From 2-3 Internet Leads Per Year to $9M+ in New AUM—in 10 Months
In a Nutshell
Here’s What We Accomplished
- Redesigned the website to reflect the premium, comprehensive service Laurel Wealth Planning delivers to $1M+ AUM clients
- 52 qualified internet leads in 10 months vs. 2-3 per year historically — a 20x+ increase
- 6 new AUM clients closed from website leads (previously: zero in 27 years)
- $9M+ in new AUM brought on from website-sourced clients
- 75% close rate on prospects who entered the proposal process
- Zero ad spend (All leads generated organically through SEO, AEO, and GEO.)
- Built a prospect journey that pre-qualifies and pre-sells HNW leads before they book
PROJECT SUMMARY
A Premium Website for a Premium Service
Laura Kuntz has been running Laurel Wealth Planning for 27 years. Her team manages $450M in AUM across roughly 170 client households, delivering comprehensive, integrated financial planning and a proactive investment process that most firms claim but few actually execute.
The firm had a website; it wasn’t broken and they’d been doing SEO for years. But the results told a different story: just 2-3 internet leads per year, and not a single one had ever converted into an AUM client in the firm’s history.
The problem was fit, not visibility. Laura’s website looked like every other advisor website, and her prospects (many with $1M-$3.5M+ in investable assets) were making a split-second judgment about whether Laurel Wealth Planning looked like the right home for their money. The old site didn’t tell them it was.
Her Indigo account manager, Jacob Dekok, put it plainly: “Laura, you offer a premium service. You should have a premium website.”
Ten months after launch, the new site had generated 52 qualified internet leads, closed 6 new AUM clients, and brought in $9M+ in new assets under management—with zero ad spend and nothing more than SEO, AEO, GEO, and a strategic content journey driving traffic.
Landing page and social media posts for Laurel Wealth Planning
Problem breakdown
A Website That Didn't Match the Service
Premium firm, commodity website.
Laurel Wealth Planning is not a robo-advisor or a one-size-fits-all shop. They deliver integrated wealth management to high-net-worth households. But their 10+ year-old website didn’t communicate that. Prospects couldn’t tell—at a glance—why Laurel was different from any other financial planning firm in Minneapolis.
SEO without conversion.
The firm had invested in SEO for years and was generating organic traffic. But traffic without a conversion-focused site is just noise. The 2-3 internet leads per year they were getting weren’t turning into AUM clients because the site wasn’t built to move high-net-worth prospects from curiosity to commitment.
No Story, no journey.
Laurel had a proven process and specific ideal clients, but the old website didn’t tell that story. Prospects had no way to understand what made Laurel different before they got on a call… so the first meeting was doing work the website should have been doing.
Our Solution
Build a Website That Pre-Sells HNW Prospects Before the First Call
Getting traffic to a financial advisor website is only half the job. The harder part—the part most agencies skip—is designing the journey so that by the time a prospect books a call, they’re already 80% convinced Laurel Wealth Planning is the right firm for them.
That’s what we built.
Dedicated “Who We Serve” pages so the right prospects self-identify. Instead of a generic homepage trying to speak to everyone, we built niche-specific service pages: Investment Management, Tax Planning, Divorce Planning, Retirement Planning, and Children of Clients. Each one speaks directly to a specific ideal client, so a $1M+ prospect going through divorce lands on a page that feels written for them. The result: leads arrive already convinced they’re in the right place.
A clear “Our Process” page that replaces the first sales meeting. Laura and her team had a proven planning process. Our job was to articulate it on the site so clearly that prospects walk into their first meeting already understanding how Laurel works—and excited about it. This cuts through the usual skepticism HNW prospects bring to a first call.
“Meet the Team” and “Our Values” pages that build trust before contact. Prospects evaluating multiple advisors want to know who they’re hiring, not just what they do. We gave them that—with depth, personality, and a clear sense of why Laurel is different from the advisor down the street.
Strategic internal linking that takes prospects on a journey. This is where most advisor sites fall apart. We interlinked related content across the entire site so Google, ChatGPT, and prospects themselves move naturally from awareness to trust to action. A prospect reading the Divorce Planning page finds a linked post-divorce checklist on the blog; a prospect on the Investment Management page is routed to testimonials; someone researching retirement planning discovers related insights that deepen their confidence. Every page warms them up for the next one.
