SEARCHMETRICS INDUSTRY RANKING FACTORS STUDY. Searchmetrics Finance Ranking Factors Data Insights for Performing on Google

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1 2017 SEARCHMETRICS INDUSTRY RANKING FACTORS STUDY Searchmetrics Finance Ranking Factors Data Insights for Performing on Google

2 Table of Contents The Finance Industry More and more activity is happening online...4 About the Study: An Introduction to Ranking Factors...6 Infographic...7 Dataset and Study Background...8 Analysis and Results The Ranking Factors where Finance Stands out from the Crowd...9 Content relevance (Central Area)...10 File Size...11 Load Time...12 Presence of H1 (and H2)...13 Presence of Unordered Lists...14 Analysis and Results The Fun Facts we observed for Finance...15 AdSense/AdLinks...16 Keyword in Description/H1/Body/URL...17 Number of Images...18 Number of Internal Links...19 Social Signals...20 URL Length...21 Conclusions...22 Comparison table... 23

3 About Searchmetrics We are your pathfinder to content that uniquely matches user intent with the deep learning insights of the Searchmetrics Suite TM and Searchmetrics Content Experience TM platforms. Search has evolved into a data-driven field that requires powerful tools to guide companies through discovery, optimization and measurement of engaging storytelling. There s only one search and content development platform that owns its data: Searchmetrics, the world s #1 SEO and content performance platform. We don t rely on data from third parties. Our historical database spans five years and contains over 250 billion pieces of information, such as keyword rankings, search terms, social links and backlinks. It includes global, mobile and local data covering organic and paid search, as well as social media. We have the largest global reach of any search platform, crawling the web every day in more than 130 countries. Searchmetrics monitors and reveals the full business available to you online. We provide our customers with a competitive advantage and help them to identify new business opportunities by exposing the content consumers are engaging with on industry and competitors sites. Our SEO Visibility Score trusted by reputable media sources such as The New York Times, Bloomberg and The Guardian reliably indicates your online presence. We provide the insights our customers need to deliver results. Searchmetrics guides SEOs and content marketers with suggestions for creating content that improves relevance and boosts conversions. It shows the connection between social media links and overall engagement. And its analytics make clear which content performs the best and how an organization s content performs against its competitors. With Marcus Tober, one of the top 10 SEO minds in the world, leading Searchmetrics product development, we have over 100,000 users worldwide, including respected brands such as T-Mobile, ebay and Siemens. They all depend on Searchmetrics continuing innovations to maximize their online performance. If you have any questions regarding this whitepaper or the Searchmetrics Suite TM, please do not hesitate to contact us at

4 The Finance Industry More and more activity is happening online Bank branches are closing at a steady rate these days. In fact, 2016 saw the seventh-consecutive decline in US bank locations, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The numbers, however, believe the fact that total US bank deposits rose to $11.2 trillion dollars in the same period. Important players in the online finance industry: Banks (e.g. bankofamerica.com, capitalone.com, bestbank.com) Insurers (e.g. libertymutual.com, progressive.com, allstate.com) Credit platforms (e.g. mastercard.com, lendup.com, acecashexpress.com) Aggregators (e.g. nerdwallet.com, compare.com, thezebra.com) (Specialist) Journals (e.g. ft.com, thestreet.com, barrons.com) Info portals/other (e.g. marketwatch.com, oanda.com, forex.com) 73% of US adults prefer online banking The simple answer to this apparent contradiction is that activity in the financial services industry is now increasingly taking place online. A 2016 survey by the American Bankers Association found that 55% of American prefer banking online via their personal computers. Another 18% handle most of their online banking on mobile devices. The web, put simply, is key to succeeding in the financial services industry. One major difference between looking for financial advice online and getting it on the Main Street is the competition. Online not least on Google insurance companies and credit institutes are not just competing with each other they have to fight off magazines, comparison websites and anyone else who has something to offer consumers. 4

5 Nowadays, consumers are used to searching online for information before making decisions. The more important a decision is, the more research will be done beforehand. A J.D. Power study in 2016 found that 74% of shoppers for insurance use insurer websites or aggregrators for quotes and information. 74% of insurance shoppers go online to get information from insurer websites or aggregators Trust matters in the finance industry Whether it s looking at stocks, getting insurance or setting up a mortgage plan, financial decisions are always going to be extremely sensitive, impactful and important. Because consumers money is at stake, business and financial industry consultants must maintain a persistent and secure presence on Google. Search engine results pages can give even small players an outsized opportunity against established names, provided they have content and products that appeal to what users are searching for. Ultimately, trust is the key issue for consumers when it comes to financial services. Today, this trust no longer comes from a long-term relationship with your neighborhood bank clerk or stock broker what wins trust in today s environment is a high position in Google s rankings, achieved first and foremost by offering consumers relevant content and services that meet their needs. 5

