SEO for banks is just as important as any other industry. It is even more important for banks to build trust. So, how does one improve the ranking of their local branches? There are several SEO tips for you if you want to improve search engine optimization for banks.

Keep in mind that marketing the services of your bank might be different from the other marketing strategies that one would typically use. Let us take a look at some of the common challenges with banking SEO.

Why is Banking SEO Challenging?

Banks face just as many problems as any other industry when it comes to marketing. The biggest reason why things get complex is cultural shifts. The world is changing fast, and convenience is preferred by most consumers.

A lot of banking is done via mobile devices now, as well as through tablets and smartwatches. So, SEO for banking must adapt along with this transition to mobile banking.

Other elements like market competition and client retention are also serious hurdles to overcome. However, you can combat these challenges with the right SEO strategies. Finding the right strategies to improve SEO for a bank is challenging, which is why we have outlined some helpful tips to help you improve your online presence and rank your local branch on Google Maps.

Here are some of the tips you should implement to improve your local bank branch ranking on Google.

1. On-Page SEO

SEO is essential to marketing your bank like any other business. It will help you get better rankings for individual site page rankings on Google. Moreover, SEO will improve your traffic, leading to more customer acquisitions and foot traffic to your local branch. Optimizing for specific keywords, improving content for these terms, and assessing on-page factors are part of improving individual pages.

It’s important to have informative and unique website content. You need to focus on adding value to the content rather than just meeting a specific word count. Including your main keyword in the content, title, and headings will also contribute to your bank page rankings.

We also suggest optimizing your URL since it shows the hierarchy of your page. WordPress makes it very easy for users to edit their URLs before uploading and publishing a new post or page. You can include your keywords in the URL to make it stand out in the search results.

2. Focus on Content Quality Over Quantity

A common mistake that many bank marketers make is they try to reach the top of Google based on the quantity of content rather than the quality of what they publish. If a bank publishes ten blog posts in a week, they might think they will get top rankings faster, but that’s not how it works.

With this approach, the quality of the content usually suffers, so it is best to write less but more powerful content with helpful information. Posts that are long-form content and packed with useful information will contribute to your site authority, thus helping you attract more customers in the long run.

Writing a single blog post per week that is optimized correctly and created to provide value will bring better results rather than posting several low-quality blogs in a single week.

3. Build Internal Links

Internal linking is crucial for several reasons; for starters, it helps users navigate through your website. A customer might not exactly know all the services your bank provides. For example, if you offer mortgages, you can link it in your content, and the customer can click over to the relevant page. This way, they can find what they need faster and effectively.

Secondly, the internal linking helps Google’s crawlers explore all of your content, thus improving your rankings and traffic volume. The links help the crawlers understand the structure of your site and help your local branch get better ranking results.

4. Off-Site Link Building

Consumers love websites and companies that provide credible information. You can target trustworthy sites as a link acquisition target, pitching them to provide more information, and linking back to your website as a valuable resource.

Building external links improve your authority in Google’s eyes. For example, external links help Google confirm that your site is trustworthy and the external links correspond to the content on your website.

However, you should know that you are essentially building a relationship with a third party when you build an external link. Only secure links from websites that you want to be associated with. Building links on spammy low-quality websites is a bad look and can be interpreted as such by potential customers.

5. Optimize for Each Local Branch

Each bank branch needs to be optimized individually. Working on each listing separately can help you improve your ranking and customer acquisition. Here are some important things to consider when optimizing for multiple local branches.

Within your Google, My Business profile click “Create group” and give that group a name. This will allow you to manage multiple locations under one account. Add location pages to your website and optimize each for the specific location. Make sure your NAP (name, address, phone number) is consistent for each location throughout the internet. Secure Google reviews for each location Publish “Posts” for each location with branch-specific offers

Following the above-mentioned simple steps can drastically improve your local SEO for your bank branches.

6. Have Mobile-Friendly Websites

More than 60% of the traffic on Google comes from mobile devices, making it extremely important that your bank branch websites are all designed for smaller screens. With a lot of banking activities happening online and through your website directly, it’s important that your users can complete simple tasks – like balance checks, transferring funds, etc. – easy to complete on a mobile device.

Your traffic can improve significantly with a mobile-friendly site, as Google prioritizes websites with mobile-friendly designs and user experiences. Google’s goal is to provide the best results for its users – looking at the local search results and the websites at the top for any industry serves as rock-solid proof.

7. Address Security Concerns

Security is a major concern for most online banking. Adding an SSL certificate to your website is necessary. You can get an SSL certificate issued directly from your hosting provider – most offer these at no additional charge as well.

You should also make sure your privacy policy and terms are accessible to those that require additional assurance before entering their information on your website. With many data breaches recently and consumer information leaked, adding little badges of trust on your website can help consumers feel more confident in your website’s security.

8. Secure Google Reviews

Focusing on getting reviews for your local branch on Google is a great way to ensure that your bank branches get the exposure they need in the Maps results. Getting genuine reviews can help you present a more positive and professional outlook for each branch.

Various social media campaigns, email outreach, and in-branch displays can help you achieve this. Before a consumer commits to a bank to open a new account or apply for a loan or mortgage, they are going to do their due diligence and look for reviews.

Final Thoughts

SEO for banks is an absolute necessity if you want to beat the competition and be found at the top of Google’s search results. It can be very competitive, as financial terms are often the most difficult to rank for. Understand that bank search engine optimization is a long-term play and requires commitment.

If you would like to learn more about the banking SEO services that we offer and how our fully managed search engine optimization and online marketing campaigns work, please contact us today for a complimentary consultation.

Our team of search engine marketing experts will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have as well as explain how we can help your bank rank its branches at the top of Google Maps and drive new customer acquisition through your doors.

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