SEO, AEO, and GEO optimization to drive the right traffic.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to rank in Google for high-intent keywords Laurel’s ideal clients are searching
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) so Laurel shows up when prospects ask ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools for financial planning recommendations—a channel where early movers are winning
- GEO (local/geographic optimization) to capture Minneapolis-area HNW prospects searching for advisors nearby
Conversion-focused copy written for HNW buyers, not educated readers. Every page was written with the sales process in mind: clear next steps, trust-building proof points, and calls to action that meet prospects where they are in the buying journey.
A premium design that matches the service. Custom visuals, video integration, motion, and a design system that signals sophistication the moment a prospect lands on the homepage. As Laura described it, “It’s the touch, the feel, the warmth, the video, the movement”—that’s what converts a prospect with $3.5M who has five other advisor websites open in other tabs.
How the Partnership Works
Indigo’s job: Drive the right traffic, tell Laurel’s story across every page, and take prospects on a journey that warms them up before they ever pick up the phone.
Laurel’s job: Close the business with the service and process they’ve been delivering for 27 years.
That’s why it works. The website pre-sells the prospect, Laura’s team closes them.
How the Partnership Works
How We Added Value
Real Numbers, Real Clients, Real AUM
Year 1 (launched mid-year):
- 32 internet leads in 6 months
- 20% qualified (entered the sales conversation)
- 3 prospects entered the proposal process
- 2 new AUM clients closed — one with $3.5M, one with ~$700K
Year 2 (through April, ~4 months):
- 20 more internet leads
- 50% qualified (Lead quality improved as SEO and AEO signals matured.)
- 75% close rate on prospects entering the proposal process
- 4 more new AUM clients in the pipeline or signed, ranging from $1M-$2M each
Cumulative (10 months):
- 52 total internet leads
- 6 new AUM clients closed
- $9M+ in new AUM
- Zero ad spend
Before the new website, Laurel Wealth Planning had never closed an internet lead as an AUM client in the firm’s entire history. The new site didn’t just increase lead volume, it changed what was possible.
The Journey Proof
The Data That Proves It's Working
The closed clients and new AUM are the headline. But behind those numbers is something just as important: proof that the journey strategy is actually changing how prospects behave before they book.
Traffic to the “Meet the Team” page is up 68% year-over-year. Instead of just landing and bouncing, prospects are reading about the people behind the firm before they reach out.
Traffic to the “Our Proven Planning Process” page is up 35.8%. Before booking a call, prospects are self-educating on exactly how Laurel works. They walk into the first meeting already 80% sold.
Laurel now ranks page 1 on Google for high-intent, non-branded searches like “magic number for retirement”—driving new prospects who had never heard of the firm to content designed specifically for them.
Homepage search position jumped from an average of 34 to 11. Before the redesign, Laurel’s homepage was buried on page 3-4 of Google. Today it’s near the top of page 1.
That’s the journey working exactly as designed: the right traffic, on the right pages, in the right order.
"The website has paid for itself many times over. Indigo gave a lot of value for that fee—a lot of value."
The ROI Story
What a Premium Website Actually Unlocks
The ROI on Laurel Wealth Planning’s website isn’t just new AUM—though $9M+ in 10 months would justify the investment on its own. It’s what the inbound has opened up for the firm operationally.
Laura’s senior wealth managers now have a consistent pipeline to practice closing. With regular, qualified prospects coming through the door, the firm has been able to systematize their proposal process and develop their team’s closing skills in a way intermittent referral leads never allowed.
The firm can now plan for capacity, not just growth. Website-driven inbound has made AUM growth predictable enough that Laura is promoting existing team members into larger roles to handle the increased business.
Paid marketing is now an option, not a necessity. Because the organic foundation is working, any future paid ad spend will compound the results rather than carry them. Laurel Wealth Planning has the flexibility most firms don’t.
"You offer a premium service, you should have a premium website. We're not a Fitbit, we're a personal trainer. We're not Walmart, we're a personal shopper. The website needs to tell that story. For lead generation, for client referrals, for referrals from centers of influence. Having a website that truly represents who you are has enormous value."
Results
A Foundation Built for the Next Decade
Laurel Wealth Planning didn’t just get a website; they got a growth engine that:
- Generates qualified, high-net-worth leads every single month without paid ads
- Closes AUM clients at a 75% proposal-to-close rate
- Reinforces the firm’s premium positioning for every referral, COI introduction, and client conversation
- Provides the foundation to layer paid marketing on top if and when the firm chooses to scale faster
What used to be 2-3 internet leads a year (and zero closed clients) is now the firm’s most reliable new business channel.
