
Financial Advisor Success Ep 480: Growing To $660M Of AUM By Leveraging SEO (And Now AEO) To Build A Durable Pipeline Of Good-Fit Prospects with Helen Stephens
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Mar 10, 2026 Helen Stephens, founder of Aspen Wealth Management in Fort Worth managing hundreds of client households and ~$670M AUM. She recounts building durable growth through long-term SEO that evolved into AI-driven AEO, how content and tracking created a steady pipeline of right-fit prospects, and the internal succession and ownership transition plan keeping the firm independent.
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SEO Evolved From Keywords To Expertise And Questions
- Google shifted from keyword-stuffed backend pages to valuing original, expert content and question-based queries.
- Helen evolved from location pages to technical planning articles (tax, estate, backdoor Roth) that now rank well.
ChatGPT Now Sends High Intent Prospects
- AI answer engines (ChatGPT) are now a meaningful referral source for advisors.
- Visitors routed from ChatGPT often arrive after deep planning Q&A and convert at very high inquiry rates for Helen's firm.
Use Combined Dashboards To Track AEO And SEO Performance
- Track traffic origins and engagement with analytics to measure SEO/AEO ROI.
- Beyond AUM built a dashboard combining Google Analytics, Facebook, and LinkedIn so Helen could see sources and content performance.