6 About the Study An Introduction to Ranking Factors This analysis is one in a series of Searchmetrics ranking factor whitepapers that focus exclusively on one specific industry. If you ve just tuned in, you can get started with our Ranking Factors 101: What is a Ranking Factor? Rebooting Ranking Factors Rebooting Ranking Factors Google.com Find out more about general ranking factors General Ranking Factors as a Benchmark for differing Industry Ranking Factors For each of our industry studies, the general ranking factors, which were published in a separate whitepaper, serve as a benchmark. Whilst the general ranking factors and rank correlations provide an overview of which elements are generally the most important in terms of search, and how top-ranking landing pages vary regarding these elements, the general factors can no longer be considered equally relevant for all webmasters. Although there is a basic set of factors that can be considered a general requirement for rankings, ranking factors differ from industry to industry, and are therefore not generally applicable for all websites. Content demands based on user intent have simply become too differentiated. For this reason, the general ranking factors act as a comparative benchmark, providing context to the results. By comparing them with the general ranking factors, we can identify the ranking factors for which the finance industry has its own set of rules, and where webmasters operating in this industry should focus their attention or at least be aware of. 6

7 Ranking Factors for the Finance Industry Comparison of the Top 10 Average Values with the Benchmark in % Finance Benchmark (100%) Finance higher than the Benchmark B Ranking Factors for the Finance Industry I Fun Facts for Finance Content Relevance Central Area AdSense/AdLinks File Size* Overall Content Relevance Presence of Unordered Lists Load Time* URL Length Font Size (Above the Fold) Word Count Presence of H1 TLD is.com Presence of H2 HTTPS Bullets per List (max.) Font Size (Central Area) Bounce Rate CTR Number of.edu Backlinks Number of Backlinks Number of Do-Follow Backlinks Number of Domains Linked from the URL Number of External Links from the URL Number of No-Follow Backlinks Time on Site Content Relevance (General) Number of External Links Video Integration Number of Internal Links Interactive Elements Keyword in Description Number of Images Keyword in Title Keyword in H1 Flash Keywords in Body Facebook Total Tweets Pinterest Google +1 The data is based on a comparison of Google ranking factors for finance industry websites with the general ranking factors covering all industries (Searchmetrics Whitepaper December 2016). Download the whole whitepaper at: searchmetrics.com/finance2017 *Values inverted, because better optimized pages have smaller file sizes and faster load times

8 About the Study Ranking Factors for the Finance Industry The following 10 search queries are examples of the keywords used for the analysis in this whitepaper. Of course, not all keywords included in the set are equally relevant for all financial industry companies. Nevertheless, the use of specifically selected data enables a much more precise analysis of the finance industry than would be possible with a generic keyword set. social security amex free credit score auto loan calculator payday loans mortgage rates euros to dollars insurance cost of living calculator foreign exchange ecommerce TRAVEL MEDIA INDUSTRY RANKING FACTORS FINANCE HEALTH Industry-specific keyword set To analyze the ranking factors relevant to the finance industry, we created an industry-specific keyword set. Whilst the keyword set for the general ranking factors contained search terms related to all topics and fields and primarily included terms with a high search volume the results for this industry whitepaper are based on a smaller, more distinct dataset. For this analysis, keywords were only included that are relevant for the finance industry. In some instances, there is an overlap between the industry keywords and those of the general ranking factors but this is by no means always the case. The keyword overlap between this industry study and the general ranking factors analysis was only around 5%. Overall, the average search volume of finance keywords is much lower (around 12%) than for the search terms analyzed for the benchmark study. The use of a specially determined keyword set is essential because each individual industry in fact, even each individual search query has differentiated ranking factors. 8

9 Analysis & Results The Ranking Factors where Finance Stands out from the Crowd Content Relevance (Central Area) File Size Load Time Presence of H1/H2 Presence of Unordered Lists The most interesting factors for finance and some fun facts As ranking factors differ for each industry, it s not always the same factors that are the most interesting. For this reason, we have used our finance keyword set to first evaluate all ranking factors that were part of the general benchmark analysis. Based on these results, we have identified some ranking factors that are most interesting for finance websites from our perspective. Moreover, we are looking at some factors that show a significant difference in values and/or trends, when comparing the finance results with the benchmark analysis, though these may not necessarily be true ranking factors. These are our Fun Facts. 9

10 Content Relevance (Central Area) Across the top 20, finance URLs display a higher content relevance than in our benchmark study. The highest content relevance is found for positions 3 to 7. Content Relevance (Central Area) For our benchmark study, which did not focus on any particular industry, we developed an index, according to which the search result with the highest content relevance was assigned the value 100. All other results were then calculated in their relation to this value. We observe that high-ranking URLs for finance keywords have a higher level of content relevance on the page s central area than for the overall average across all industries. Compared with this benchmark, all top 10 finance domains have a higher level of content relevance, and therefore score above 100 according to our index. On average, finance domains on Google s first results page have a content relevance score for the central area of 145.5, meaning that this section of the page contains content that is highly relevant to users. 10