"They shouldn't hesitate. If they can afford it and have some time to invest in the content, Indigo has the skills to create a website that tells that advisor's message, that gives the touch and feel that fits their business."
Laurel Wealth Planning Landing Page Banner
Your Website Should Match the Service You Deliver
If your website looks like every other advisor’s website (i.e., templated, generic, indistinguishable from the firm down the street), it’s costing you the high-net-worth prospects you deserve.
Laurel Wealth Planning closed $9M+ in new AUM in 10 months from website leads alone. Your firm could be next.
Tell us about your firm, your ideal client, and where your current site is falling short. We’ll show you exactly what’s possible.
Short summary
By replacing its legacy website with a premium Indigo redesign, Laurel Wealth Planning transformed its digital presence into a powerful, organic growth engine. The firm jumped from averaging just two to three internet leads per year to generating fifty-two high-intent leads in ten months with zero ad spend. This strategic content journey successfully converted six new high-net-worth clients, securing over $9M in new AUM while achieving a remarkable 75% close rate on all prospects entering the proposal process.
Transcript
[0:00] Introduction & Firm Background
Laura: So our firm has been around 27 years. I’m the founder and current CEO. We serve about 170 client households and run about $450 million of AUM. We do comprehensive, very comprehensive integrated financial planning, as well as we have a very proactive investment process.
[0:21] Why Laura Chose to Get a New Website with Indigo
Interviewer: So you’ve been with Indigo a little bit, but what I’m most curious about is what prompted you to get a new website with Indigo?
Laura: What prompted me was my account manager, Jacob, of whom I think very highly. He said, “Laura, you offer a premium service—you should have a premium website.” Our website was old. We’d had it for 10 or 15 years. There was nothing wrong with it. We’d been doing SEO for a lot of years, but we were only getting 2 to 3 internet leads per year until mid last year. So it was Jacob saying that, and then Indigo came up with an offering that was affordable. I think we ended up doing—between Indigo and ourselves—a beautiful job. But it was Jacob that prompted it, plus Indigo having an offering, and plus it being affordable.
[1:08] What the New Website Does Differently
Interviewer: So what does the website do now that your old one couldn’t?
Laura: Oh, so many, many things. The touch, the feel, the warmth, the video, the movement—that’s really what Indigo brought to the table. That feel was very important. And Jacob helped with a lot of writing on that, too. We created a trademarked process where we are registering and trademarking that process—I really like that. Jacob helped with that. But it was a combination of the touch, the feel, the design that Indigo provided in consultation with us, and then coming up with the content—because I think the content is very helpful to people.
[1:51] Before: The Old Website’s Performance
Interviewer: And with your previous website, how many new clients did you typically get a year, or how many leads?
Laura: Oh, two to three. Two to three leads a year. And we had never, ever closed an internet lead as an AUM client. We closed one as an hourly client—we do a little bit of hourly planning—but we had never closed one as an AUM client.
[2:14] Results: 52 Leads, 6 New Clients, $9M+ in New AUM
Interviewer: So how many leads did you get last year from your new website, and how many were qualified?
Laura: Last year, we got—starting midyear after we rolled out the website, and Jacob told me there were no other changes, we were just continuing the SEO and it was the new website—we got 32 internet leads in the second half of last year, and 20% of those were qualified. Three went into a proposal process, and then we closed two-thirds of them on being an AUM client: one client with $3.5 million, and then another with about $700,000.
Interviewer: And it’s April now this year, so how many new leads did you get this year and how many were qualified?
Laura: So this year we’ve gotten 20 so far. Half of them are qualified. And then half of those have gone into a proposal process. And so far, we’ve closed three-quarters of those.
Interviewer: And then, how many of all of the leads became new clients? Because that’s really important to advisors—not just the qualified leads, but new clients since the website launched.
Laura: Since the website launched, we’ve gotten 52 internet leads. About a third of those were qualified, if we average everything together. And our new clients are 6. So out of those 52 internet leads, we brought in 6 new clients. Of the clients we brought in this year—assets are $2 million, $1.5 million, a million, that sort of thing.
Interviewer: What is the average total AUM you believe all the new clients brought on for you?
