SEO for Accountants

SEO Benefits for Accountants

If you’re reading this guide you probably found this by searching Google for “SEO for accountants” or something similar. It’s no surprise that recent research found that 68% of website interactions start with a search engine. In case you aren't familiar with SEO here are some reasons you may want to improve your websites SEO beyond just ranking higher on Google for certain terms. SEO can help you to:

As you probably know, this process of improving your website's visibility is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). SEO involves optimising your content, it's structure, technical factors and links to your pages in a way that makes it easier for search engines to understand and rank your website.

SEO is one of the largest marketing channels and yet it remains underutilised by most companies. This may be due to larger companies with big marketing budgets who muscle out smaller players and dominate the search results. This makes it harder for smaller companies to rank for many of their relevant keywords due to higher competition. Hopefully using the guidance in this article you can improve your website so that it ranks higher for relevant keywords and brings you a steady stream of organic traffic and therefore more clients without having to spend lots of money on digital advertising channels such as paid such or digital media advertising.

About Me

To quickly introduce myself and mention my accreditations, my name is Matt and I have been working in SEO for a decade where I have worked at large multinational companies, agencies and consulted for companies of all sizes. Feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile to see my reviews from senior leaders that I have worked with. In summary I have been building and optimising websites for 10 years and I specialise in financial SEO where I have the most experience. This is relevant because Google categorizes websites related to health and finance differently which I will explain in detail later. One of the main differences that accounting websites face (that enough people don't understand) is the category of pages being under particular scrutiny by Google. This means that the content on your site needs to be of a higher quality, more trustworthy and authoritative.

SEO Challenges for Accountants

YMYL Websites

Accountants face a unique set of challenges in SEO. These challeges are unique to websites related to health and finance and they face extra scrutiny from Google. They are referred to as YMYL which stands for "Your Money or Your Life" and includes "websites that could impact a person's future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety" read more from Google's official guidelines. Needless to say Accountants fall into this category as their work directly influences their clients' financial stability. This means that the content on your site is under extra scrutiny and will often be manually reviewed by Google's search quality raters. These are contractors who analyse websites based on a lengthy set of criteria and provide a rating which is used to train Google's machine learning models that analyse your sites. Therefore any site that is in the YMYL category should be aware of the contents of these guidelines and know what the algorithm is looking for.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Similarly to the categorisation of YMYL sites you may have read about the concept of EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). These factors are important for all websites but these factors are under further scrutiny for websites in the YMYL category. EEAT is something Accountants should be familiar with as it can directly affect the ranking of your website - "our systems give even more weight to content that aligns with strong E-E-A-T" from Google's official guidelines. If you can't demonstrate that you have experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness in your field then you are unlikely to rank well for the terms you want to. In short this is done through clear links to authoritable sources, content, reviews, clearly displaying accreditations, case studies and other forms of social proof.

Why SEO is Important for Accountants

It may seem obvious however it's worth mentioning that SEO is important for accountants because it can help you consider the role of SEO in relation to your marketing strategy as a whole. Firstly Accounting companies often rely on Google Maps results to be found by potential clients searching for local SEO services as well as companies reviews. Many people don't know this but improving your overall SEO actually leads to an improvement in local listings. We know this from Google's own documentation about Google maps. You'll see I like to refer to Google's documentation often and this is becuase it is the most reliable source of information we have about how Google works. Secondly SEO is important for accountants because of the high degree of trust that is required for financial services. In general people are more likley to trust an organic link than a paid one. This is not to undermine the power of advertising but speaking from experience I know that I would rather select a service that has been suggested by the world's biggest search engine than one that has paid to be in front of me. Another reason to consider is that with SEO you can tailor your message to potential clients depending on their stage in the buying cycle. This concept is often referred to as "search intent" and is an important factor to consider when creating and structuring content for your website.

Visibility and Traffic:
Improving your website so it ranks higher in search engines will lead to more relevant customers finding your site and therefore more clients.

Target Ideal Clients:
Through strategic keyword research and content creation, accountants can attract clients actively looking for accounting services. These are the best clients as unlike through other forms of advertising, they are already looking for that service.

Better User Experience (UX) and Website Performance:
Technical SEO ensures that a website is not only visible but also accessible, fast and user-friendly. This leads to a frustration-free experience and improves the perceived image of a company.

Building Credibility and Trust:
Your website is often the first impression a potential client has of your business. If the site is well organised, fast, responsive, well structured and has useful content, it will lead to greater trust and credibility. This is especially important for accountants as if a client is going to trust you with their finances they need to trust you and not question your credibility because you have a poor website.

Cost-Effective Marketing:
As the cost of advertising increases across other platforms SEO can provide a greate return on investment in comparison to other paid marketing channels. The added benefit being you aren't presenting potential clients with an advert but simply with a webpage they are looking for.

Local and National Reach:
Depending on your business goals and capactity SEO can be focussed on your local area. Or expanded to reach the whole country. This allows acountants to reach potential clients outside their local geography and expand their business online.

Competitive Advantage:
The accounting industry is very competitive and potential customers won't scroll past your competitors well optimised websites and find you. You need to be visible to be competitive.

