The Objective
A boutique investment firm in St. Louis wanted to expand its client base beyond word-of-mouth referrals. The goal was to attract high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and professionals searching for financial advisory services online.
Despite offering personalized wealth management, the firm struggled to generate consistent inbound leads and needed a strategy to improve organic visibility for searches like “investment firms in St. Louis” and “retirement planning for business owners.”
The Challenge
Although the firm had a strong reputation, its digital presence was lacking due to:
Low organic search visibility – The website wasn’t ranking for high-intent keywords.
Lack of conversion-focused content – The site had generic service pages but no detailed financial education content.
Heavy reliance on referrals – Without a lead generation strategy, most new clients came from networking.
Minimal local SEO optimization – Competitors were outranking them in St. Louis-based searches.
The challenge was to build an SEO-driven content strategy that would attract qualified leads without relying on paid ads.
The Strategy
Our team included:
SEO strategist and content writer (me)
Link-building specialist
Technical SEO specialist
Together, we implemented a multi-step approach.
SEO-optimized pillar content and blogs
Developed long-form guides on key financial topics, such as:
Retirement planning for business owners in St. Louis
How to minimize capital gains taxes on investments
Tax-efficient wealth management strategies
Created pillar pages on investment services, structured with FAQs, callouts, and local references to target high-intent searches.
Link building and authority growth
Secured backlinks from local business directories, financial publications, and guest articles on reputable industry websites.
Built relationships with local partners and professional organizations to earn high-quality backlinks and expand online visibility.
Technical SEO and on-page fixes
Improved site structure by interlinking high-value content and service pages.
Optimized meta descriptions and title tags to increase click-through rates.
Enhanced mobile responsiveness and page speed for a better user experience.
Implemented schema markup to improve search engine visibility.
Lead capture and engagement strategy
Added lead magnets like a downloadable “Five Investment Mistakes to Avoid” guide.
Implemented email marketing follow-ups for site visitors who downloaded resources.
Created a monthly financial insights newsletter to keep leads engaged.
The Results
Within 90 days, the firm saw a significant increase in inbound leads and organic traffic.
Search rankings improved, with “investment firms in St. Louis” moving from position 23 to position 11.
Organic website traffic increased by 35 percent, with higher engagement on financial planning content.
Lead conversion rate increased by 22 percent, as more visitors booked consultations.
Google Business Profile views increased by 55 percent, bringing in more local inquiries.
Final Thoughts
By leading the SEO and content strategy, I worked with our link-building specialist and technical SEO specialist to create a sustainable lead-generation system that attracts consistent, high-quality prospects. Instead of relying solely on referrals, the firm now ranks for competitive search terms, generates more website traffic, and converts more leads.
A team-driven SEO strategy with strong content, technical improvements, and targeted link-building helped this firm strengthen its market presence and achieve long-term growth.