11 File Size The file sizes of top 10 domains in the finance industry are around 30% lower than the overall average. File Size The average file size for websites in the area of finance is lower than the benchmark level and the level for other industries such as ecommerce. One explanation for this could be that pages which provide information or services related to finance tend to make less use of images and/or videos than websites of other industries. The lower file size goes hand-in-hand with the quicker site speed, which was also observed for finance domains. Hint: For finance pages, even on desktop, it s better to have a technically optimized page and be streamlined and efficient than include unnecessary pictures or videos. 11

12 Load Time Finance domains load one second faster than the overall average. Load Time The average load time for finance domains on desktop is a second faster than in our benchmark study. This applies to all search positions in the top 20. Additionally, file sizes of URLs that rank highly for finance keywords are 30% smaller than the overall average. This could indicate that finance domains tend to use fewer images and fewer videos than websites dealing with other industries. Hint: Pages that rank well for finance keywords load fast. So see which volume-heavy elements of your page you can do without. 12

13 Presence of H1 (and H2) The presence of both an H1 and an H2 headline in the content of a page as an aspect of technical page optimization is more common among finance websites than the overall benchmark average. Presence of H1 (and H2) Content marked with the H1 meta tag is the main headline of the whole page document. Among other elements, this is a very important source of information and a structural element both for search engines and users, because it is supposed to carry the main content focus of the whole page. On average, 89% of finance websites in Google s top 10 have an H1 (H2: 78%), whereas the benchmark is only 85% (H2: 77%). Hint: Finance websites are focused on their main content. Having fewer images, and fewer other elements that get the reader s attention, means that the content needs to be structured well and provide the reader with the most important information. 13

14 Presence of Unordered Lists The top 10 ranking pages for finance use unordered lists to structure their content 23% more often than the overall benchmark average. Presence of Unordered Lists Unordered lists are also known as bullet points. They are a formatting element that helps to provide more structure to the content and therefore improve readability for the user. When it comes to financial decisions, users often want to get information about the pros and cons of a certain issue or specific information about different types or certain aspects of a product (different types of bank accounts/insurance options). On average, 69% of finance websites in Google s top 10 feature an unordered list in their content, whereas the benchmark is only 56%. Hint: Avoid long text passages without providing any structural elements that help the reader s eye to easily consume and understand your content. Of course, you can also use ordered (=numbered) lists, as well as headlines and paragraphs to structure your content. 14

15 Analysis & Results The Fun Facts we observed for Finance AdSense/AdLinks Number of Internal Links Keyword in Description/ H1/Body/URL Social Signals:Facebook Total, Tweets, Google+1, Pinterest Number of Images URL Length Fun Facts In this context, Fun Fact focuses on the interpretation that that these factors are obviously not decisive for ranking highly in google.com s search results pages, according to our analysis of the online finance industry. However, we consider those factors to be worth mentioning in the way that they show a significant difference in values and/or trends, when comparing the finance results with the benchmark analysis. 15

16 AdSense/ AdLinks Significantly more websites from the finance industry (61% more) include AdSense or other AdLinks on their page than the overall benchmark average. AdSense/AdLinks For finance websites, it s not a ranking factor to have more ads on the page. However, our analysis shows that it s much more common for top ranking websites from the finance industry to include some kind of advertising on their page when compared with the benchmark. On average, 16% of finance websites in Google s top 10 do have an ad on their page, whereas the benchmark is only 9%. Hint: Don t put more ads on your page to rank better. However, our data shows that advertising is much more common in the finance industry compared to the average. 16

17 Keyword In Description/H1/Body/URL Finance pages use the searched keyword three times less frequently in the body text than in our benchmark study. Keywords in Body Finance websites ranking on the first 20 positions use far fewer instances of the search term in their body text than the overall average. The keyword only appears 2.1 times, whereas the overall average, regardless of industry, is 7.4 more than three times as many. The total word count for finance pages is actually slightly higher than in our benchmark study. This means that websites ranking highly for finance keywords not only have a lower number of keywords, but also a lower keyword density than those ranking for our more general keyword set. We observe similar trends for the meta description, H1 and URL, all of which show far less use of the keyword for finance domains than found overall, when looking at searches across all industries. Hint: Even more so than other industries, keyword stuffing is a no-go for finance. Forget keyword optimization and start focusing on relevant content that holistically addresses the topic. 17

