When people need something, a product, service, or just about anything, they go straight to the internet. We are living in times where everything is instant—information, advertising, and decision-making included. Search engine results have a lot of influence on the decisions people make.
If they search for a particular product or service, whatever pops up on the first page is likely the only option they will consider. A vast majority of people don’t go beyond the first page. That is why companies, old and new alike, must not only explore but understand search engine optimization (SEO)—especially accounting firms.
More and more people are relying on a brand’s online presence and reputation to decide whether to choose them or not. If you aren’t using SEO for your accounting firm, you might get left behind.
This is a brief guide to SEO for accounting firms. Read on to learn how you can get started.
SEO for Accounting Firms
Simply put, SEO is the process of optimizing your website to increase your visibility for relevant search terms. What does “optimizing” mean exactly?
As a business and a brand, you have a website. It can do so much more than just relay information and hold your details. It can attract visitors, convert them into clients, and inspire loyalty. The end goal of SEO is not just to increase your site’s traffic but to convert that traffic into sales or contracts.
How Do You Get Started?
First, you must understand that SEO is about impressing the search engine by focusing on your target audience. Think about what might be relevant and helpful to them before you worry about impressing search engines.
On-Site SEO
The best place to start is on-site, meaning areas within your website that you can optimize to improve your ranking in organic search results. You control all of these elements, so the first thing you’ll want to do is take stock of everything. Analyze and evaluate your website data to see where you need to improve and what you’re already doing right.
Here are some of the factors you should consider:
- Content
- Title tags
- Keyword targeting
- Meta description
- URL structure
- Alt text
After that, you should research keywords. Keywords are essential for targeting your audience effectively. It will also provide you with a reliable source of information for topics that your audience cares about. It will help to keep you alert and competitive.
There are plenty of tools online that you can use to identify keywords. A few examples are WordStream and Moz. A few popular terms that are relevant in accounting are the following:
- Bookkeeping
- Tax return
- Chartered accountant
- Accounting firms near me
- Payroll
Off-Site SEO
Off-site or off-page SEO refers to all efforts made outside of your website to influence your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). The king of off-site SEO is link building. This is the process of getting other websites to link back to yours. However, you can do plenty of other things to improve your off-page SEO, like content marketing, blog posting, sharing customer reviews, and more.
Technical SEO
Finally, technical SEO refers to improving the technical aspects of your website to increase your ranking in SERPs. This generally involves making your website faster, more responsive, improve the design, and more. It’s still part of on-site SEO since it’s about improving things in your control on your website. Working on your technical SEO makes it easier for visitors, clients, and potential clients to navigate your website.
Summary
This has been an essential guide to getting started on SEO for accounting firms. No doubt that all of this can be overwhelming at first, but rest assured that all you need to focus on is your audience. As long as you keep them in the front of your mind when doing SEO, it should steer you in the right direction. SEO is all about putting your best foot forward through your website and other marketing efforts.
If you need assistance navigating the world of Google Ads for accounting firms, allow us to help you. New Digital Marketing Agency is a data-driven marketing agency. We aim to help you elevate your brand and grow your business through focus and data-driven solutions. For more information, get in touch with us today!
