![Accounting Firm: use SEO so everyone can find you on internet [SEO checklist]](http://onlineyougrow.com/cdn/shop/articles/cov-seo-checklist-9_d56ba869-0d9d-4753-a140-3389909553af.png?v=1715867243&width=1100)
SEO isn't just for tech giants and e-commerce sites—it's a powerful tool that top accounting firms use strategically to attract clients.
We understand that you're busy managing your accounting firm, and the idea of optimizing your website might seem like an additional burden.
But here's the thing: you don't need to be an SEO expert or spend a fortune to make it work. Just a few simple steps can significantly improve your online visibility and bring more clients to your firm.
To assist you, we have created a free SEO checklist - and for a comprehensive action plan, please check our pack of marketing tactics and strategies for accounting firms.
Get the SEO checklist made for accountants
The best accounting firms rank first on Google. Here is a free tool to to get you started.
What is SEO for accounting firms exactly?
Simply put, SEO is all about making your accounting firm’s website more attractive to search engines like Google.
When someone searches for "best accounting firm in [Your Town]" or "tax preparation services," SEO helps your firm show up in the results. The goal is to get your website higher up on the search results page so more people can find and engage with your services.
Why is SEO Important for Accounting Firms?
SEO is incredibly important for accounting firms, and here’s why:
- Increased Online Visibility:
The higher your website ranks on search engines, the more people will see it. This means more potential clients discovering your firm online, especially when they're looking for accounting services.
- Higher Rankings on Search Engines:
Most people don’t look past the first page of search results. By optimizing your site, you can climb those rankings and beat out the competition. Imagine someone searching for "best tax advisor near me" and finding your firm right at the top!
- Attracting More Local Clients:
SEO isn't just about getting anyone to your site—it's about getting the right people. Local SEO helps ensure that when someone nearby searches for accounting services, your firm pops up. This means more local clients and more business opportunities.
Key Components of SEO
Now, let’s break down the main parts of SEO specifically for your accounting firm:
On-Page SEO
This involves making sure the content on your website is optimized. It includes things like:
- Keywords:
Using the words and phrases people are searching for in your titles, descriptions, and content. For example, if you offer tax preparation services, make sure you use phrases like "best tax preparation" or "affordable tax services" on your site.
- Content Quality:
Providing useful, engaging, and fresh content about your firm. Share your services, client testimonials, industry news, and stories about your team and expertise.
- Meta Tags:
Using meta titles and descriptions that are relevant and appealing to searchers. For instance, a meta description for your homepage could be "Professional accounting services at [Your Firm Name], the top-rated accounting firm in [Your Town]."
Off-Page SEO
This focuses on actions taken outside your website to impact your rankings:
- Backlinks:
Getting other reputable websites to link to your site, which signals to search engines that your site is trustworthy and relevant. This could be from financial blogs, local business directories, or industry associations.
- Social Media:
Being active on social media with your firm’s page can drive traffic to your site and improve your online presence. Share your latest services, client success stories, and industry insights to engage with your audience.
Technical SEO
This ensures your website meets the technical requirements of search engines:
- Site Speed:
Making sure your website loads quickly. No one likes to wait, especially potential clients looking for your services!
- Mobile-Friendliness:
Ensuring your site looks and works well on mobile devices. Many people search for accounting services on their phones while on the go.
- Secure Website (HTTPS):
Having a secure website that users (and search engines) can trust. This is especially important if you have an online client portal or document submission system.
Some accounting firms make 5x more profit than you!
We have studied the strategies of the best accounting firms in the world. Replicate them now!
Which keywords should you target for your accounting firm?
Accounting firms, like yours, must target specific keywords in SEO because it helps your website appear in search results when potential clients look for the accounting services you offer. This increases the chances that businesses and individuals will find and choose your firm for their accounting needs.
For example, if you specialize in tax preparation, targeting keywords like "best tax accountant" or "tax preparation services near me" helps attract clients searching for those terms. This makes it easier for people in need of tax services to find your firm online.
Here are some keyword ideas for you. If you want a more developed strategy with actionable steps, go check out our strategy pack for accounting firms.