Laura: So we’re still in the process of bringing on AUM for three of them, and I’m quite sure they will work with us—they’ve already signed wealth management agreements. So if I have to add it all together… 4, 5, 6, 7 and a half, 8… I’d say close to $9 million.
[4:08] Building Team Capacity for the New Growth
Interviewer: And has your team really had to change anything operationally to handle this type of new clients and leads from the website?
Laura: Yes, I would say yes. First of all, you’ve got to get somebody to talk to the leads. Out of the 52 leads, maybe two-thirds wanted to talk to us. So you’ve got to get somebody to spend that half hour to talk with them. We have systematized this—but if they’re not qualified, we have a list of other advisors that we refer them to. So we try very hard to get them to a good place. That takes time.
Then for certain people, you’ve got to drip on them if they don’t immediately go into a proposal process. Somebody needs to do that. It’s not terribly time-consuming, but a little bit of time. You pick and choose where you do that, because we’re already dripping through our ongoing blog posts and investment updates.
Then you have to do the proposal meetings—and the way we do them, they’re very time-consuming because they’re very customized. We really show value. But we’re closing about three-quarters of them. So we believe it’s worth the time. We’re doing a two-meeting proposal process.
[5:21] Has the Website Paid for Itself?
Interviewer: And would you feel like the website has paid for itself?
Laura: Yes, I’d say many times over. Yeah, absolutely. And I include in that not just the fee we paid Indigo—and Indigo gave a lot of value for that fee, a lot of value. So yes, it’s paid for all of that many times over.
[5:42] What Would Have Happened Without This?
Interviewer: And what would have happened to your firm if you hadn’t done this?
Laura: I think we would still be a very stable firm. We emphasize quality, of course, like so many firms do—comprehensive planning. None of that would be different. We’d be working a little harder at our networking with accountants and attorneys, because the internet leads have taken some time—so it’s taken us off that a little bit. But we’re getting back to that.
It’s caused us to think more about promoting our people coming on, because we need the capacity. So I think we’d be the same firm—but it is exciting to have the new business coming in the door. It also gives our more experienced wealth managers—there are three of us—a chance to really practice closing business. It’s less intermittent and it’s more regular. And then it gives us a chance to really systematize that process too. Those are very good things.
And if our website stops producing as many leads, there are ways we could produce internet leads through paid marketing, and we will probably move in that direction because we do really value having these leads come in.
[7:00] Laura’s Advice to Other Advisors
Interviewer: And if another advisor asked whether it’s worth investing in a new website or working with Indigo, what would you tell them?
Laura: I’d say just what Jacob said to me: you offer a premium service. Anybody in our business offers a premium service—I mean, are you a Fitbit or are you a personal trainer? Well, we’re all personal trainers. We’re a personal shopper. We’re not just going to Walmart. So we offer a premium service, and we should have a premium website. You want a website that really tells the story.
I had a prospect say to me, “I know a guy from college, but his website’s very ‘bro.’ And your website’s not ‘bro.'” There’s nothing wrong with being bro, and there’s nothing wrong with not being bro—but you want a website that has the touch and feel of who you are, and has the messaging on who you are. Even just beyond the lead generation, having a website that truly represents you—for your client referrals, for your COI referrals—has a lot of value.
Interviewer: Well, thank you so much, Laura. I really appreciate you taking the time, and I know that your answers are going to be valuable to other advisors who are determining whether or not they should take that next step in working with Indigo and getting a new website.
Laura: Yeah, they shouldn’t hesitate. In my mind, if they think they can afford it and they have some time to invest in content—because I think Indigo really has the skills to create a website that tells that advisor’s message, that gives a touch and feel that fits that advisor’s business.
[8:38] Outro—Book a Free Strategy Call
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FAQs: Strategic Website Design
The primary issue was a mismatch in positioning, not visibility. While the firm had invested in SEO for years and generated organic traffic, the 10+ year-old website looked generic and templated. High-net-worth prospects—many with $1M to $3.5M+ in assets—could not tell at a glance why the firm was unique. Because the site failed to reflect the premium quality of their comprehensive wealth management services, it captured just 2–3 internet leads per year and had never closed an AUM client from the web in 27 years of business.