18 Number of Images Finance URLs on Google s first search results page use fewer images than URLs of all other industries analyzed. Number of Images Some search intents are best answered with text, others with image or video content. Our results show that users who are searching for finance keywords tend to be looking for text. Finance URLs ranking in the top 10 have an average of just 1.0 images of at least 200 pixels. This is almost 40% lower than the overall average measured across all industries. Hint: In the finance industry, users are rarely looking for images. Successful URLs concentrate on text content. 18

19 Number of Internal Links Top 10 finance websites have fewer internal links (81%) when compared with the overall benchmark average. Internal Links Pages ranking for keywords related to finance have, on average, fewer internal links than the number found in our benchmark study, and fewer than in all other analyzed industries. One possible explanation is that finance domains tend to be more focused in what they offer the user than websites in other industries. Whereas many ecommerce pages may provide vast numbers of different products (with links between the pages), finance websites that serve the user s needs may be more precise and specific in terms of what they offer. On average, top 10 finance pages have 102 internal links, whereas the general average is 126. Hint: Concentrate on making each URL deliver the specific content and related sources the user is looking for. It s not having huge numbers of links that s important. You need a user-friendly link structure. 19

20 Social Signals Top 20 finance domains display less than 20% of Facebook signals than the benchmark average. However, they have 70% more signals from the professional network LinkedIn. Social Signals Compared with the overall average, finance domains have very few social signals from Facebook. The average number of Facebook signals (combining likes and shares) for pages ranking for our finance keyword set on Google s first page set is less than 20% of the number from our benchmark study. Similar results are found for interactions from other social networks, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. However, the trend for the professional social network LinkedIn is quite different. On average, top 20 finance pages have 70% more LinkedIn signals than the overall benchmark average. This suggests that domains ranking highly for finance-related keywords are also popular amongst users of LinkedIn. 20

21 URL Length The URLs of high-ranking finance pages are 14% longer on average than in the benchmark study. URL Length Top 10 URLs in the finance industry are 14% longer than the overall average. This trend continues across the top 20. This is likely due to the fact that fewer homepages, and more landing pages at lower levels, are amongst the high-ranking results. The overall trend in the finance industry in line with, though more pronounced than in the benchmark study, in that comparatively shorter URLs tend to rank more highly. However, the impact of the brand factor is far less visible for URL length for finance keywords, as there is far less of a difference between positions 1 and 2 than when looking at the average across all industries. Hint: In finance, don t worry about long URLs! 21

22 Conclusions The main findings at a glance: Across the top 20, finance URLs display a higher content relevance than in our benchmark study. The highest content relevance is found for positions 3 to 7. The file sizes of top 10 domains in the finance industry are around 30% lower than the overall average. Finance domains load one second faster than the overall average. The presence of both an H1 and an H2 headline in the content of a page as an aspect of technical page optimization is more common among finance websites than the overall benchmark average. The top 10 ranking pages for finance use unordered lists to structure their content 23% more often than the overall benchmark average. Significantly more websites from the finance industry (61% more) include AdSense or other AdLinks on their page than the overall benchmark average. Finance pages use the searched keyword three times less frequently in the body text than in our benchmark study. Finance URLs on Google s first search results page use fewer images than URLs of all other industries analyzed. Top 10 finance websites have fewer internal links (81%) when compared with the overall benchmark average. Top 20 finance domains display less than 20% of Facebook signals than the benchmark average. However, they have 70% more signals from the professional network LinkedIn. The URLs of high-ranking finance pages are 14% longer on average than in the benchmark study. The keyword density for high-ranking finance URLs is much lower than the overall average. Other page elements, including the body, meta description, URL, H1 and page title, also see less frequent usage of the actual searched term. At the same time, the content relevance for finance industry websites is much higher than in our benchmark study. This clearly indicates that relevant content not content which simply makes liberal use of the keyword is even more important for finance domains than for websites in general. 22

23 Comparison Table The table summarizes the percentage differences between the top 10 averages for finance pages and the benchmark average values from the general ranking factors. Ranking Factor Top 10 Benchmark Top 10 Finance Difference (%) Correlation Benchmark Correlation Finance Content Relevance, Central Area (Index) % File Size (bytes)* 150, , % Presence of Unordered Lists (%) 56% 69% 123% Load Time (s)* % Presence of H1 (%) 85% 89% 105% Presence of H2 (%) 77% 78% 102% *Values inverted, because better optimized pages have smaller file sizes and faster load times. Fun Fact Top 10 Benchmark Top 10 Finance Difference (%) Correlation Benchmark Correlation Finance AdSense/AdLinks (%) 9% 15% 161% LinkedIn % URL Length % Number of Internal Links % Keyword in Description (%) 52% 33% 63% Keyword in URL (%) 67% 41% 62% Number of Images % Keyword in H1 (%) 38% 23% 59% Keywords in Body % Facebook Total 5, % Tweets % Pinterest % Google+1 4, %

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