Susan Theder
Susan Theder
ADVISOR MARKETING
posure that comes from outside their own channels. They can get that exposure several ways:
• By contributing a byline to a trade publication;
• By getting quoted in a news article or industry roundup; or
• By earning a mention or listing on a reputable directory site.
These don’ t need to be national placements. You can accumulate consistent, credible mentions across reputable sources, including local ones.
AI-Ready Website Content( 20 points)
When thinking about your website content, keep in mind that the way it is structured matters as much as what it says. AI platforms scan for content that answers questions the way real people ask them. You’ ll score poorly in searches if you use boilerplate language about your philosophy and business approach. You’ ll score better when you use conversational, question-driven content.
It helps to add an FAQ section to your website. According to Frase. io, a content platform and search optimization tool, 78 % of AI-generated answers include structured, list-based formats, and FAQ content is built to match that pattern.
So if you want to surface in these queries, it helps to write questions the way clients actually phrase them in a first meeting. Consider questions like these:
•“ How do I know if I need a financial advisor?”
•“ What happens to my investments if the market drops?”
•“ How do you get paid?”
Your FAQ should then answer these questions completely. That structure makes it much easier for AI to extract and cite your content when someone asks something similar.
FAQ and Structured Question Content( 15 points)
This is closely related to the last category, but it’ s distinct in an important way. The FAQ content by itself is important, but so is making sure the content is marked up in a way that AI engines can read it. That means looking into the FAQ page“ schema.” If you were to do this manually, it would mean marking up the questions with JavaScript object notation for linked data( also called JSON-LD), which specifically signals to AI tools that“ this section contains questions and answers” and weights it accordingly. Without it, even good FAQ content can be overlooked.
This is one area where your website platform matters. Our firm, FMG Suite, offers websites that include structured schema markups built in, so the content you create is already formatted the way AI engines expect to find it. If you’ re on a different platform, ask your web provider whether the FAQ page schema is supported and whether it’ s actually being applied to your content.
Cross-Platform Consistency And Local Visibility( 8 points)
AI systems build a picture of who you are by cross-referencing what they find across multiple sources. When your name, firm name, address, and credentials appear consistently across your website, in your Google Business Profile, in financial advisor directories and in social media profiles, that consistency reinforces your credibility as a real, stable, identifiable entity. Inconsistencies, even minor ones like a former firm name still appearing in a directory listing, create noise that reduces confidence.
Here are some practical steps you can take to make sure people don’ t get confused about who you are:
• Audit your name and firm name across all platforms and correct any variations.
• Claim listings on financial advisor directories like those hosted by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and the Financial Planning Association, and make sure your regulatory profile on sites like BrokerCheck is accurate and current.
• Confirm that your Google Business Profile address matches your website exactly.
Your LinkedIn Profile( 7 points)
LinkedIn is one of the few platforms AI tools treat as a credible first-party source for professional credentials. A complete, active profile with your designations clearly listed, a specific description of whom you serve, and recent post activity all contribute to how AI systems characterize you when your name comes up.
The element with the highest impact is the 220-character headline directly under your name. AI systems index it the way a search engine indexes a page title, and this carries disproportionate weight relative to everything else on the profile. An advisor whose headline reads“ Financial Advisor” or“ Helping clients achieve their goals” is nearly invisible to AI, even if the advisor’ s firm is correctly listed in the“ Experience” section. That’ s not sufficient on its own.
A strong headline packs in four things: your title, your firm name, your location, and whom you serve or what you deliver. In practice, it looks something like this:
Wealth Advisor at Summit Financial Group | Serving High-Net-Worth Families in the Greater Boston Area | Tax- Efficient Retirement & Wealth Planning
Every element here is doing work. The firm name and location give AI systems the geographic and entity signals they need to place you correctly. The client description and specialty make you citable when someone asks a question you’ re actually equipped to answer.
Getting A Clearer Picture
The first three categories of this score card are the highest-weighted and the fastest to move. The last three are meaningful but secondary. Some of it you control directly: your Google Business Profile, your LinkedIn and your FAQ content. Some of it, like earned media and third-party mentions, takes time and relationship-building that no platform can shortcut.
One important thing to keep in mind is to start with what’ s in front of you. Most of your competitors aren’ t thinking about this yet. But that won’ t be true for long.
SUSAN THEDER is the chief marketing and experience officer at FMG.
20 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2026 WWW. FA-MAG. COM