Search Engine Marketing

The Search Engine Marketing is set to boom, some analysts suggesting it will double in size in 2009.

How, and why, does this affect the UK IFA?

Most large insurers and life assurers etc are now doing over 60% of their sales online.

A few years ago the IFA was lagging far behind. However most IFA practices now have a website but unfortunately the majority still get only a small percentage of their new business from this source. The reason is simple that most IFA websites simply don't compete in the search engine marketplace. Having a web site is fair enough but it has to PERFORM.

Too many IFAs still have their heads in the sand about this, insisting "I still get my business from referrals"! Well I'm sorry but you think like that you are doing yourself a huge dis-service.

If 60% of new business is being done via enquiries from the internet and you are not getting any then all you are actually doing is handing the business to your competitors.

So what is the answer?

1. Get a website if you don't have one already.

2. Create "niche" websites i.e. a different site for niche topics such as "early retirement", "monthly savings plans", "school fee planning" etc. Having one website covering all your services and products simply doesn't work in the current marketplace.

3. Make sure your websites are optimised for Search Engines - brochure sites are better than nothing but will not produce new business in any volume.

Check out the following:-

XsitePro V2 - the best web-builder to create search engine friendly niche websites. You could easily build a site a day. It costs just $197 (around £100) and that is a one off fee. You can build as many websites as you like. Trust me its idiot proof - even the most internet illiterate IFA could be building websites in minutes.

XsitePro Home Page

XsitePro FREE Brochure

XsitePro Testimonials

Axandra iBP - the most popular search engine optimisation software on the market. It is used byt the likes of Ebay, Siemens, Zurich Assurance etc but it is even EASIER to use on smaller websites. It is the ONLY SEO software to give a Top 10 in Google or your money back guarantee! If you havent already got it you should have it.

Axandra Customer List

Axandra Home Page

Axandra FREE Search Engine Optimisation e-book

IFA Sites in Google

You are probably aware that the vast majority of IFAs have a website but have no natural presence in Google. The IFA market on Google UK is totally dominated by the Big Two directories; SearchIFA.co.uk and Unbiased.co.uk.

So, what can you do about it? Two things

1. Join the two directories (and there is no doubt you should).

2. Improve the performance of your own website.

That is far easier said than done. However there are tools available that really DO work.

Perhaps the best, in terms of performance AND value is the IPB from Axandra

Don't just take my word for it - search Google for Axandra IPB Reviews and you will see many other independent reviews of this simple software that is guaranteed to rocket your Google positions and your traffic.

Google Adwords and IFAs

Further to my post about this last year (Google Adwords) I received a rather abusive "comment" from an anonymous poster. Unfortunately the post was too offensive to publish beside which I dont like posters who log in anonymously anyway - something to hide??

The jist of his comment was that my figure of 16 IFAs using Adwords was ridiculously low and he went on to state that "thousands of IFAs are using Adwords".

Well, firstly the original post was almost a year ago now so obviously the numbers have increased!

However I have just run a diagnostic on Google and there are still only about 40 IFAs using the system "properly" for the MAIN high volume keywords i.e.

IFA,
Independent financial adviser,
Independent financial advisers,
Independent financial advisor,
Independent financial advisors,
financial adviser,
financial advisers,
financial advisor,
financial advisors,

There are more using the geo specific searches such as "ifa in birmingham" etc - but the searches on these are so low they should only be used as peripherals to a main campaign.

Google Adwords is easy and cheap and brings quality searches and potential clienst direct to your web pages.

For further information just click the Google Adwords button in the top left corner of this website.