A step-by-step SEO framework you can start implementing this week

This checklist applies to independent mortgage brokers and small mortgage brokerage teams who handle their own marketing or work with a generalist agency that needs a roadmap.

If you're a mortgage banker employed by a larger institution, your compliance and brand guidelines will override these priorities. If you're already working with an SEO firm focused on mortgage lending, use this to audit what they're doing and ensure nothing critical is missing.

The checklist assumes you have a website in place and basic Google Business Profile access. It does not cover paid advertising, social media, or affiliate partnerships—this is organic search only.

SEO for mortgage brokers has a correct sequence. Doing tasks out of order wastes time and creates compliance exposure.

1. Month 1: Compliance and Technical Foundation. Audit your website for CFPB/RESPA violations (certain rate claims, loan guarantees). Fix critical page speed issues on your lead capture pages. Set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4. This takes 1–2 weeks and prevents costly rewrites later.
2. Month 1–2: Local Visibility (highest ROI early). Claim and fully optimize your Google Business Profile. Build a local citation foundation (NAP consistency across directories). This generates leads within 6–8 weeks for most brokers in mid-sized markets.
3. Month 2–3: Content and Keywords. Map keyword intent to your loan products (purchase, refinance, rate-and-term, cash-out). Build 4–6 targeted landing pages. Ensure each page addresses a specific borrower question without compliance violations.
4. Month 3+: Authority and Review Flow. Generate client reviews on Google and industry platforms. Build backlinks from local business directories and mortgage industry publications. Establish a quarterly content rhythm.

Most brokers who jump to "content strategy" without fixing compliance and speed waste 2–3 months. Do the foundation first.

Priority 1 (Complete in Month 1):

• Google Business Profile: Claim, verify, complete all fields (NMLS ID display per state rules—check your licensing board requirements before publishing)
• Page speed audit: Test homepage and lead forms on mobile. Target Core Web Vitals in the green range.
• Compliance review: Have a legal resource or your state's mortgage licensing board verify that rate claims, qualification language, and disclosure statements meet CFPB and state regulations
• Google Search Console setup: Submit sitemap, check for crawl errors, monitor search performance baseline
• NAP audit: Ensure business name, address, phone are consistent across your site and major directories (Google, Bing, Apple Maps)

Priority 2 (Month 2–3):

• Local citations: Build presence in 10–15 relevant directories (mortgage brokers, local business, industry platforms)
• Review generation system: Set up a post-close email sequence asking satisfied clients for Google/third-party reviews
• Keyword research: Identify search intent for your core loan products ("refinance near me", "first-time home buyer mortgage", "low credit score home loan")
• Landing page creation: Build 4–6 product/loan-type pages targeting high-intent keywords

Priority 3 (Month 4+):

• Content expansion: Blog posts addressing borrower FAQs, rate environment changes, application process clarity
• Backlink outreach: Relationships with local real estate agents, title companies, financial advisors
• Internal linking: Link relevant pages together to distribute authority and guide borrowers through your funnel

This is educational content, not legal or accounting advice. Verify current rules with your state mortgage licensing authority and NMLS before publishing any loan claims.

Mortgage lending sits in the YMYL category. Every page you publish can expose you to regulatory review. These checkpoints prevent costly rewrites:

• CFPB Regulation N (Loan Originator Compensation): Never publish language suggesting your rates are designed to or that paying points reduces rates without risk. Avoid "lowest rates designed to" claims—the CFPB enforces against this aggressively.
• RESPA Section 8 (Kickback Rules): Any co-marketing with real estate agents, title companies, or contractors must be legitimate. Publication language must not imply referral incentives. Have agreements reviewed before co-promoting.
• Fair Lending (ECOA): Ensure your website does not contain language that discourages borrowers based on protected characteristics (race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, disability). Avoid phrases like "investor-friendly" or location-specific claims that serve as proxies.
• TILA/Regulation Z Trigger Terms: If you mention "APR", "finance charge", or "payment" on any page, you must also disclose all material terms. Many brokers accidentally trigger Reg Z without realizing it.
• State NMLS Advertising Rules: Some states require NMLS ID display on all advertising. Many brokers miss this on Google Business Profiles and citations. Verify your state's rules before listing optimization.

A compliance review takes 2–4 hours and prevents 6-month rewrites. Schedule this in Month 1.

Print or bookmark this checklist. Assign each item an owner (you, your team, your agency) and a target completion date. This prevents tasks from falling between the cracks.

Foundation Phase (Weeks 1–4):

• ☐ Compliance audit completed; legal resource reviewed website for CFPB/RESPA/ECOA violations
• ☐ Page speed tested on mobile; Core Web Vitals in "good" range on homepage and lead pages
• ☐ Google Business Profile claimed, verified, and fully optimized (hours, services, photos, NMLS ID where required)
• ☐ Google Search Console connected; sitemap submitted; no critical crawl errors
• ☐ NAP consistency verified across website, Google, Bing, Apple Maps, and 3 major directories

Local Visibility Phase (Weeks 5–8):

• ☐ 10–15 local citations created or optimized (industry directories, local business platforms)
• ☐ Review generation email sequence set up (post-closing or post-refinance touchpoint)
• ☐ Google Reviews response protocol established (response time, template, compliance tone)
• ☐ Local keyword intent documented ("mortgage near me", product-specific searches in your market)

Content Phase (Weeks 9–12):

• ☐ 4–6 product/loan-type landing pages published (purchase, refinance, rate-and-term, cash-out, FHA, VA)
• ☐ Each page optimized for primary keyword and includes compliance-safe disclaimers
• ☐ Internal links established between related pages
• ☐ Call-to-action (CTA) buttons tested on mobile; form completion flow audited

Authority Phase (Month 4+):

• ☐ Quarterly blog post calendar created
• ☐ 5–10 backlink prospects identified (agent referral partners, industry sites, chamber)
• ☐ Review generation cadence monitored; response rate tracked

Not all SEO tasks move the needle for mortgage brokers. Here's what many brokers waste time on:

Skip (Low ROI for brokers):

• Building a massive blog. Mortgage brokers don't rank for "what is an APR" or "how does refinancing work"—that traffic is too top-of-funnel. Focus on local search and product-specific pages instead.
• Chasing backlinks from high-authority news sites. Mortgage journalists rarely link to individual brokers. Spend that effort on local business directories and agent partnerships instead.
• Optimizing for "mortgage rates near me." This keyword is hyper-competitive and dominated by aggregator sites (Zillow, LendingTree). Your local GBP visibility matters more than organic rank for this term.
• Social media for SEO. Google does not rank pages based on social signals. Your time is better spent on reviews and citations.

Do (High ROI):

• Local search: GBP, citations, reviews (leads arrive 6–8 weeks)
• Product pages: Refinance, purchase, rate-and-term (attract specific borrower intent)
• Page speed and mobile UX (directly impacts lead capture)
• Compliance review (prevents regulatory and reputational damage)

Industry benchmarks suggest brokers who focus on local + product pages see qualified lead volume increase within 3–4 months. Brokers who chase broad content rankings often report little to no lead impact after 12 months.