I came across the following article in my never-ending search for useful materials to help our customers improve their marketing skills.

This article was written by Brian Horn, a well-known and respected Internet marketing consultant.  Brian is the owner of HornDog Search Marketing, LLC, an Internet consulting agency.  Brian specializes in website optimization, search engine marketing, paid ad management, email marketing, link building and web data analytics.

Although parts of this article are probably not applicable to most financial advisors, I believe you’ll find several of Brian’s tips useful in improving your marketing techniques and copywriting skills.

It’s important to maintain as high a ranking as possible for search engine results.  The higher your ranking the earlier your firm’s name will appear on a listing of companies returned by a search engine.  For example, the search term [“financial  advisor” “Springfield MO”] entered into Google produces 11,200 results, the higher you are on the results list the better the chance your firm might be selected.

This is what SEO or Search Engine Optimization is all about.  Take a few minutes to read this article, in addition to web search techniques the article offers many practical applications to improve your marketing skills. 

Brian Horn’s 5 SEO Copywriting Tips
by BRIAN HORN - JULY 7, 2010

Search engine optimized copywriting doesn’t have to be difficult. The following SEO writing tips ensure that websites will be ranked higher.  A higher rank means more website visitors visit the site which equates to future sales and profits (obviously, right)?

Tip #1 Write valuable content
Provide website visitors with valuable information. If the website looks attractive but has poorly written copy, readers will leave.  Does the website offer current news in that specific industry? Is the information “evergreen?” Evergreen content is information that isn’t outdated.

Tip #2 Everyone loves a freebie
What free incentive does your website offer? Include a complimentary consultation or free sample in the call to action. “Click here” isn’t enough to grab readers’ attention. Website visitors need to take immediate action and a site’s call to action needs to reflect urgency. For example, “sign up today for a complimentary Shiatsu massage” sounds more attractive than “click here to receive a massage.”

Tip #3 Readability
Go back and read what you actually wrote. Do you even understand the message? As the writer, if you don’t understand the message then neither will your audience.  Write for the reader and then write for the search engines. Don’t use keywords that sound unnatural and don’t “keyword stuff.” This black hat SEO technique – using too many keywords on one web page – is frowned upon by SEO professionals and will decrease your site’s overall PageRank.

Tip #4 Use bold and italics
The eye is attracted to copy that stands out from the rest. Don’t go overboard but highlight key messaging and points with bold and italics. You don’t want to give your readers eyestrain by overdoing it on the bold and italics.

Tip #5 Use well-researched keywords
Research keywords before using them in web copy. Utilize free online resources such as keyword trackers.  Create lists of keyword phrases relevant to how visitors would actually search the site.  Don’t create lists based on how you would search your company’s website. Think like your customers and clients – base keywords around the products and services you sell.