Content that gets found: SEO and AI search for RIAs

By Sarah Falcon. Updated 2026-10-08.

Search is one of the lower-cost ways to be found, and it is a small source of new clients. In Kitces' 2026 presentation, about 4% of consumers found their advisor through a search engine or AI, against 43% through friends and family, according to InvestmentNews.

What the 2026 data says

TacticShare of practices using itRAC
SEO32%, up 3 points since 2024$0.45
Google reviews shown on the advisor's websiteNot reported separately$0.13
Google reviews collected onlyNot reported separately$0.85
Third-party review sites13%, up from 8% in 2024$0.67
PodcastingUse fell 2 points since 2024$0.62
BloggingUse fell 4 points since 2024$1.62
All content creation tactics togetherAverage across tactics$1.99
AI search optimization10%, first measured in 2026$3.45

RAC is the cost of each new dollar of client revenue, counting time as well as cash. Kitces reports that relatively few clients appear to contact advisors because an AI chatbot recommended them, and asks whether AI search optimization will pay off as the tactic matures.

These are associations in self-reported data.

A separate 2026 survey of 1,000 investors who work with an advisor, reported by WealthManagement.com and InvestmentNews, gives a different picture. 45% found their advisor without a referral, and 50% of those with $5 million or more did. Investors under 45 more often turned to websites, Google, and AI tools. Referrals were still the most common route, and investors often added their own research.

The two surveys ask different groups, so their numbers differ. A firm that serves larger households can expect some of its prospects to look it up with no introduction.

What a firm can do

  1. Write pages for your niche. Someone who types "retirement planning for business owners in [state]" is looking for a specific firm. A page written for that search can answer it more directly than a general page.
  2. Set up your local listing. A Google Business Profile that is accurate and verified.
  3. Show client reviews on your website, under your compliance team's rules. In the Kitces data, showing reviews on the website carried a much lower RAC than collecting them alone.
  4. Keep your listings current in the online advisor directories your clients use. Among practices under $1 million in revenue, high-growth practices were 17 points more likely to use SEO and 17 points more likely to maintain directory listings.
  5. Write each page answer first. The first sentence should stand on its own, which helps a reader and also helps a search engine or an AI tool quote the page.
  6. Measure inquiries and first meetings from search, not rankings.

AI search

Start with the basics above, and use one description of the firm everywhere it appears. Once a month, ask the AI tools a few questions your clients might ask and note whether your firm appears and what they say. Treat that as learning. At $3.45 per new revenue dollar, AI search optimization is not yet a line to budget for.

Questions

Does an RIA need SEO? SEO is one of the lower-cost tactics in the Kitces data, and it adds one way to be found. It does not replace referrals, events, or introductions from CPAs and attorneys.

Should an RIA pay for AI search optimization? In 2026, 10% of practices used it and its RAC was $3.45. Kitces asks whether it will pay off as the tactic matures. Pages that answer questions and a consistent description of the firm cost little and serve both search and AI.

Sources

Next step

See how we approach SEO for RIAs.

Tell us where you want growth to come from.

Book a call

A 30-minute call with Sarah Falcon. We talk through where your clients come from today and where you want growth to come from.