Generating Business From Google Local SEO

How Financial Advisors Can Use Google Local SEO To Gain New Business

SEO4Advisors Quoted in Financial Advisor Magazine Article On Local SEO

Brien Shanahan, Founder of SEO4Advisors, was quoted in a recent Financial Advisor Magazine article called “How Financial Advisors Can Use Google Local Search To Gain New Business, which introduces Google+ and how it can help advisors increase their presence in local web searches by their target clients.

Google Plus and Local SEO

The article, written by Mike Byrnes of Byrnes Consulting, then goes on to explain the powerful new features brought through the integration of Google Places and Google+ and the need for regulatory changes to address the rapidly changing medium of social media. We also covered this topic in a recent blog post and webinar, Local SEO For Financial Advisors And How Google+ Can Help.

Here are some excerpts from the Financial Advisor Magazine article:

Shanahan on the importance of local SEO for financial advisors:

“Local search has always been important for advisors as the prospects who use local search terms are often buy-ready prospects, looking for an advisor in their area,” says Brien Shanahan, founder of SEO4Advisors, which specializes in providing search engine optimization services to advisors. “If, as an advisor, you can get your firm to the top of those local rankings, you can have a new client almost handed to you from search engines.”

Shanahan on how financial advisors can improve Google local SEO rankings:

“Google’s local search rankings have always been partially determined by the number of reviews a business has and if they are favorable,” Shanahan says. “Say you are an advisor based in Massachusetts and your client writes a review on your Google Places page. If a friend of your client who is connected to him on Google+ does a search for ‘financial advisor Massachusetts’ they will see that their friend wrote a review for your firm and your firm’s entry will rank ahead of others for that search. That’s huge.”

Google Enhancements

Byrnes details the new enhancements that Google+ brings to Google Places including “an improved look and feel, with integrated reviews from both Google and Zagat users. The changes make it easier for individuals to discover, learn and share information about businesses.”

Regulatory Changes Needed

The regulatory stance on Google+ and other social websites is still uncertain, But Patrick J. Burns Jr., managing attorney at The Law Offices of Patrick J. Burns, Jr. P.C., asks the question, “Why can’t advisors have truthful and non-misleading testimonials?’ As long as testimonials do not inaccurately take quotes out of context, etc., I think an update to the Advisers Act may be in order. The SEC should concentrate on fraudulent statements, not truthful and accurate [and in context] testimonials.”

Read the full article on FA-Mag.com.