Ideas for keywords (that’ll actually help your finance business get found)

You’re brilliant at what you do. You can explain the intricacies of pension carry-forward rules or guide someone through the mortgage application process with your eyes closed. Your clients love working with you because you make complicated things simple.

But nobody can actually find you.

And I get it. You’ve spent years learning to speak finance – the technical terms, the regulatory language, the proper way to describe what you do. But your potential clients are typing that jargon into Google.

They’re not searching for “holistic wealth management solutions” or “strategic tax optimisation”. They’re typing “how do I pay less tax” or “best pension for self-employed”.

And that gap costs you clients.

Why most finance professionals get keywords wrong

Don’t beat yourself up. It’s not your fault.

Nobody taught you about ideas for keywords at university or during your professional qualifications. You learned how to be excellent at your job, how to understand complex regulations, how to serve your clients well. Keyword research probably didn’t come up once (unless you count the time someone told you to “make sure you use SEO” and left you utterly baffled about what that actually meant).

The thing is keyword research, more simply, ideas for keywords, sounds way more complicated than it actually is. Strip away all the jargon and it comes down to this: figuring out what words people actually type when they need someone like you.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

When I work with finance professionals on their marketing, the first thing I do is help them understand they’re not trying to game Google or trick the algorithm. They’re just… translating. Taking what they know and putting it in the words their clients use.

Stop thinking about keywords and start thinking about keyphrases

Here’s where I need you to make a mental shift.

Everyone talks about “keywords” but that’s misleading. Because yes, it would be brilliant to rank on the front page of Google for “accountant” or “financial advisor”. But you know what? So would about 50,000 other people.

The chances of that happening are roughly the same as me ranking for “copywriter”. Which is to say… it’s just not happening.

But “ACCA-qualified accountant for contractors in Bristol”? Now we’re having a different conversation.

“Mortgage broker for medical professionals”? Much more achievable.

“Pension advice for expats returning to UK”? You’re probably already one of only a handful of people who do that specific thing.

Simple ideas for keywords

This is what I mean by keyphrases. You’re looking for the combinations of words that describe exactly what you do, for exactly who you do it for, and (often) exactly where you do it. These are your ideas for keywords.

Some of these will be longer – three, four, five words strung together. Some will be questions. Some will include your location. But they’ll all be more specific than a single word… and that specificity is what makes them valuable.

Think about it from your client’s perspective. If someone searches for “accountant”, they could be looking for anything. A job. A definition. An accountant in Australia. But if they search for “accountant for small businesses in Reading”? They know what they want. And if you are an accountant for small businesses in Reading, that’s your person.

Where to actually find these ideas

Right. This is where it gets practical.

I’m going to walk you through three stages here, starting with the easiest (what you already know) and building up to some simple tools you can use.

Stage 1: Start with what you already know

Before you go anywhere near a keyword research tool, grab a notebook. Or open a new document. Whatever works for you (I’m a notebook person myself, but you do you).

Think about your last five discovery calls or client meetings. What did people ask you? Not the technical questions you answered once you were deep into the work, but the initial questions. The things they wanted to know before they decided whether to work with you.

I’m willing to bet you get asked the same things over and over, right?

“How much does this cost?”

“Do I really need an accountant if I’m just a sole trader?”

“What’s the difference between a mortgage broker and going direct to the bank?” “Can you help with inheritance tax planning?”

Write them all down. Every single question you can remember.

Now think about the problems people come to you with. The thing that made them pick up the phone or send that email. Maybe it’s

“I’ve been told I need to register for VAT and I’m panicking” or

“My previous accountant retired and I need someone who understands construction industry scheme” or

“We’re buying our first home and the whole process feels overwhelming”.

These problems are the golden ideas for keywords. Because if your clients are experiencing these problems, they’re typing them into Google before they even know you exist.

Stage 2: Look at your own content

If you’ve already got a website, or you’ve written LinkedIn posts, or you’ve got a FAQ section anywhere… go read it.

What topics keep coming up? What do you find yourself explaining repeatedly? What gets the most questions when you post about it on social media?

