compelling description.
For example:
“Finance Writing Services | SEO Content Strategy for Authors.”
Common mistakes include:
- Missing or duplicate titles.
- Too long or short metadata.
- No relevant keywords included.
- Generic copy that fails to match search intent.
Review all metadata and optimize it using your SEO tools. Effective metadata improves click-through rates and helps your financial services SEO gain traction.
5. Audit Your Content
Your content is what connects you with readers. For strong SEO, your existing content must be useful, keyword-aligned, and updated regularly.
Ask:
- Does it address real questions people ask on Google Search?
- Does it feature accurate financial services insights?
- Does it fit your SEO content strategy and target audience?
Improve weak or outdated sections and remove duplicate posts. Write SEO-friendly blog content that blends expertise with clarity. Use competitor keywords and analytics data to find gaps. The goal is to maintain consistent, high-quality content that search engines reward with higher rankings.
6. Analyze Your Competition
Your competitors are targeting the same audience you are, so understanding their SEO strategy can help you find opportunities to outrank them in search results.
Start by searching your main target keywords on Google search and note which financial websites or finance companies rank highest. Study their search engine optimization tactics and content structure to see where you can improve. For example:
- Keyword focus: Which search terms are they ranking for that you aren’t? Analyze competitor keywords using SEO tools like Ahrefs or Google Search Console.
- Content strategy: What kind of SEO articles or resources are performing well for them? Do they create high-quality content around trending financial topics?
- Local SEO: Check how many reviews they have, how optimized their Google Business Profile is, and where they’re listed across the financial services sector.
- Website quality: Is their site faster, better optimized for mobile, or easier to navigate than yours?
Don’t COPY your competitors in the financial services industry; use their success as insight to improve your SEO strategy and boost your search engine rankings.
7. Check Internal Links
Internal links connect different pages on your website, helping both users and search engines explore your content. They also share authority between pages, improving your search engine optimization and helping key pages rank higher in search results.
Review how your pages link to one another. Your homepage should connect to main service pages, and related content should link naturally. For example, a blog post about content strategy can link to your SEO services page.
Common internal linking mistakes include:
- Orphaned pages: Important pages not linked anywhere on your site.
- Broken links: Links that go to pages that no longer exist.
- Poor anchor text: Using generic phrases like “click here” instead of descriptive ones such as “financial planning services” or “investment management tips.”
- Missed opportunities: Not linking relevant blog posts or services together.
A strong internal linking structure supports your SEO strategy, helps visitors find valuable information, and signals to Google search which pages on your site are most important.
8. Make Sure Your Website Is Mobile-Friendly
Over 72% of visitors on Google Search come from mobile devices, so if your financial services website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re losing potential clients and valuable organic traffic. A mobile-optimized site also supports your overall SEO strategy and helps improve your search engine rankings.
Mobile issues that often hurt financial websites include:
- Text too small: Users shouldn’t have to zoom in to read your content.
- Buttons too close together: Navigation, phone, and contact buttons should be easy to tap.
- Slow mobile loading: Speed affects both user experience and your technical SEO performance.
- Complicated forms: Keep contact or consultation forms simple and easy to complete on small screens.
If your website isn’t performing well on mobile, a professional technical SEO audit can help identify what’s wrong. If you work with us as your SEO expert, we can connect you with a trusted designer!
9. Fix Technical SEO Issues
Technical SEO ensures search engines can crawl, understand, and index your web pages correctly. Problems like broken links, slow loading, or duplicate content can reduce visibility in organic search results.
Check for:
- SSL certificate to protect user data.
- XML sitemap that helps search engines find important pages.
- Robots.txt file that guides crawlers.
- 404 errors or outdated redirects.
Use Google Search Console to detect technical problems or use paid SEO tools for deeper insight. A technical audit keeps your site healthy and aligned with SEO best practices.
10. Track Your SEO Progress
Even the best SEO strategies take time to show measurable results, so it’s essential to track your progress using accurate data.
Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console help you monitor performance and spot trends in your organic traffic. You can also use premium SEO tools like Ahrefs to track more detailed keyword and backlink data for your financial services website.
Key SEO metrics to monitor include:
- Organic traffic: The number of visitors finding your site through search engines.
- Keyword rankings: How your target keywords perform in search results.
- Click-through rates: The percentage of users who click your site when it appears on Google Search.
- Lead generation: How many client inquiries or form submissions come from organic search traffic.
Search rankings fluctuate naturally, and meaningful SEO improvements typically take 3-6 months to show results. If you’re not sure where to start, follow this FREE SEO Checklist.
Are SEO Audits Worth It?
Yes! SEO audits are absolutely worth it for businesses that want to expand their client base and improve online visibility. An audit identifies what’s stopping your website from ranking higher and provides a clear, actionable plan for improvement.
Instead of guessing or testing random fixes, you’ll get a prioritized list of specific issues that directly affect your search engine optimization performance.
This approach saves time and ensures your marketing efforts focus on what truly matters. A professional technical SEO audit also builds a strong foundation, making it easier to manage and refine your SEO strategy as your website grows.
SEO Audit Service for Finance Authors
At SJ Digital Solutions, we specialize in SEO audits for finance authors and other professionals in the financial services industry.
Our SEO Health Check identifies what’s limiting your website’s reach, from technical issues to keyword opportunities. You’ll get a detailed report, video walkthrough, and recommendations tailored to your niche.
We also offer ongoing support in content marketing, copywriting, social media marketing, email marketing, and local SEO to help you grow your audience and book more media opportunities.
–> Order your SEO Health Check today!
FAQs
How Long Does an SEO Audit Take?
Our SEO Health Check takes about 3 business days to complete. During this process, we carefully review your website, analyze competitors, and prepare a detailed action plan with clear recommendations for improvement.
How Often Should You Do an SEO Audit?
If you work with an SEO expert who regularly manages your SEO strategy, monthly tracking and updates usually replace the need for frequent full audits.
However, if you handle your own SEO efforts, it’s best to schedule a professional technical SEO audit once a year. This helps you detect issues early, stay aligned with SEO best practices, and adapt to Google’s evolving search engine algorithms.
Do You Offer Ongoing SEO Services?
Yes, we provide ongoing SEO services that include content marketing, local SEO, keyword research, and link building to strengthen your website’s authority and attract more qualified leads.
Learn more about our content + SEO services solutions for financial services companies!