Your potential clients are already using AI to find businesses like yours.
Our data shows traffic from AI to adviser/planner websites is up 89% in the last six months. And earlier this week, we spoke to a financial planning firm that received three enquiries from AI in January alone.
This isn’t theory.
It’s happening.
The advisers and planners who understand how consumers are using AI will capture more of the opportunity. So, in this week’s blog, we’re answering the 10 most common questions we’re asked about how consumers use AI to find advisers and planners.
Short. Practical. No fluff.
If you have a question we’ve missed, email phil@theyardstickagency.co.uk and I’ll reply personally.
Let’s dive in.
#1. Are consumers really using AI to find financial advisers, or is this just hype?
Yes, they are.
We work with dozens of advice/planning firms, monitoring their marketing KPIs each month. As we said, that data shows traffic to their websites from AI is up 89% over the last six months, and some firms are already receiving enquiries after AI platforms have recommended them.
If we zoom out, AI is being adopted at a much faster pace than Google was in the early 2000s, which means the trend is only heading one way. Over the coming months and years, more consumers will use AI to research and find businesses like yours.
#2. How are consumers using AI to find financial advisers?
There are three main ways:
- To research an adviser/planner they’ve been recommended to
- To compare two or more advisers/planners they’ve been considering
- As an alternative to a traditional Google search for an adviser/planner.
#3. Isn’t AI search basically the same as a Google search?
No. They’re very different.
Traditional Google searches rank businesses. AI tools recommend businesses.
#4. If my business ranks well on Google, will AI automatically recommend me?
No, but it helps.
If your business and website rank well on Google searches, you’ll be more visible to AI tools when a consumer asks related questions, but it’s no guarantee they’ll then recommend you.
So even if you’ve worked hard on your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), you’ll still need to think about AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimisation).
#5. What are the main AI platforms that consumers are using?
ChatGPT is the dominant platform in the UK, with around half of adults reported to have used it.
Gemini and Copilot are the next tier, with approximately 20% of adults having used each of them.
#6. Should we optimise only for ChatGPT?
No. The same things will improve your AIO across a range of platforms, so there’s no need to optimise specifically for each platform.
However, if consumers are prioritising ChatGPT, it makes sense to focus on that platform to begin with.
#7. How does AI make its recommendations?
This is such an interesting question. We could write a very long blog on the topic, but we’ll resist the temptation and instead give you a summary of the five key steps AI typically takes when a consumer uses an AI tool to find a financial adviser or planner.
Step #1: Interprets the prompt
It begins by understanding the consumer’s requirement, often in terms of location, objectives, goals, constraints, and intent.
Step #2: Searches the web
AI tools then retrieve and analyse information from the web, including relevant firms, directories, profiles, and supporting sources.
Step #3: Gathers evidence
Next, they take a deeper dive, reviewing websites, firms’ regulatory status, third-party profiles, and (crucially) online reviews.
Step #4: Filters for fit
Then, the AI tool matches the firms that have been included in its research against the original criteria in the prompt.
Step #5: Forms a recommendation
Finally, the AI tool provides the consumer with a shortlist of firms, usually accompanied by a short explanation of why they’ve been selected. It might also provide further information, including suggested questions that the consumer could ask the adviser/planner at the first meeting.
#8. How do I find out if AI is ranking my firm?
That’s simple, put yourself in the shoes of a consumer and run dummy prompts using a temporary chat.
As it’s the platform most consumers use, it makes sense to start with ChatGPT.
To save you the trouble, here are three prompts to use:
Prompt #1: I’m 57, and my husband is 58. We have around £450,000 in pensions and investments and want to retire in the next few years. Can you recommend three independent financial advisers in [city/town] who we can meet face to face to discuss our retirement options?
Prompt #2: Looking for trusted retirement planning advice in <insert place name>. We prefer to sit down with an adviser in person rather than online. Can you suggest three local firms that are experienced with people in their late 50s and early 60s?
Prompt #3: Who are the best independent financial advisers near me in <insert place name> for retirement planning? I’d like three recommendations of firms I can meet face to face to get clear advice on pensions, investments, and when we can afford to retire.
Remember, people often prefer to work with an adviser/planner based near them, so we recommend running those prompts for a variety of locations where your clients typically live.
Finally, if you work in a niche, modify the prompts by removing the location and inserting the type of people you typically work with.
#9. How do I get AI to recommend my business?
That’s the $64,000 question.
Essentially, you need to do two things:
- Produce source information
- Build expertise indicators.
Turning that theory into practical action, we recommend doing seven things:
- Add detailed FAQs to your website
- Add location pages to your website
- Collect reviews on Google and VouchedFor
- Check information on key directories is up to date
- Get listed on other key directories
- Publish at least three blogs/articles each month
- Build other expertise indicators: press coverage, awards etc.
To learn more about each of the seven key actions, rewatch our recent webinar where we give more details about each. Click here to watch the webinar.
#10. Does having a niche increase the chances of being recommended by AI?
Yes, if you do the right things to be visible, it certainly does.
If you specialise in working with a certain type of client, it’s easier to stand out and get noticed by humans. The same principle applies to AI tools, because they look for clear signals of expertise and relevance when matching firms to a prompt.
It’s just another benefit of niching down.
A limited window to get ahead of the game
In the early 2000s, you had a limited window of opportunity to rank well as Google became more widely used.
In 2026, you have the same opportunity with AI.
The question is: will you take it?
If you want to grasp it with both hands, it’s time to take action, either by implementing our recommendations yourself or by asking for our help, which you can do by emailing hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or calling 0115 8965 300.
We’ll set up an initial call to discuss your situation and some of the possible options.