Over a 10-month period following the launch, the new website generated:
- 52 total internet leads, compared to the historical average of 2–3 per year
- 6 new closed AUM clients directly from website traffic
- $9M+ in new assets under management (AUM)
- A 75% close rate on high-net-worth prospects who advanced into the proposal process
The redesign shifted the site from a broad, generic homepage to a targeted consumer journey. We implemented niche-specific service pages (such as Tax Planning and Divorce Planning) so ideal clients could instantly self-identify. Furthermore, transparent “Our Process” and “Meet the Team” pages helped educate prospects and build deep personal trust before they ever picked up the phone, meaning visitors walked into their first meeting already 80% sold on working with the firm.
Zero dollars. Every lead was generated completely organically without any paid ad spend. The traffic was entirely driven by combining conversion-focused copy with advanced organic search strategies.
The new platform was engineered to optimize across three major digital discovery layers:
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Ranking on page 1 of Google for high-intent keywords like “magic number for retirement”.
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Ensuring the firm is recommended when high-net-worth prospects ask AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude for financial advice.
- GEO (Local/Geographic Optimization): Targeting local Minneapolis-area buyers looking for high-end advisory services nearby.
Yes, lead quality significantly matured. In Year 1 (the first 6 months post-launch), the site generated 32 leads, of which 20% were qualified. By Year 2, as the organic SEO and AEO authority signals strengthened, the site brought in 20 leads in just 4 months, but 50% of them were pre-qualified for the sales conversation.
The steady stream of inbound leads unlocked several operational advantages beyond immediate AUM growth:
- Team Skill Development: Senior wealth managers now have a consistent, reliable pipeline to practice and systematize their customized proposal process.
- Predictable Capacity Planning: Growth became consistent enough that the firm could confidently promote existing team members into larger roles to handle scale.
- Marketing Flexibility: With a rock-solid organic foundation established, paid advertising is now a voluntary option to compound existing success rather than a mandatory necessity to survive.
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FAQs
Laurel Wealth Planning transformed its outdated website into a conversion-focused digital marketing system through a complete website redesign and local SEO strategy. After launching the new website, the firm increased internet leads from just 2–4 annually to 18 year-to-date, including 10 leads in only two months. The redesigned website focused on answering prospect questions, improving user experience, and making it easier for visitors to schedule appointments online.
SEO was a major driver behind the increase in qualified leads. Indigo optimized the site for local Minneapolis-area financial planning searches, helping Laurel Wealth Planning appear in front of high-intent prospects actively searching for wealth management services online. This allowed the firm to attract organic traffic without relying on paid advertising.
No. One of the biggest highlights of this case study is that the leads were generated entirely through organic search and website optimization. Laurel Wealth Planning achieved these results with $0 ad spend, proving that a strong SEO and conversion-focused website can generate high-quality leads without ongoing advertising costs.
The website attracted several high-net-worth prospects with investable assets ranging from $1 million to $3.5 million. One prospect self-booked a complimentary analysis meeting with a $3.5 million portfolio, while several others came in with portfolios between $1 million and $1.5 million.
The addition of self-scheduling functionality removed friction from the lead conversion process. Prospects could immediately book meetings when interest was highest instead of waiting for follow-up communication. This helped increase conversions and contributed to a 100% appointment show-up rate for booked meetings.
The redesigned website was built specifically to answer prospect concerns, clearly explain Laurel Wealth Planning’s value proposition, and establish trust with visitors. Instead of functioning as a simple online brochure, the site became an active lead-generation tool with strategic messaging, educational content, clear calls to action, and conversion pathways.
The leads were more qualified because they were actively searching for financial planning services in the Minneapolis area and found Laurel Wealth Planning organically through search engines. Local SEO combined with targeted messaging attracted visitors already interested in comprehensive financial planning services, making them more likely to convert into clients.
Results came quickly after launch. Within the first four weeks, the firm began attracting multiple qualified calls, and within two months they had generated 10 internet leads. The combination of improved website design, SEO optimization, and streamlined scheduling accelerated lead generation much faster than their previous website ever achieved.
Beyond the website itself, Laurel Wealth Planning implemented a structured conversion process that included automated email drip campaigns, multiple meeting touchpoints, and rapid follow-up systems. Their team also focused on responding to new bookings within five minutes to maximize engagement and improve conversion rates with high-net-worth prospects.
This case study demonstrates that financial advisors no longer need to rely solely on referrals and networking to grow their firms. A professionally designed website combined with strong SEO, local search optimization, and conversion-focused systems can consistently attract qualified, high-net-worth prospects online while building a scalable long-term growth channel.
