Gone are the days when finance brands could optimize poor content to rank highly in organic results. SEO has given way to Performance Content—the art and science of creating engaging and useful experiences that, in turn, are awarded high organic rankings because they’re helpful to users. Finance brands should now focus on (1) quality content and (2) organic measurement. Read more

1. C M O B R I E F I N G A u g u s t 2 0 1 4
N o t Y o u r B i g
B r o t h e r ’ s S E O
How finance brands can win on the new organic SERP

2. t h e f i n a n c e i n d u s t r y
is one of the most competitive digital verticals, and being a top performer in organic search is inte-
gral to financial brands’success. Thus, finance brands need to stay in tune with Google’s continual
organic algorithm updates, especially the significant ones.
In May 2014, Google announced a major update to its existing Panda organic search algorithm, called
Panda 4.0. This update focused on rewarding sites with quality content, hurting sites with poor con-
tent.While typical Panda updates have small impacts, some brands saw dramatic changes in organic
rankings and site traffic due to Panda 4.0. Since the release of Panda 4.0, eBay has lost more than two-
thirds of [its] ranking real-estate. And eBay isn’t the only loser (see winners and losers here).
since the release of panda 4.0
ebay has lost more than
two-thirdsof its ranking real-estate
To date, Google has confirmed 25 updates to the Panda algorithm. Additionally, Google will con-
tinue to release updates, making organic performance volatile - especially for brands following
traditional, outdated SEO practices.
The Panda Era (i.e. the era of quality content in organic search) is certainly here to stay. For many
organic search marketers in the finance vertical, winning in the Panda Era requires a significant
change in mindset - from SEO to Performance Content. All brands and verticals, including finance
should now focus on (1) quality content and (2) organic measurement.
Performance Content for Finance
At Performics, Panda hasn’t adversely impacted our clients because our primary focus in organic
search is creating and optimizing quality content. Gone are the days when brands can optimize
poor content to rank highly in organic results. SEO has given way to Performance Content - the art
and science of creating engaging and useful experiences that, in turn, are awarded high organic
rankings because they’re helpful to users. In the Panda Era, every optimization must be executed
with user experience in mind.
BEST PRACTICES in the PANDA ERA for FINANCE BRANDS

3. I n
o r g a n i c
s e a r c h ,
f o c u s o n
c r e a t i n g
& o p t i m i z i n g
q u a l i t y
c o n t e n t .

4. L e v e r a g e
a n a l y t i c s
t o m e a s u r e
c h a n g e s
i n o r g a n i c
p e r f o r m a n c e .

5. Performance Content for Finance
Did you know 78% of credit card users indicated they used their issuers’ website (Yahoo!/Bing Finance Study
2012)? If your brand has website content that isn’t valuable to users, it’s time to eliminate that content and create
and optimize better experiences. It’s simple: Google’s algorithm now favors content that Google’s users favor.
This fosters huge opportunities for financial brands to steal rankings by creating better content than their com-
petition. Valuable experiences for finance brands could include:
• Calculators (retirement planning,
budgeting, mortgage, etc.)
• Financial Advice
• Credit Card Recommendations
• Online Banking
• Business Banking
• Relevant News & Insights by Audience
• Macro-Economic Trends
• Customer/Client Stories
• Better Landing Page Experiences
(uncover via testing and learning)
Once you’ve created better content, put it to work by focusing on:
Organic Measurement
Due to the highly competitive financial landscape on the search engine results page (SERP), financial brands
need to monitor algorithmic changes closely. As Google continually tweaks its algorithm, it’s important for fi-
nance marketers to measure in order to protect against volatility. Brands must be immediately aware if algorithm
changes decimate their rankings, as this could significantly impact lead volume. At Performics, we follow the
below best practices for measuring changes in organic performance due to algorithm updates:
Algorithm updates like Panda 4.0 can be stressful for finance brands, as they sometimes feel as if they’ve lost con-
trol of their organic search performance. However, finance brands can ensure that they always remain in control
by focusing on quality content, which Google’s algorithm will always value. Additionally, you should have mea-
surement plans in place to ensure that you can quickly react if you’re penalized for poor content.
1
2
3
Utilize a system for measuring clicks, on-site metrics and organic positions as algorithm changes can un-
expectedly alter the landscape. This can include web analytics or SEO platforms, like BrightEdge.
Automate in order to react to organic volatility in real-time. For instance, at Performics, we use a pro-
prietary keyword-monitoring app that sends alerts to our account teams when rankings change, called
Benchtools.
React quickly. For instance, you may want to boost paid search rankings in the short-term to compensate
for organic traffic/leads/sales loss due to organic algorithm changes. This will help maintain traffic lev-
els while you focus on optimizing your organic experiences to regain rankings. To do this, it’s critical to
integrate paid and organic campaigns and measure them holistically. Focus on overall (paid + organic)
performance, rather than individual channel performance.
visibility
Asset Optimization
Improve on-site page elements,
content and architecture to max-
imize share of voice.
amplification
Brand Experience
Improve customer review out-
reach and branding to differenti-
ate against competition.
credibility
Trust
Develop deeper connections
with participants to foster more
valuable interactions.

6. f o r m o r e
i n f o r m a t i o n o n
P e r f o r m a n c e
C o n t e n t
f o r F i n a n c e ,
c o n t a c t
p e r f o r m i c s
t o d a y .
Lindsay Landsberg
SVP, Business Development
Lindsay.Landsberg@performics.com
+1 312 739 0670
www.performics.com