| Keyword | Competitiveness Level | Tips and Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Best accounting firm in [Your City] | High | Optimize your website with client testimonials, showcase your certifications, list on local directories, and use local SEO strategies. |
| Where to find tax preparation services | Medium | Create blog posts or pages on your website highlighting your tax services, use keywords naturally in content, and engage with local business communities. |
| Accountant for small business near me | Medium | Use case studies of small business clients, gather positive client reviews, and ensure your Google My Business profile is complete. |
| Best place for bookkeeping in [Your City] | Medium | Feature specific bookkeeping services prominently on your website, use local SEO tactics, and promote your services on social media. |
| [Your Specialization] accountant in [Your City] | High | Highlight unique aspects of your specialization, create SEO-friendly content about your services, and engage with the local community online. |
| Top-rated accounting firm near me | High | Encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews, optimize your website for mobile, and ensure accurate information on local listings. |
| Affordable accounting services in [Your City] | Low | Highlight affordable service packages on your website, use keywords related to value, and promote deals on social media. |
| Where to find payroll services near me | Medium | Use local SEO strategies, create content around your payroll services, and ensure your website is optimized for mobile users searching nearby. |
| Popular accounting firm in [Your City] | Medium | Use social media to share client success stories, engage with local business influencers, and gather client testimonials to build credibility. |
| Best accountant for families in [Your City] | Low | Create family-friendly content, highlight services for families on your website, and host financial planning events to generate buzz. |
What really matters when you do SEO for an accounting firm
Actually, we think that SEO often follows the 80/20 rule, meaning that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. For accounting firms, like yours, this means it's crucial to focus on the right strategies to maximize impact without feeling overwhelmed.
| Action / Initiative | Why It Matters / How It Helps Bring New Clients |
|---|---|
| Optimize Google My Business profile | Ensures your accounting firm appears in local search results, provides essential information (hours, location, services), and collects reviews to build trust. |
| Gather and respond to online reviews | Positive reviews build credibility and trust. Responding to reviews shows you value client feedback, encouraging more people to choose your services. |
| Create high-quality content with targeted keywords | Helps your website rank higher in search results for relevant queries, attracting clients looking for specific accounting services or expertise. |
| Optimize for local SEO | Ensures your firm shows up in local searches (e.g., "accountants near me"), driving foot traffic and inquiries from nearby potential clients. |
| Ensure website is mobile-friendly | Most users search for services on their phones. A mobile-friendly site provides a better user experience, leading to higher engagement and conversions. |
| Use high-quality images of your team and office | Professional photos build trust and showcase your firm's environment, which can significantly influence a potential client's decision to contact you. |
| Include detailed service descriptions with keywords | Allows search engines to index your services, helping you appear in searches for specific accounting needs, and makes it easy for clients to understand what you offer. |
| List your firm on local directories | Increases your online presence and backlinks, improving your search engine ranking and making it easier for clients to find you. |
| Engage with local business bloggers and influencers | Generates buzz and word-of-mouth, reaching a wider audience and attracting clients who trust these local voices. |
| Promote special services and offers | Creates a sense of urgency and excitement, encouraging potential clients to choose your firm for unique or discounted services. |
| Utilize social media to share updates and engage with clients | Builds a community around your firm, keeps clients informed about new services, and drives traffic to your website. |
| Ensure accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across all platforms | Prevents confusion, helps search engines trust your business information, and improves your local SEO ranking. |
| Offer online consultations and appointment scheduling | Makes it convenient for clients to plan their visit or consultation, leading to increased bookings and client satisfaction. |
| Create blog posts about accounting tips and industry insights | Attracts visitors to your site through informative and engaging content, improving SEO and showcasing your expertise. |
Copy the tactics of the best accounting firms in the world!
There are accounting firms that make way more money than you do. We have studied their tactics. Get them now!
What is always useless when you do SEO for an accounting firm
We have studied a lot of accounting firms when we built our strategy pack and we saw a lot of SEO-related initiatives that don't help attract new clients. We explain here why they might be a waste of time or even counterproductive.
| Action / Initiative | Why It Doesn't Matter / How It Doesn't Help Bring New Clients |
|---|---|
| Using meta keyword tags | Search engines no longer use meta keyword tags to rank pages, so focusing on them doesn't improve SEO for your accounting firm. |
| Keyword stuffing in service descriptions | Overusing keywords in service descriptions makes them hard to read and can be penalized by search engines, turning away potential clients. |
| Paying for backlinks from unrelated websites | Backlinks from non-finance related or low-quality websites don't improve your SEO and can even hurt your ranking if considered spammy by search engines. |
| Using exact match domains like bestaccountingfirm.com | Having an exact match domain has minimal impact on SEO and can appear spammy, especially if it doesn't reflect your brand well. |
| Creating multiple pages for the same service offerings | Duplicate content confuses search engines and can dilute your SEO efforts. Focus on one high-quality page for each unique service or topic. |
| Using Flash for service or contact pages | Flash is outdated, not supported by many devices, and negatively impacts SEO. Modern alternatives like HTML5 should be used instead. |
| Focusing only on desktop optimization | Many clients search for accounting services on mobile devices. Ignoring mobile optimization leads to poor user experience and lower search rankings. |
| Using automated link-building tools | These tools often create low-quality or spammy links that can be penalized by search engines, hurting your accounting firm's SEO efforts. |
| Ignoring structured data for services | Structured data helps search engines understand your services better. Ignoring it means missing out on potential SEO benefits like rich snippets. |
| Not updating your service offerings regularly | Outdated service information can frustrate clients and harm your SEO. Regular updates keep content relevant and maintain search rankings. |
| Using irrelevant stock photos on your site | Low-quality or irrelevant images can negatively impact user experience and SEO. Use high-quality photos of your actual team and office. |
| Over-optimizing anchor text in links | Using exact match keywords for every link appears unnatural and can be penalized by search engines. Use varied, natural anchor text instead. |
| Ignoring page load speed for your website | Slow-loading pages frustrate users and can lead to higher bounce rates, negatively impacting your accounting firm's SEO. Ensure your site loads quickly. |
| Using too many ads above the fold on your homepage | Too many ads at the top of the page can be off-putting for users and may be penalized by search engines, impacting your SEO negatively. |
Should you pay someone for the SEO of your accounting firm?
