About The Brand
SBI Capital Markets Limited (SBICAPS) is a SEBI-registered Merchant Banker and Research Analyst. For over 35 years, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the State Bank of India, SBICAPS has been one of India’s oldest and most trusted investment banks. The company offers a full spectrum of corporate advisory and investment banking services, combining innovative ideas with strong execution.
The Problem
Although SBICAPS holds a strong and established position in the financial industry, it was facing significant challenges in the digital space. Instead of serving as a seamless gateway for clients, the website was slow to load, which severely impacted the brand’s ability to engage online. Many visitors dropped off before even reaching the homepage.
In addition, SBICAPS encountered persistent issues with its Google My Business listing and Google Knowledge Panel. The listing displayed an outdated Mumbai address for the company’s headquarters, misleading clients trying to locate the main office. Despite following all of Google’s guidelines, attempts to correct the error were unsuccessful.
Another major challenge was poor search visibility. When users searched for “SBICAPS,” the top Google results prominently featured SBI Securities instead. This not only confused potential clients but also diluted SBICAPS’ brand identity as a leading investment bank.
The Solution
When we came on board, our primary role was that of a consultant. Each month, based on our research and analysis, we shared a detailed list of recommendations to improve their website. These included several backend optimizations, such as restructuring and reconfiguring the poorly built backend, to reduce lag and improve site speed. We also conducted regular speed tests and analyzed website traffic using tools like SEMrush.
At the time, SBICAPS’ online presence did not reflect its stature as one of India’s leading investment banks. To address this gap, we implemented targeted SEO and online reputation management (ORM) initiatives alongside the technical website improvements. These efforts focused on publishing industry-relevant content and ensuring accurate brand information across key blogging platforms, helping their digital identity align with their offline reputation.
Our team worked closely with their developer team in Bangalore to enhance the website experience. We focused on key technical elements such as image optimization, script reduction, caching improvements, and site structure review. These changes, guided by regular performance testing, significantly improved the site's speed and responsiveness—bringing it closer to the experience expected of a brand like SBICAPS.
Resolving the issues with Google My Business and the Knowledge Panel required an unconventional approach. Despite following Google's recommended steps, the outdated headquarters address continued to show, leading to client confusion and growing frustration. To overcome this, we coordinated with multiple verified users and clients of SBICAPS, across different IPs, to submit consistent edits. This volume of activity created enough momentum to trigger Google’s algorithm to update the address. While the process took longer than expected, we delivered the result within the committed timeframe.
As part of our ORM efforts, we published one blog per day across selected platforms. This consistent publishing strategy helped reinforce SBICAPS’s messaging, ensured accurate information on third-party sites, and built a broader, more consistent digital footprint. One of these articles eventually ranked on the SERP for an industry-specific keyword, further boosting their online visibility.
The Impact
At the end of our scope, we had reduced the website’s loading time from around 60 seconds to about 10 seconds, even in the worst-case scenario, making it far more user-friendly. The long-standing issue of the incorrect address on search platforms was also fully resolved, helping clients easily locate the correct office.
We can confidently say that the brand’s digital presence is now far better aligned with its real-world stature. By providing hands-on consultation throughout the process, we delivered practical, lasting improvements. For a brand with such a strong legacy, these enhancements ensured its online identity is as reliable and credible as its reputation in the investment banking industry.