Accounting services are in stable demand, and the competition in this segment is quite great. However, it is limited by more modest budgets than in e-commerce. At the same time, the number of requests for accounting services is extremely high. A distinctive feature of accounting SEO is the presence of a huge untargeted traffic on the subject.
High-frequency keywords always include informational sites in search engine results. Thus, the most important for the accounting company are medium and low-frequency keywords directly related to specific accounting services. However, it should be noted that although informational queries on this topic have a much lower conversion rate, they can benefit the site’s SEO and business profit.
SEO Benefits for Accountants
So, SEO for accounting services:
- Bring targeted traffic to the site.
- Helps to get top positions in search engine results.
- Reduces advertising costs.
- Increases sales and market reach.
- Enables multichannel communication.
Hiring an experienced SEO agency is often the most optimal choice for accounting firms due to their specialized expertise, comprehensive resources, and ability to stay updated with the latest SEO trends. This approach allows firms to focus on their core services while leveraging the agency’s experience to achieve an efficient accounting SEO.
A specialized SEO agency catalog helps businesses find the best SEO agency and compare different services, payment rates, locations, and more. However, for larger accounting firms with ongoing, complex SEO needs, hiring an in-house specialist may provide more tailored and immediate control over their SEO strategy.
Proven SEO Tactics for Accountants
To conduct a successful SEO for accounting firms, you need to take into account the following peculiarities:
- Accounting activities are very diverse, and in each of them, there is considerable competition.
- High-frequency keywords are difficult to promote due to the presence of a large number of competing firms.
- There are strict requirements for blog articles to comply with E-E-A-T.
- It is difficult to attract the target audience, as potential clients and students looking for free information for reports, term papers, and essays often use the same queries.
Here, we have prepared proven SEO strategies for accountants that will help you boost your SEO efforts.
Research Niche Keywords
Keywords are the terms people type into search engines to find what they’re looking for online. They are crucial for your accounting firm’s website to appear in search results.
Targeting the right keywords for your business is essential to ensure you’re visible to potential clients. Generic keywords like “accounting agency” are usually a poor choice for small businesses. These terms are highly competitive and dominated by large brands. They also lack specificity, making it unclear what the searcher is actually looking for.
Source: Google
In contrast, long-tail keywords, such as “affordable tax preparation in Las Vegas”, are much more effective for accounting firms. These phrases indicate the searcher’s intent and often suggest a desire to find local services. For instance, someone searching for an “affordable tax preparation in [your city]” is likely looking to hire one nearby.
The main directions of the niche keywords research:
- Bookkeeping by type of legal entity.
- Preparation of certain types of reporting (you can collect semantics for specific reports that users are interested in).
- Opening/closing legal entity.
- Etsy seller taxes.
- Requests for reporting on different tax schemes.
- Conducting accounting and financial audits of companies and specific questions related to this topic.
- Inquiries on popular accounting questions of users, etc.
Although long-tail keywords attract less traffic due to their specificity, they are less competitive. This is why it is easier for your firm to rank higher in search results with them. Moreover, the traffic you do attract is more likely to consist of qualified leads. These will be people who are genuinely interested in your services.
Content
Potential clients need to be given expertise and quick answers to their questions. This is why adding the appropriate functionality to the website is recommended. For example, it can be an accountancy FAQ (answers to basic accounting questions).
Source: The Accountancy Partnership
Quality content is essential in the accounting industry. Accounting experts must be engaged in its preparation because content can not be inaccurately written. Competent and useful text is not only an answer to the question of interest but also a confirmation of the site’s expert status. The main recommendations for accounting blog articles are:
- Optimize for accounting-specific search queries. Highlight specialized services such as “tax planning for healthcare professionals” or “accounting for law firms”.
- Create blog posts with different angles, such as tax law updates. For example, “2024 tax law changes for small businesses” could detail new regulations and their implications. A post on “compliance updates for accountants” can cover recent legal changes and how they affect different industries. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner to find relevant keywords with good search volume and low competition.
- Educational videos. Produce videos on complex accounting topics, such as “Understanding VAT for Small Business Owners” or “How to Prepare for a Tax Audit”. Videos are highly engaging and can simplify complex topics. However, you must create videos with clear titles, descriptions, and tags. They must contain relevant keywords to improve searchability on platforms like YouTube and Google.