Well, we will be transparent. Here’s the thing: SEO can get pretty complex, and having some support can really make a difference. Imagine trying to juggle running your accounting firm, managing staff, keeping clients satisfied, and then on top of that, diving into the world of search engine optimization. It’s a lot, right?
Having someone handle your SEO means you can focus on what you do best—running your accounting firm. SEO experts know the ins and outs of getting your website to rank higher on search engines. They stay updated on the latest trends and algorithms, which means your site will be optimized correctly and consistently. This can lead to more people finding your accounting services online, and ultimately, more clients walking through your doors.
- But here’s the kicker: there are a lot of low-hanging fruits in SEO that you can tackle on your own, even if you don’t know much about it.
You will find a lot of low-hanging fruits that cost nothing, are quick to implement, and will make your accounting firm’s website much more visible in strategy pack for accounting firm owners.
Simple actions like optimizing your Google My Business profile, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, and using relevant keywords can significantly improve your online presence. These tasks don't require deep technical knowledge but can make a big impact.
So, should you increase the marketing budget of your accounting firm pay someone to manage your SEO? If you can do it, it’s a worthwhile investment. But don't underestimate what you can achieve on your own. Start with the basics, see the results, and then decide if you need more specialized help.
Make your accounting firm more profitable
We have studied the strategies of the best accounting firms in the world. All their tactics are explained in our pack!
Useful tools accountants can use for their SEO
Here are some essential tools that our team has collected and listed, to help you improve your accounting firm's online presence and SEO.
| Tool | How It's Useful |
|---|---|
| Google My Business | Ensures your accounting firm appears in local search results and Google Maps, provides essential information (hours, location, services), and collects client reviews. |
| SEMrush | Helps identify the best keywords for your accounting firm, analyze competitors, and track your search rankings. Provides insights to improve your content and visibility. |
| Yext | Manages your firm's listings across multiple directories, ensuring consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information to boost local SEO. |
| Google Search Console | Monitors your firm's website performance, identifies issues, and provides data on search traffic and keywords to optimize your SEO strategy. |
| Yelp | Collects client reviews and ratings, which improve your firm's online reputation and visibility in local search results. |
| BrightLocal | Offers tools for local SEO audits, citation building, and review management, helping your firm improve its local search presence. |
| Moz | Provides keyword research, link building, and site audit tools to enhance your firm's SEO efforts and improve search engine rankings. |
| Ahrefs | Analyzes your firm's backlink profile, identifies top-performing content, and tracks keyword rankings to boost your SEO strategy. |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Crawls your firm's website to identify technical SEO issues, such as broken links and duplicate content, helping improve site health and rankings. |
| AnswerThePublic | Generates content ideas by showing what people are searching for related to accounting services, helping you create relevant and engaging blog posts and pages. |
| Canva | Helps create visually appealing social media posts and graphics for your website, which can improve user engagement and indirectly boost SEO. |
| Hotjar | Provides insights into user behavior on your firm's website through heatmaps and session recordings, helping you optimize user experience and reduce bounce rates. |
Copy the SEO tactics of the best accountants
We understand why many business owners might shy away from SEO and marketing.
Running an accounting firm is already a full-time job, and the concept of SEO can seem vague and foreign. The terminology can be confusing, and it often feels like marketing is a luxury only big corporations can afford.
Plus, there's the constant worry about costs and whether any marketing efforts will actually pay off. We get that you prefer to focus on immediate, tangible improvements to your firm rather than dive into something that seems complicated and uncertain. No need to deteriorate your firm's budget here.
That's why we've created a "marketing pack" specifically for accounting firms like yours.
Our pack is designed to address all these concerns head-on. It includes easy-to-follow guides that break down SEO and marketing into simple steps, so you don't need to be a tech expert to understand. We offer cost-effective strategies that fit within tight budgets, and our step-by-step plans ensure that you can implement a good marketing strategy for your accounting firm without feeling overwhelmed.
Plus, we've included real-life examples and tips that have worked for other small accounting firms, so you can see the tangible benefits before you even start.
Our goal is to make marketing accessible and practical, helping your accounting firm thrive without adding extra stress to your already busy life.
Your accounting firm could make more money!
Most accountants don't know how to grow their business. Let us teach you the right strategies.