Long-Term Strategy:
SEO is a long term strategy, this often puts people off investing in it but the returns are consistent and long lasting. Most businesses have a long term plan and SEO should be a part of it.

Setting Up for Success in SEO

Accountants need a Google My Business (GMB) Profile:

If you haven't already, create a free Google My Business profile. This is crucial for local SEO as it allows you to be shown on local listings and maps. Make sure that your business information is completely accurate as incorrect or conflicting information is one of the biggest and most common mistakes. Include your main services, location, and hours of operation.

Optimizing Your Google My Business Listing:

Soliciting Reviews:
Actively encourage your clients to leave reviews on your GMB profile. Positive reviews can significantly enhance your business's visibility and appeal. Follow Google’s guidelines for soliciting reviews to ensure compliance and authenticity.

Responding to Reviews:
Make it a practice to respond to all reviews regardless of whether they are positive or negative. Responding to reviews, especially negative ones is a great way to demonstrate that you value feedback and are engaged with your clients. It can also mitigate any negative perceptions and reduce the impact of any negative reviews. Showing prospective clients that you are committed to client satisfaction and engage to find resolutions to any problems.

Regular Updates:
Make sure to update your GMB profile to reflect any changes in your services, special offers, or changes to opening hours. Incorrect or outdated information could cause negative perceptions of your business to potential clients.

Technical Website Foundations:

Ensure your website is secure (HTTPS) and has an SSL certificate that shows in the browser. obile-friendly, and fast-loading. These factors are crucial for both user experience and SEO.

Indexability:
Make sure your website is easily indexable by search engines. Use a logical structure, clear navigation, and sitemap submissions to facilitate this.

Semantic HTML Tags:
Utilize semantic HTML5 tags (such as <header>, <footer>, <nav>, and <article>) to structure your content logically. This helps search engines understand the hierarchy and importance of your content, improving your site's SEO.

Accessibility and SEO:
Implement accessibility best practices, such as alt tags for images and proper contrast ratios. This not only makes your site more inclusive but can also positively impact your SEO, as search engines favor accessible websites.

Keyword Research in SEO for Accountants

Understanding Keywords in SEO:

Keyword research is a crucial step in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that involves identifying the words and phrases potential clients use when searching for accounting services online. Unlike paid advertising channels where you can directly target specific keywords, SEO requires a more nuanced approach. By creating content that aligns with these search terms, you can produce pages more likely to rank for specific keywords, enhancing your visibility on search engines.

The Role of Keyword Research:

Mastering keyword research is essential for connecting your accounting firm with its target audience. It involves pinpointing the exact terms used in search queries, allowing you to tailor your content to meet these searches. This strategic alignment helps improve your website's visibility and traffic by ensuring your content resonates with and reaches your intended audience.

Steps for Effective Keyword Research

Preparation:

Begin by understanding your accounting niche. Define seed keywords that encapsulate the essence of your services and identify your main competitors. These initial keywords provide a base for more in-depth research, offering insights into market trends and competitive positioning.

Generating Keyword Ideas:

Utilize your seed keywords to brainstorm potential search queries your clients might use. Tools like Google's Keyword Planner and Ahrefs offer suggestions by analyzing search trends, giving insights into user behavior. Additionally, engaging directly with your audience through social media or forums can yield unique keyword ideas based on their common questions and language.

Analyzing Competitors and Keyword Gaps:

Investigate the keywords driving traffic to your competitors' sites using tools like Ahrefs' Site Explorer. A keyword gap analysis can reveal valuable, yet untapped, keywords within your niche, presenting opportunities for your content strategy.

Evaluating Keywords:

Assess keywords by looking at metrics such as monthly search volume (MSV), keyword difficulty (KD), and cost-per-click (CPC). These indicators help prioritize keywords based on popularity, competition level, and commercial intent. Long-tail keywords, though less common, are often more valuable for conversions due to their specificity.

Understanding Search Intent:

Delve into the intent behind search queries to ensure your content aligns with user needs. Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines (bottom of page 89) categorize intent into four types:
"know," "do," "website," and "visit-in-person." Analyzing SERP features for your targeted keywords can also provide insight into the type of content Google favors.

Crafting a Keyword Strategy:

Develop a strategy that incorporates both high-volume keywords not targeted by competitors and long-tail, question-based queries that cater to specific user needs. This approach helps attract a more targeted segment of your audience.

Content Development and Optimization:

Produce content that fulfills both user intent and search engine criteria. Structure your content around keyword clusters to cover topics comprehensively, using semantic keywords for added context. Aim to target a primary keyword in each piece of content, supplemented by related secondary keywords.

Utilizing Keyword Research Tools:

A variety of tools are available for keyword research, from free options like Google Keyword Planner to advanced tools such as Ahrefs. These tools differ in functionality, offering capabilities ranging from keyword discovery to competitive analysis.

Monitoring and Adjusting Your Strategy:

Continuously monitor your content's performance and adapt your keyword strategy based on changing trends, competitor activities, and analytics insights. Regular keyword research is essential to identify new opportunities and refine your focus.