A step-by-step SEO framework you can audit this week

This checklist is designed for financial advisors—whether independent practitioners, RIAs, or advisors within larger firms—who want to audit their own website's SEO readiness. It covers two categories: work you can do yourself (on-page structure, local setup, compliance review) and signals that indicate when professional help is worth the investment.

It assumes your site is live on a modern CMS (WordPress, HubSpot, or similar), that you have basic access to Google Search Console and Google Business Profile, and that you're willing to spend 2-4 hours reviewing your current state. If your site is older than 5 years, uses outdated platforms, or has never been SEO-audited, plan extra time.

One important note: This checklist is educational and helps you understand SEO structure. It is not financial, legal, or compliance advice. Any changes to your website copy, testimonials, or advertising claims must align with SEC Rule 206(4)-1 (Marketing Rule), FINRA Rule 2210 (Communications with the Public), and your state securities board rules. We've flagged compliance checkpoints below—review them with your compliance officer or legal advisor before implementing.

Technical SEO is the infrastructure Google uses to find, read, and rank your site. If these basics fail, on-page optimization doesn't matter. Work through these in order—they're ranked by impact.

Indexing & Discoverability

• Open Google Search Console. In Coverage, check if Google has indexed all important pages (homepage, service pages, bios). Note any blocked or excluded pages.
• Check robots.txt (yoursite.com/robots.txt) — verify you're not accidentally blocking service pages or blog content.
• Test your sitemap: is it submitted and valid in Search Console? Size should be 50–500 pages for most advisory practices.
• Search for site:yoursite.com in Google. Does the count match your submitted sitemap? Large discrepancies signal crawl issues.

Mobile & Performance

• Run your homepage, a service page, and a bio page through Google PageSpeed Insights. Aim for Core Web Vitals passing on mobile (LCP <2.5s, CLS <0.1, FID <100ms).
• Test mobile responsiveness manually: open your site on a phone, tap buttons, read forms. If buttons overlap or text is tiny, fix it.
• Check page load time on 3G (throttle in Chrome DevTools). Target under 3 seconds—financial services sites with slow loads lose client leads.

Security & Trust Signals

• Verify HTTPS: all pages should use https://, not http://. Check your SSL certificate in browser address bar (lock icon present).
• Check for mixed content warnings (View Page Source, search for http://).

On-page SEO is where you tell Google what your pages are about. Financial advisor keywords are competitive and nuanced (e.g., "retirement planning for executives" is more valuable than "financial advice"). This section walks through the highest-impact on-page elements.

Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

• Review title tags for 5 key pages: homepage, each main service page (e.g., Retirement Planning, Tax Strategy), and one team/bio page.
• Each title should: (a) include your primary keyword, (b) be 50–60 characters, (c) sound natural—not keyword-stuffed. Example: "Retirement Planning for Business Owners in Denver" (good) vs. "Retirement Planning Denver CO Retirement Advisors Retirement" (bad).
• Write a unique meta description for each page (120–155 chars). Include a reason to click: "Learn how we help executives defer taxes legally and retire 2 years early."

Heading Structure & Content Organization

• On your homepage and service pages, check H1 tags: there should be exactly one H1 per page, aligned with your primary keyword.
• Use H2s to organize major sections (e.g., "Who We Serve," "How Our Process Works," "Why Advisors Choose Us").
• Avoid keyword stuffing in headers. Google reads context, not density.

Body Copy & Keyword Integration

• For each service page, identify the primary keyword (e.g., "retirement planning for business owners") and 2–3 related variations (e.g., "business owner retirement strategy", "executive retirement planning").
• Ensure your primary keyword appears in the first 100 words of the page and again naturally in body copy.
• Write for humans first. If keyword integration sounds awkward, rewrite it or drop it. Google rewards readability.

Schema Markup (Structured Data)

• Install schema for your LocalBusiness (organization name, address, phone, hours). This feeds your knowledge panel and local results.
• Add Professional schema if your site lists team bios (name, title, image, credentials).
• If you offer services with pricing or booking options, add Service schema.
• Test your schema using Google's Rich Results Test. Errors block rich snippets and local visibility.

Financial advisors who target a specific city or region earn the majority of their leads from local search results (Google Maps, local pack, local intent keywords). Many advisory websites ignore local optimization entirely—this is often your highest-ROI win.

