Client overview
An independent financial adviser (IFA) firm in the UK with 6 staff, providing retirement planning, pensions, ISAs and investment advice, and protection. The business had a strong referral base but wanted a more consistent flow of inbound enquiries from Google without relying on lead sellers.
Goals
Increase qualified enquiries for retirement planning and investment advice
Improve local visibility for “IFA near me” style searches and high intent service keywords
Strengthen trust signals and content quality to support long term rankings in a regulated, high trust niche
Starting point
The site had limited service depth and most pages were generic
No clear location targeting beyond a contact page
Few trust elements beyond basic “about” copy, and weak author signals
Blog content was inconsistent and not tied to service pages
Tracking did not clearly separate calls, forms, and consultation requests from organic traffic
Strategy and approach
Technical and tracking foundation
Technical audit and fixes to improve crawl efficiency, duplicate page issues, and mobile performance
Implemented conversion tracking for calls, forms, and “book a consultation” clicks
Added structured data for organisation and FAQs where appropriate
Improved page templates to surface key trust elements consistently
High intent service pages built around real searches
Created or rebuilt core pages to match search intent, including:
independent financial adviser
retirement planning advice
pension advice and consolidation
SIPP advice
ISA and investment advice
inheritance tax planning overview content where appropriate
Each page was written in clear, compliant language with:who the service is suitable for and common scenarios
what the process looks like and what information is needed
clear explanations and helpful FAQs without making promises
stronger calls to action and consultation prompts
Local SEO and visibility improvements
Optimised Google Business Profile and tightened category and service descriptions
Built location pages targeting the main service area and nearby towns
Implemented a review acquisition process and added review snippets and testimonials on site
Ensured consistent business details across key directories and citations
Content plan focused on high intent questions
Produced supporting content that answered the questions people search before booking a call, such as:
“How much does an IFA cost in the UK”
“SIPP vs workplace pension: what to consider”
“ISA allowances explained”
“When does it make sense to consolidate pensions”
Each piece supported a service page and included clear next steps for a consultation.
Authority building through manual outreach
Secured niche relevant editorial placements via manual outreach on business and personal finance sites
Focused on branded and natural anchors to keep the profile conservative
Built links to informational assets and core service pages to strengthen topical authority and trust
Work delivered
Technical audit and fixes
6 service pages rebuilt and expanded
2 location pages created and optimised
6 supporting articles targeting high intent questions
6 outreach placements with contextual links and full reporting
Tracking dashboard for organic calls, forms, and consultation requests
Timeline
Weeks 1 to 2
Audit, technical fixes, tracking, page strategy
Weeks 3 to 6
Service pages built, internal linking, local SEO improvements
Weeks 7 to 12
Content publishing, outreach placements, conversion refinement
Results after 12 weeks
These results are shown as an example format you can use on the page.
Organic sessions up 49 percent
Non branded impressions up 63 percent
“IFA near me” and local service queries moved into the top 3 in the primary area
Consultation request forms from organic up 34 percent
Phone calls from organic up 22 percent
7 priority keywords moved into the top 10, including:
independent financial adviser London
retirement planning advice
pension consolidation advice
SIPP adviser
What the client said
We wanted more consistent enquiries without buying leads. The work improved our visibility quickly, but it also made the site feel more credible. Communication was clear and the reporting focused on consultations, not vanity metrics.
Key takeaway
For IFAs, SEO works best when it combines local visibility, clear service pages, strong trust signals, and conservative authority building. In high trust niches, clarity and credibility are as important as keywords.
Call to action
If you run an IFA firm and want more qualified enquiries from Google, Finsem can rebuild your service pages, improve local visibility, and run manual outreach that supports sustainable rankings and consultation requests.