I can almost guarantee there’s a pattern. Maybe you keep writing about Making Tax Digital because it’s a common concern for your clients. Maybe you’ve answered questions about capital gains tax on property sales a dozen times. Maybe your most engaged LinkedIn posts are always about a specific type of client situation.

Pay attention to that. Your existing content is telling you what people want to know about, providing you with loads of ideas for keywords.

Stage 3: Use some free tools

Alright, here’s where I’m going to give you a few simple tools you can use to expand your ideas. And I promise, these are genuinely simple. No complex dashboards or overwhelming data.

Google’s “People Also Ask” feature

You know when you search for something on Google and there’s that box with related questions that expand when you click on them? That’s Google telling you exactly what else people want to know about your topic.

Try it now. Type in one of your services – “limited company tax” or “mortgage advice for self-employed” or whatever fits your business. Look at what comes up in that People Also Ask section.

Those questions are real things real people have typed into Google. If enough people search for something, Google shows it. Which means if you answer those questions on your website or in a blog post, you’re giving Google exactly what it wants to show people.

Here’s a handy tip… when you click on one of those questions, more questions appear. You can keep clicking and get a whole list of related questions. (I’ve spent many happy hours going down these rabbit holes, but that’s probably that’s just me.)

Google Autocomplete

This one’s even simpler.

Start typing a phrase into Google but don’t hit enter. Just type “how to choose a” or “what is” or “do I need” followed by your service. Google will show you the most common ways people finish that sentence.

For instance, if you type “do I need a financial advisor if” – see what Google suggests people are searching for. “Do I need a financial advisor if I have a pension” or “do I need a financial advisor if I’m 30” or whatever comes up.

It’s basic, but it works. And it costs you nothing to find even more ideas for keywords.

AnswerThePublic

This is a free tool (well, you get a few searches a day for free) that visualises all the questions people are asking about your topic. You type in a word or phrase and it shows you questions starting with who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Fair warning, the free version is limited and the visualisation can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not used to it. But for getting ideas for blog posts or FAQ content, it’s a great starting point.

I’m deliberately not overwhelming you with loads of tools here. There are paid options – I use some myself, and if you get serious about SEO you might want to invest in something like Ubersuggest, SE Ranking or Ahrefs. But for most finance professionals who just want to create better content and get found more easily, the free options will get you started.

Using AI to give you ideas for keywords

Claude, Perplexity or ChatGPT could also be a good source of ideas for keywords. Prompt your favourite LLM with:

‘Give me 20 suggestions for what a potential client for my [your service] would type into Google.

E.g. Give me 20 suggestions for what a potential client for my first-time buyer mortgage broker services would type into Google.

The finance professional’s keyword brainstorming worksheet

Let me give you a framework you can actually use. I’m a big believer in making things practical, so here’s how to organise all these ideas you’re gathering.

Your core service + your niche + your location

This is your foundation. Take what you do, who you do it for, and where you do it, and combine them in different ways.

Examples:

• Tax planning for limited company directors in Leeds
• Mortgage advice for first-time buyers Sheffield
• Pension advice for medical professionals UK
• Accountant for freelance consultants Birmingham
• Financial planning for families approaching retirement
• Buy-to-let mortgage broker Manchester

See how specific these are? You’re not trying to be everything to everyone. You’re trying to be exactly the right person for your ideal client.

And here’s something worth knowing… your location isn’t just your town. It’s your county, your region, your country. If you’re in Cheltenham, you might also rank for Gloucester, Gloucestershire, Cotswolds, South West, UK. Cast your net a bit wider when you’re thinking about location.

Questions your clients actually ask

Turn those discovery call questions into ideas for keywords.

Template them out like this:

• “How much does [your service] cost?”
• “Do I need [your service] if I’m [specific situation]?”
• “What’s the difference between [option A] and [option B]?”
• “When should I [take this action]?”
• “Can I [do this thing] without [your service]?”

Real examples for different finance professionals:

• “How much does an accountant cost for a small business?”
• “Do I need a mortgage broker if I have a good credit score?”
• “What’s the difference between a stakeholder pension and a SIPP?”
• “When should I start saving into a pension?”
• “Can I do my own tax return if I’m self-employed?”

These question-based keyphrases are brilliant for blog posts. Each one could be a whole article. And when you answer them well, you’re also giving yourself a shot at appearing in that People Also Ask section I mentioned earlier.