Google Business Profile Setup

• Claim and verify your Google Business Profile. If you have multiple offices, each needs its own profile and separate verification.
• Complete all sections: business name (must match your legal name exactly), address, phone, website, hours, service areas, and photos.
• Upload 5–10 high-quality photos: office interior, team members (with permission), headshots, and any relevant images of your practice in action.
• Choose service categories carefully—"Financial Planner" and "Tax Preparation" are both relevant. Avoid adding unrelated categories.

Local Citation Consistency

• Audit your business name, address, and phone (NAP) across: your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook, LinkedIn, and industry directories (e.g., NAPFA, CFP, FPA websites if you're a member).
• Any discrepancies (different phone formats, abbreviations, suite numbers) confuse Google's matching algorithm. Standardize across all profiles.
• If you serve multiple service areas but have one office, use the "service areas" field in Google Business Profile—don't create duplicate profiles.

Review Generation & Management

• Review count and rating influence local ranking. Set a target: collect 5–10 new client reviews per month.
• Check where clients are leaving reviews now: Google Business Profile, Yelp, industry sites (e.g., Wealthraven, FPAs), your own site.
• Create a simple process to ask satisfied clients for reviews post-engagement. Important: Review solicitation and incentives are tightly regulated under FINRA Rule 2210 and SEC Marketing Rule. Ensure your process is compliant. See our compliance guide for testimonials and reviews for guidance.

Service Area Keywords

• Identify your primary service areas (e.g., Denver metro, Austin, Phoenix). For each, ensure you have:
• A dedicated service area page (e.g., /denver-financial-advisor, /phoenix-retirement-planning) with local content (not just location + keyword stuffed).
• Local NAP schema markup on each page.
• Internal links from your homepage and main service pages to service area pages.

Compliance is not optional. Financial advisor websites are subject to SEC Rule 206(4)-1 (Marketing Rule), FINRA Rule 2210 (Communications with the Public), and state securities board regulations. Before you implement any changes from this checklist—especially to copy, claims, testimonials, or advertising—ensure alignment with these rules.

Key compliance areas to audit:

• Marketing claims: Any statement about past performance, returns, risk, or fees must be accurate, complete, and not misleading. Generic claims like "We beat the market" or "Average 12% returns" are red flags. Review claims with your compliance officer.
• Testimonials and endorsements: If you feature client testimonials or advisor credentials, FINRA Rule 2210(d) requires specific disclosures. You cannot imply typical results from cherry-picked testimonials. See our testimonials compliance guide for specifics.
• Educational content: Blog posts and educational content are generally permissible under FINRA Rule 2210(b)(1). However, the content must not solicit business or imply a recommendation. Review any content that could be interpreted as advice.
• Third-party links: If you link to third-party sites, ensure those destinations comply with FINRA rules. You're responsible for content you endorse or link to.
• Advertising compliance: If you use Google Ads or other paid search, all ads and landing pages must comply with the same rules as organic content. Budget time to review campaigns with compliance.

Your compliance officer or legal advisor should review your website at least annually. If you don't have compliance support internally, consider a compliance-focused legal advisor or consultancy specializing in financial services.

If you have limited time, start with these high-impact, low-effort tasks. Most can be completed in 2–4 hours and will improve your rankings and local visibility immediately.

• Fix title tags on 5 core pages. Update homepage, 2–3 service pages, and 1 team/bio page with keyword-aligned, 50–60 character titles. This is searchable, visible, and high-impact.
• Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. If you haven't already, claim it today. Upload photos, set hours, add service categories. This activates local search and feeds your knowledge panel.
• Add service area pages for your top 2–3 cities. If you serve Denver and Boulder, create simple pages for each. Link them from your homepage. This captures location-specific keywords immediately.
• Check Core Web Vitals in Search Console. If your site has mobile performance issues, fixing them can improve ranking within weeks. Start with LCP (image optimization, server response time) and CLS (layout shifts).
• Audit and standardize NAP across all online profiles. Spend 30 minutes checking Google Business Profile, Facebook, and industry directories. Fix any mismatches. This boosts local trust signals.
• Review 10 random pages for compliance. Pick pages at random and ask: Could this claim be misunderstood? Are testimonials properly disclosed? Does this page imply advice when it shouldn't? Flag issues and loop in compliance.