For a healthy online branch, a $1 Billion asset institution should aim to book $1.2 million per month from organic (= FREE) Google search. Scale as appropriate.
Part 1: Set Up Google Search Console
1. Sign in to Google Search Console
Go to [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console/), and sign in with your corporate Google account.
2. Add Your Website
Click "Start Now" and select URL Prefix (easier for beginners).
Enter your website's full URL (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com) and click Continue.
3. Verify Ownership
Google will give you different ways to verify your website. The easiest is to use HTML Tag if you're using website builders like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace.
Copy the HTML tag provided.
4. Add the HTML Tag to Your Website
If you're using WordPress, install the Insert Headers and Footers plugin. Paste the HTML tag into the header section.
For other website builders, follow their instructions to paste the tag in your site's header section.
5. Confirm Ownership
Go back to Google Search Console and click Verify. Google will check if the tag is on your site. (It may take a few hours or even a day to verify)
6. Submit Your Sitemap (Optional but Recommended)
If you have a sitemap (usually found at https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml), submit it in the Sitemaps section of the Search Console.
That’s it! Google will now track your website's performance in search results.
Part 2: Check Index and Keywords
1. Check Page Index Coverage
Why is this important? When a prospect is searching for your financial institution, you want to make sure that Google knows you and sends the prospect to the right page on your website.
In the Indexing section, go to Pages.
Ensure that your main product pages (e.g., “Checking,” “Car Loan”) are indexed. If a key page isn’t listed and colored green, it’s not in Google’s search results, so you need to add it to the index. (Step 3 details how to add a page to Google’s Index)
Additionally, you want to make sure that the pages you do not want to show up in Google’s search results are not indexed and colored grey (e.g., “404 Error Pages,” “Old pages containing out-of-date information”).
2. Check Keyword Traffic
Navigate to Performance and scroll down to see the top Queries bringing traffic to your site.
Look for valuable keywords (e.g., “checking account,” “auto loan rates”) and identify the pages to which they are sending traffic to. If the correct page is not receiving the intended traffic, that page requires search engine optimization. (Check out Part 3 to optimize a page for SEO.)
3. Fixing a Low or Missing Indexed Page
If a valuable page is low in the index or missing:
Go to URL Inspection and enter the URL.
If it’s not indexed, click Request Indexing to have Google re-crawl the page.
4. If a page is a low-ranking (appearing low in the search results) indexed page then:
Optimize for Target Keywords:
Identify keywords relevant to your page and ensure they are strategically placed in your title, headings, meta description, and throughout the content.
Improve Content Quality:
Ensure the content is detailed, up-to-date, and provides clear value to the user. Consider adding multimedia (e.g., images, videos) to enhance user engagement.
Get More Backlinks:
Build relationships with other websites or blogs and encourage them to link to your content. The more quality backlinks you have, the better your page will rank.
Fix Technical SEO Issues:
Use Google Search Console to check for technical errors (like slow page load speed or mobile usability problems) and resolve them.
Request a Reindex:
After making significant improvements, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to request Google to re-crawl and re-index the page.
Improving a low-ranking indexed page increases the chances of appearing higher in search results, leading to better visibility and more traffic.
Part 3: Steps to Optimize a Page for SEO
The Goal:
By optimizing the page with proper SEO techniques, you’ll ensure that Google associates the correct keyword with the right page, improving your chances of ranking higher and driving more targeted traffic to the page that’s best suited for conversion.
To improve the page's Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in Google Search Console, you need to optimize it to ensure that the right keywords are driving traffic to the correct pages. Here’s how to go about this:
Steps to Optimize a Page for SEO:
Identify the Target Keywords
In Google Search Console, under Performance, scroll down to the Queries section to see which keywords (queries) are bringing traffic to your site.
Find keywords that are valuable to your business (e.g., “checking account,” “auto loan rates”).
Check Which Pages Are Ranking for Those Keywords
Identify if the keyword is sending traffic to the right page on your site. For example, you want the keyword "checking account" to send traffic to your "Checking Account" product page, not a blog post or unrelated page.
Optimize the Page for the Target Keywords If the right page isn’t ranking for a valuable keyword, optimize that page using these tactics:
Title Tag: Ensure the page's title contains the target keyword. For example, "Best Checking Account Options" if targeting "checking account."
Meta Description: Update the meta description to clearly describe the page content using the target keyword. Example: “Learn more about our checking accounts, and great benefits.”
Headings (H1, H2): Use the target keyword in the H1 (main heading) and H2 (subheadings) of the page. This informs Google what the page is about.
Body Content: Include the target keyword naturally throughout the content. Focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that answers users' questions or meets their needs related to the keyword.
Internal Links: Ensure other relevant pages on your site link to this page using the target keyword in the anchor text. For example, link to your "Checking Account" page using the text “Learn more about our checking accounts.”
URL Structure: Ensure the page URL is concise and includes the target keyword if possible. Example: /checking-account instead of /services/checking-details.
Check for Page Performance Issues
Mobile Optimization: Ensure the page is mobile-friendly as Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing.
Page Speed: Slow loading pages can negatively impact rankings, so use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix speed issues.
Reinforce with Backlinks
Try to get other reputable websites to link to this page. The more authoritative backlinks you have, the higher the page can rank.
Request Reindexing
After making these changes, use the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console to request reindexing, so Google re-crawls the updated page.
Part 4: Advanced Keyword and Index Analysis
1. Analyze Top Keywords
In Performance, filter the data by top keywords and check:
Click-through Rate (CTR): See if you’re getting clicks on high-impression keywords.
Average Position: Check if valuable keywords (e.g., “car loan”) rank high enough to generate traffic.
2. Identify Cannibalization Issues
If multiple pages rank for the same keyword, they could be competing with each other, reducing their effectiveness. Review which pages are ranking for important terms and consolidate or optimize content to reduce keyword cannibalization.
3. Force Reindex After Major Updates
After a significant update to a key page, use the URL Inspection tool to request re-indexing.
To boost visibility, ensure the updated page is optimized with keywords in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and content.