Pain points and problems

What keeps your ideal client awake at 3am?

This is where you get into the emotional side of things. The worries, the fears, the “what if” scenarios that make people finally pick up the phone.

Maybe it’s:

• “What happens if I mess up my tax return?”
• “How to avoid inheritance tax on my parents’ estate”
• “Worried about retirement income”
• “Can’t get a mortgage with bad credit”
• “Panic about making tax digital deadline”

When you write content around these pain points, you’re not just helping people find you… you’re showing them you understand what they’re going through. You get it. You’ve helped other people in exactly this situation.

The compliance bit (Ignore it at your peril)

Right, I need to mention this because it matters.

If you’re FCA-regulated, you already know you can’t make claims you can’t back up. You can’t promise specific returns or guaranteed outcomes. You can’t use certain words without appropriate risk warnings.

The same applies to your keywords.

You can write about “how to reduce your tax bill legally” but you probably shouldn’t use keyphrases like “guaranteed tax savings” or “double your investment returns” even if people are searching for those things. Because your compliance team will have a fit, and rightly so.

This is actually one of the advantages of working with someone like me who understands both the marketing side and the finance regulations. I know where the lines are. But if you’re doing this yourself, just… stay on the right side of those FCA rules, yeah? It’s not worth the risk.

What to actually do with these keywords once you have them

Alright, you’ve got your ideas for keywords. Could be 20, could be 50, could be 100. Now what?

First, don’t try to use them all at once. You’ll need a very long lie down if you do.

Start with the questions

They’re the easiest to turn into content. One question = one blog post. Simple as that. Write the answer in a clear, helpful way (like you would if a client asked you in person), make sure you use that question as your title or in your first paragraph, and you’re done.

Use them naturally

Please, please, pretty please, I’m begging you, don’t start stuffing keywords into every sentence until your content reads like a robot wrote it. I aim for around 1% keyword density – which basically means if you’re writing a 500-word blog post, your main keyphrase should appear about 5 times. But don’t get hung up on that %, because if you’re writing naturally about your topic, this usually happens without you having to force it.

Spread them around

You don’t need to cram everything into one page. In fact, it’s bad practice to try to optimise for multiple keywords on the same page. Use different keyphrases for different pages on your website and each blog post. Each piece of content can focus on one main keyphrase and a few related ones.

Think about where to use them:

• Your website service pages (one main keyphrase per page)
• Blog posts (brilliant for question-based keyphrases)
• Your FAQ section (literally made for question-based keyphrases)
• Your Google Business Profile description
• Your meta descriptions (those little snippets that appear under your page title in Google results)

The goal here is to help Google understand what each page is about so it can show your content to the right people. But more importantly, you’re helping potential clients find exactly what they need when they need it.

Your next steps

If you’re serious about improving your website’s online visibility and ranking higher on Google, Bing and even LLMs such as ChatGPT, here’s what I want you to do this week.

Step 1: Spend 20 minutes with a cup of tea and a notebook (or your preferred note-taking method) and brainstorm keywords using that framework I gave you. Your services, your niches, your locations, the questions people ask, the problems they have. Just get it all down.

Step 2: Pick your top 5 ideas for keywords to start with. Maybe three question-based ones and two service-based ones. Don’t overthink this – you can always change your mind later.

Step 3: Create one piece of content this week using one of those keyphrases. Could be a blog post or you could update or create a service page. Just one thing. Make it helpful, make it clear, make it genuinely useful for someone who’s searching for that information.

See not so bad, right?

That’s it. That’s your homework.

Finding ideas for keywords isn’t some dark art that only SEO specialists can understand. You already know what your clients need. You already know what questions they ask. You already know what problems they’re trying to solve.

This is just about taking that knowledge and putting it in the words people type into Google.

You’ve got this.

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Need help applying this to your specific business? I work with finance professionals to create content that actually gets found – the kind that brings in the right clients rather than just ticking the “we should probably have a blog” box. If you want to chat about how this could work for your business, drop me an email to michelle@eshkeri.co.uk or complete my contact form.

Connect with me on LinkedIn for more content and copywriting tips.

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes