What Your Competitors Are Doing on Google That You're Not

Most IFAs are brilliant at what they do. They're technically excellent, genuinely client-focused, and build practices that grow steadily on the back of referrals and reputation.

But Google doesn't rank you on any of that.

It ranks you on signals — reviews, local content, activity, technical structure — and most IFA websites are missing them entirely. The result? Competitors who may not be better than you are showing up every time a prospect searches for an adviser in your area. And you're not.

This isn't about big budgets or complex technology. It's about doing the basics consistently. Here are eight things your competitors are doing on Google right now that you probably haven't started.

They've Claimed and Optimised Their Google Business Profile

When a prospect searches "financial adviser near me", the first thing they see isn't a website. It's the map pack which for those not in the know is a cluster of local business listings that appear before any organic results. Advisers with a fully optimised Google Business Profile are sitting in that prime position. Advisers without one are invisible.

A complete profile includes accurate contact information, opening hours, services listed, photos of the team and office, and regular activity. It takes an afternoon to set up properly and pays dividends every time someone searches locally.

If you haven't claimed your profile, or if it's sitting there half-finished, this should be the highest-priority item on this list.

 They Have a Strategy for Google Reviews

Reviews are the new word of mouth. If you imagine a prospective client who has googled 'financial advisers near me' and finds two - one with 34 detailed five-star reviews, one with three — then they have already made their decision before clicking either website.

The advisers winning on reviews aren't luckier than you. They have a process. They ask clients at every meaningful milestone: after onboarding, after an annual review, after a successful pension transfer or protection arrangement. They make it easy with a direct link to their review page. They do it consistently.

Most IFAs never ask at all. If that's you, this is the easiest gap to close.

They're Ranking for Search Terms You've Never Thought About

There's a category of searches your competitors are quietly owning that most IFAs have never considered. Things like "retirement planning adviser in [town name]", "inheritance tax advice [county]", "financial adviser for business owners [city]".

These searches happen every day. They come from people who are actively looking for specific help, not browsing passively. Advisers with location-specific pages and service-specific content on their websites capture this traffic consistently.

If your website has no local pages, no town names, and no content targeting specific client situations then Google has nothing to rank you for. You're not losing to better advisers. You're simply not in the race.

Their Website Answers Questions. Yours Describes Services.

Google's job is to give searchers the most useful result for their query. A website that talks about what you do is less useful to Google than a website that answers the questions your clients are actually asking.

Guides like "How much do I need to retire?", "What happens to my pension if I die?", "Should I take my pension as a lump sum or drawdown?", these pull in prospects who are actively researching. They land on your website with a problem and find someone who clearly understands it.

A brochure-style website that says "we provide holistic financial planning" gives Google nothing to surface. It also gives a prospective client no reason to stay.

Their Site Speaks Google's Language

This one is more technical, but bear with it me because it matters.

Schema markup is a piece of structured data added to a website that tells Google exactly what your business is, what it does, where it operates, and who it serves. It can generate what's called an enhanced search result — one that shows ratings, contact information and service details directly in Google's results page, before anyone clicks.

Most IFA websites don't have it. It's not complicated to implement, but it requires someone who knows what they're doing. The advisers whose websites do have it are getting more visible, more informative results than those who don't — at no extra cost.

They Post to Google Every Week

Your Google Business Profile isn't just a listing. It's a publishing platform. You can post updates, articles, event information, market commentary, and client guides , all of which appear on your profile and signal to Google that your business is active, current and engaged.

Competitors using this feature consistently are reinforcing their local ranking and giving prospective clients something to read before they've even visited a website. A profile with regular posts looks like a practice that's on the ball. A profile last updated in 2022 looks like one that isn't.

This doesn't need to be time-consuming. One short post a week is enough to make a meaningful difference.

They Respond to Every Review — Including the Critical Ones

How you handle a critical review online tells a prospective client more about your firm than the review itself. Advisers who respond to every review — professionally, promptly and without defensiveness — demonstrate exactly the kind of calm, client-focused approach people want in someone managing their finances.

Ignoring reviews leaves your reputation entirely unmanaged. Responding well to a difficult review can actually strengthen trust. It shows you take feedback seriously and that there's a real, accountable person behind the profile.

This also applies to positive reviews. Responding to praise shows appreciation and publicly reinforces the relationship.

They Treat Google as a Business Development Tool

This is the underlying difference between the IFAs pulling ahead on Google and those who aren't.

It's not any single tactic. It's the mindset. The advisers gaining ground have stopped thinking about Google as something their web developer set up years ago and started treating it as an active, ongoing part of how they grow their practice. They show up consistently. They maintain their presence. They don't wait until something goes wrong to pay attention.

The good news is that none of this requires a large marketing budget or a full-time resource. It requires clarity on what to do, a sensible system, and the discipline to do it regularly.Contact Us

The Gap Isn't Talent. It's Visibility.

The IFAs outranking you on Google aren't better advisers. They're better marketed. And in a profession where trust and credibility are everything, that visibility compounds over time — in reviews, in rankings, in the quality of clients who find you.

If you'd like to understand where your Google presence stands right now, and what the most impactful changes would be for your specific practice, that's exactly the kind of work we do at 3060 Marketing.

We work exclusively with financial advisers and regulated firms. No generic strategies. No unnecessary tactics. Just clear, practical marketing that helps the right clients find you.

Get in touch at 3060marketing.com