If your Google Search Console looks like this—impressions are decent but clicks are terrible—your website isn’t communicating value in the 2 seconds that matter: the search results page.
This checklist is written for commercial lending operators (brokers, lenders, ISO shops). No code. Just the things that reliably increase CTR, improve indexing, and turn rankings into inbound deals.
1) Fix the Search Snippet (CTR Wins First)
Your title + meta description are your “ad copy” in Google. Most broker sites waste it with generic branding.
- Lead with the offer: what you finance, for who, and how fast
- Add a proof point: ranges, speed, or a constraint (e.g. “$50K–$5M”, “24–72hr term sheet”)
- Remove fluff: “Welcome to…” and “full service…” kills clicks
2) Stop Indexing Junk (Clean Index = Better Rankings)
Google doesn’t “rank your site.” It ranks pages. If you have lots of low-value pages, it drags the whole domain down.
- Noindex thin pages: empty templates, tag pages, internal search pages
- One canonical per topic: don’t let URL variants compete with each other
- Kill duplicates: the same service page in 5 slightly different forms
3) Make Google’s Job Easy (Sitemap + Robots)
- Sitemap should include: the pages you want to rank (services, calculators, high-value guides)
- Robots should exclude: internal-only routes and “noise” URLs that waste crawl budget
4) Add Structured Data That Builds Trust
Structured data doesn’t magically rank you—but it improves eligibility for rich results and helps AI systems understand what you are.
- Organization + WebSite sitewide
- Service on service pages (what you do, who it’s for)
- FAQ only when the questions/answers are actually on the page
- Article on blog posts with updated dates
5) Mobile Speed Is a Conversion Lever (Not Just “SEO”)
Most broker sites are slow on mobile. That’s not a “tech issue”—it’s lost deals.
- LCP (largest content) should feel fast
- INP (responsiveness) matters for forms
- CLS (layout shift) makes your site feel broken
If you want to see how bad it is, run the free audit on our broker website page: Website Speed & Performance Audit.
6) Build a Page Map That Matches Borrower Intent
Borrowers search for scenarios, not categories. Your site needs coverage where intent lives:
- Product pages: SBA, equipment, CRE, working capital
- Use-case pages: acquisition, expansion, refinance, partner buyout
- Industry pages: trucking, hospitality, healthcare, construction
- Calculators: capture high-intent traffic and qualify leads
7) A Fast “Test Plan” You Can Run in 30 Minutes
- Search your brand + services: would you click your result?
- Check titles/descriptions: are they unique and specific?
- Run a speed audit: mobile score + vitals
- Use Rich Results Test: confirm schema is valid
- Look at indexing: are your money pages being crawled and indexed?
If You Want This Done-for-You
We build fast commercial lending sites with conversion-first layouts and SEO systems that compound. If you want a plan tailored to your niche, contact us.