SEO Isn't Dead, But It IS Evolving

More and more users are searching, but not clicking through to websites. Simultaneously, more and more users are using alternatives to Google like ChatGPT to get the answers they're looking for. This may sound scary, and for some it should be, but this new multi-faceted landscape of SEO actually represents a massive opportunity for flexible, agile teams to compete with the behemoths of their industries. In this article, we'll show you how to:

1. Make smart, mostly simple changes

2. Get ranked, mentioned, and recommended

3. And ultimately, get results.

The New SEO Landscape for Financial Institutions

Gone are the days when keyword stuffing and link building were enough to boost your search rankings to the first page. Not too long ago, SEO relied heavily on tactics like keyword density, backlink acquisition, and basic on-page optimization. While these core practices still contribute to rankings, they’re no longer enough on their own. Today's SEO landscape is multifaceted, requiring a holistic approach that goes beyond traditional optimization techniques. Let's explore the key components of this new terrain:

1. AIO (AI Optimization)

Get noticed and learned by AI tools

This new, broad term can be confusing. It is the layer of modern SEO concerned with feeding clean, structured data and authoritative signals to large-language models and AI assistants so they accurately find, cite, and understand your website and brand. Understanding AIO is an essential first step for you and your team. If your website isn't built with AIO in mind, you're missing out on more and more users who are utilizing AI features when they browse the internet.

2. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

See your website's exact content in AI answer boxes on SERPs

An answer engine is a tool that bypasses the traditional list of blue links and returns a synthesized, conversational answer (often with citations) right on the results screen so users don't have to browse for the 'best' answer, and instead find it right away. Think of Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity, and ChatGPT with browsing for some examples.

Similar to AIO, Answer Engine Optimization focuses on structuring information on your website, but with a different, more direct purpose. While AIO focuses on getting "readable" by answer engines, AEO zooms in on feeding users exactly the information they're looking for. Think of AIO as preparing your library so AI researchers find and reference it, while AEO is crafting a ready-made, copy-pasteable snippet the answer engine can feed to straight to users, verbatim from your site. This involves creating and correctly structuring high-quality content to directly answer the common questions your customers are asking.

3. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Get sourced and recommended in LLMs

As ChatGPT and others gain popularity, it's extremely valuable to get sourced by these systems within their long-form explanations (such as when users turn on the 'Deep Research' mode in ChatGPT or Gemini). Think about it this way: even if Google may never list you above Bank of America in their search results for a given search term, ChatGPT might. It all depends on how your website is structured with high-quality content that directly answers a question and gives detailed, helpful, contextual information.

In practicality, all these terms (AIO, AEO, GEO) have some overlap. A large part of this article is helping you understand the terms simply so that they don't overwhelm you. The internet loves to over-complicate topics, and we love to simplify those over-complications! 

The easiest way to think about GEO is that while AEO focuses on providing short-form, exactly verbatim answers mostly in "answer boxes" on SERPs, GEO focuses on positioning your content as a trusted reference in long-form answers to more complex questions.

4. SXO (Search Experience Optimization)

Finally, drive results from your efforts

SXO takes a broader view, focusing on the overall user experience from search to conversion. This includes factors like page speed, mobile responsiveness, and intuitive navigation. You want to win the answer box or get referenced by LLMs, but you ultimately want the user who does find your brand and click through to your site to convert. SXO closes the loop.

Practical Steps You Can Make Today

Now that we've outlined the new SEO landscape, let's dive into some actionable steps you can take to improve your institution's digital presence:

1. Revamp your web pages with clear, structured information. Use headings, bullet points, and concise paragraphs to make your content easily digestible for both humans and AI.

2. Implement schema markup on your pages. Schema markup is a type of structured data code that helps search engines understand the purpose of your content. This structured data helps search engines and AI systems better interpret your content, potentially boosting your visibility in search results.

3. Provide direct answers to common questions your customers might have. Consider creating a dedicated FAQ section on your website and format each question and answer using structured headings or lists. This not only improves readability but also increases the chances your content will appear in Google’s featured snippets and LLMs' answers.

4. Improve your website's loading speed and mobile responsiveness. Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to identify and address performance issues.

5. Use clear, action-oriented CTAs throughout your site to guide users towards desired actions, whether it's opening an account, applying for a loan, or contacting a representative.

6. If you can, create and share your own original, authentic content on your website. Although Google’s stance is still “quality over authorship” for the time being, the internet is getting overwhelmed with low-quality images and videos and those types of pages are being down-ranked. This is a strong theme we’ve seen in our research and experience: high-quality, original user-generated content seems to be extremely desirable, and we expect this to become a crucial differentiator amongst an internet full of people trying to skip the hard work with AI-generated and templated content.

Turning Size into an Advantage

The new SEO landscape may seem daunting, but it presents a unique opportunity for smaller, more agile financial institutions to level the playing field and even get ahead. By embracing these new strategies quickly, you can enhance your visibility, engage your audience more effectively, and ultimately drive more business.

Remember: feeling overwhelmed is normal, and you don’t have to do everything at once. Don't get caught in analysis paralysis, just make small changes like the ones we’ve described in this article one at a time, starting today.

Not sure where to start? Contact us via the form below. We'd love to talk to you about your goals and outline clear, practical next steps for your marketing strategy.