Marketing

5 Ways Financial Advisors Benefit by Creating Profiles on Find-an-Advisor Websites

By 
Brian Thorp
Brian Thorp is the founder and CEO of Wealthtender and Editor-in-Chief. Prior to founding Wealthtender, Brian spent nearly 22 years in multiple leadership roles at Invesco. With over 25 years in the financial services industry, Brian is applying his experience and passion at Wealthtender to help more people enjoy life with less money stress.

Learn about our Editorial Policy.

To make Wealthtender free for readers, we earn money from advertisers, including financial professionals and firms that pay to be featured. This creates a conflict of interest when we favor their promotion over others. Read our editorial policy and terms of service to learn more. Wealthtender is not a client of these financial services providers.
➡️ Find a Local Advisor | 🎯 Find a Specialist Advisor

Establishing your profile on websites that help people find a financial advisor offers both obvious benefits and advantages you may not have considered.

Most financial advisor online directories don’t offer much more than basic details about you and your firm. 

The best find-an-advisor sites help people learn more about you and your services and provide powerful digital marketing and SEO benefits to strengthen your online reputation.

Here are 5 ways you can benefit by creating profiles on find-an-advisor sites:

1. Easy to Set Up and Maintain

The most popular find-an-advisor sites make creating and updating your profile page easy. Some sites also offer a done-for-you service option by creating your profile based on information found on your website and other online platforms.

While you won’t need to make frequent updates, it’s essential to revisit your profile a few times each year to ensure your details remain current. Be sure to choose platforms that allow you to update your profile at any time quickly.

2. Get in Front of The Right Audience

Consumers browsing find-an-advisor websites usually fit into one of two categories. Many are naturally searching to find an advisor who may be a good fit for their individual needs, while others may be farther along in their search and looking to learn more about you from websites other than your own.

Accordingly, it’s important to keep your profiles up to date on these sites to ensure people can find timely and consistent information about you everywhere they look, especially at the point in time they’re preparing to make a hiring decision.

3. Build Your Professional Brand

Your profile offers an opportunity to reinforce your brand and make an impactful first (or second) impression.

For many consumers, viewing your profile will be the first time they learn about who you are and the services you offer. Others have already visited your website and are looking at your profiles on find-an-advisor sites to learn more about you.

And as the number of financial advisors with online reviews grows in the coming years, consumers will increasingly expect to find reviews about you on find-an-advisor sites.

4. Gain Immediate Credibility

Reputable find-an-advisor websites have already established authority with search engines like Google, which means your profile on these sites offers immediate benefits in the form of credibility with consumers and your online reputation with search engines.

In fact, when you Google yourself, you’ll often find your profiles on find-an-advisor sites rank nearly as high (or sometimes higher) than your own website.

Remember that many people thinking about hiring you are likely to Google you before they do, so ensuring your profiles on find-an-advisor sites are up to date can help ensure they find consistent information about you wherever they look.

5. Cost-Effective

When it comes to digital marketing, creating your profile on find-an-advisor sites offers considerable value for a low monthly price or annual cost.

And according to a 2020 industry benchmarking study conducted by Michael Kitces at Nerd’s Eye View, paid web listing services rank among the top 5 most cost-effective marketing strategies

Thus, maintaining your profiles on find-an-advisor sites can be a solid foundation from which to build your overall marketing strategy with compelling ROI.

Which Find-An-Advisor Sites Should You Choose?

There are many factors to consider to determine which find-an-advisor websites are best for growing your business.

To start, you may be affiliated with associations or networks like NAPFA or XY Planning Network that offer you a profile page listing in an online directory. Or directories sponsored by credentialing organizations like the CFP Board that help consumers find advisors who have earned the designations they administer. Since your annual membership likely includes a profile page in these directories, it’s wise to maintain these at the very least.

Next, you’ll want to consider creating profiles on find-an-advisor websites where their primary business is helping people find the best financial advisors for their individual needs. Profile pages on these websites are generally more robust and designed with SEO in mind to help you rank higher in search results and better manage your online reputation.

If you’re a fee only financial planner, Fee Only Network is a find-an-advisor website you may want to join. If you’re eligible to be listed in their directory, you can create a profile page for a reasonable cost and gain SEO benefits.

The latest find-an-advisor website you should consider joining is Wealthtender. Unlike most find-an-advisor websites, Wealthtender helps people find advisors based on the areas of specialization most important to their individual needs, along with their location if proximity is important. 

In addition to SEO benefits tied to your profile page, you’ll further strengthen your SEO, build authority and gain recognition when you’re featured in articles and guides relevant to your business. This also improves your prominence relied upon by Google to help you rank higher in search results.

Wealthtender is also the first financial advisor review platform designed to comply with the SEC Marketing rule, offering Certified Advisor Reviews that help consumers make smarter hiring decisions. 

Especially if you plan to grow your business with testimonials in the years ahead, creating your profile on Wealthtender today ensures you’re ready for digital marketing success in the future. The reviews feature can be turned on whenever you’re ready or turned off anytime.

Benefits of Find-An-Advisor SitesWealthtenderFee Only NetworkAffiliation Sites
Personalized Profile🟢🟢🟡
Free Profile Setup Service🟢🟢🟡
SEO Benefits🟢🟢🟡
Search by Zip Code🟢🟢🟢
Search by Niche / Specialization🟢🔴🟡
Search by Compensation Alternatives🟢🔴🟡
Get Featured in Articles and Guides🟢🔴🟡
Reviews / Testimonial Marketing🟢🔴🔴
Opportunities to Get Quoted🟢🔴🟡
Access to a Content Library🟢🔴🔴
Social Media Amplification Services🟢🔴🔴
Advisory Firm Solutions (2+ Advisors)🟢🔴🔴

Legend: 🟢 Yes  |  🔴 No  |  🟡 Maybe

The Bottom Line

To succeed as a financial advisor, you need a marketing plan that combines digital marketing strategies with traditional sales and advertising tactics. This is especially important today if your goal is to build a sustainable and profitable business.

By establishing your profile on the right find-an-advisor websites, you’re taking advantage of one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies to strengthen your online reputation, improve your SEO, and increase the likelihood of reaching your ideal clients.

Think of your profiles on find-an-advisor websites as the foundation of your overall marketing strategy, then layer on additional digital marketing and sales tactics tailored to your unique needs and growth goals.

Regardless of whether you work with in-house marketing professionals, a marketing consultant, or oversee your marketing activities on your own, you can build a robust marketing plan to stand out from the competition and profitably accelerate your growth.


Are you ready to power up your digital marketing strategy in 2022 and beyond?

Visit wealthtender.com/grow today to learn more.


A headshot of Brian Thorp, the founder and CEO of Wealthtender

About the Author

Brian Thorp

Brian is CEO and founder of Wealthtender and Editor-in-Chief. He and his wife live in Austin, Texas. With over 25 years in the financial services industry, Brian is applying his experience and passion at Wealthtender to help more people enjoy life with less money stress. Learn More about Brian

To make Wealthtender free for readers, we earn money from advertisers, including financial professionals and firms that pay to be featured. This creates a conflict of interest when we favor their promotion over others. Read our editorial policy and terms of service to learn more. Wealthtender is not a client of these financial services providers.
➡️ Find a Local Advisor | 🎯 Find a Specialist Advisor