- Create checklists (like Tax Preparation, for instance). Create downloadable guides adjusted to different client types (e.g., freelancers, small business owners, and non-profits). Optimize these resources with keywords like “freelancer tax preparation checklist” or “small business tax guide”.
You should pay special attention to content preparation for your accounting website.
Local Search
Source: Sage
Being listed on local directories such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, and industry-specific directories improves your local SEO. Accounting directories where you can get listed:
- CPAdirectory.
- CPA Finder.
- AICPA Directory.
- State Board of Accountancy Directories.
- TaxBuzz.
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor Database.
- IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers.
- National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA).
- Xero Advisor Directory.
- Accounting Match.
- CountingWorks.
- CPAverify.
Make sure your business information is consistent across all platforms. Include keywords related to your specialty in the business description. For example, “expert tax planning for healthcare professionals in New York City” or “top-rated accountant for law firms in California”.
Also, ask customers to leave detailed reviews that mention specific services and outcomes. For instance, a review might state, “XYZ Accounting helped me with complex tax planning, saving my e-commerce business thousands of dollars”.
Build Authority with Link Building
Links are signals for Google to show that the website is trustworthy and authoritative. With a wise strategy, links can be beneficial for ranking better in Google or any other search engine and driving traffic to your accounting website.
Participate in local community events or sponsor local sports teams, charities, or business expos. This involvement can lead to backlinks from reputable local websites. Write press releases about your involvement and submit them to local news websites to gain additional backlinks.
You can also identify popular blogs within the accounting or finance industry and write guest posts. Your posts should provide valuable insights and link back to your website. To find those websites, analyze your competitors’ backlinks. Reach out to websites linking to your competitors and pitch them content that might earn you similar links.
Technical SEO
Here are basic technical accountant SEO tips:
- Use an XML sitemap. It is necessary for fast site crawling and demonstrates to search engines how pages are connected.
- Create a Robots.txt file. This file instructs search engine bots to visit certain pages of the site and not others.
- Optimize your website for Core Web Vitals. CWV consists of the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and Interaction to Next Paint (INP) metrics, which represent your website’s UX.
- Optimize images. You should compress large files that download slowly and negatively affect site speed.
Conduct an accounting SEO audit to analyze all the errors and areas of the site with lost potential. They give you a list of recommendations for improving the overall website’s performance. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and secure (HTTPS), as these factors significantly impact SEO for accountants.
Monitor and Adjust Your Strategy
Regularly check your website’s performance using tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics. Key metrics to monitor are the following:
- Organic traffic. It is the number of visitors coming to your site from organic search results. This helps you gauge the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.
- Keyword rankings. Track how well your website ranks for targeted keywords. This will show you which keywords are driving traffic and which ones need more focus.
- Bounce rate. It shows the percentage of visitors who leave your website after browsing only one page. A high bounce rate can indicate that your site isn’t engaging or relevant to the visitors.
- Conversion rates. Measure the percentage of visitors who complete an intended action, such as requesting a demo call or ordering your accounting services. This is crucial for understanding how well your site is achieving its goals.
By monitoring results, you’ll be able to determine whether your chosen strategy works and whether it needs some improvement.
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You’ll have your Profit and Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement ready for analysis each month so you and your business partners can make better business decisions.
Interested in learning more? Schedule a call with our CEO, Nathan Hirsch.
And here’s some free resources:
- Monthly Finance Meeting Agenda
- 9 Steps to Master Your Ecommerce Bookkeeping Checklist
- The Ultimate Guide on Finding an Ecommerce Virtual Bookkeeping Service
- What Is a Profit and Loss Statement?
- How to Read & Interpret a Cash Flow Statement
- How to Read a Balance Sheet & Truly Understand It
Conclusion
The first accounting SEO results can be noticed in about 4 weeks. When planning the promotion of the accounting website, it is crucial to consider all the company’s accounting activities. Among the most important works on SEO for accountants include:
- Researching niche keywords.
- Identifying priorities for SEO.
- Creating the structure of the site with a breakdown of keywords on pages.
- Optimizing blog content.
- Technical SEO.
- Getting listed on local directories and review platforms.
- Building link profile.
- Integrating/connecting analytics to track the SEO results (this allows you to quickly identify what works well and what fails).
We hope our article was helpful to you. Now you know all you need to know about SEO for accountants.
