The beginner's guide to SEO for accountants

Introduction

The PracticeWeb team was prompted to put together this guide by a conversation we had in a content strategy workshop.

Standing up in front of a group of clients merrily explaining how SEO was one reason to produce regular content, a director at the accounting firm in question politely put up his hand.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but you keep saying this phrase ‘SEO’ and I have literally no idea what you’re talking about.”

There’s a lesson in that: never assume knowledge. We were lucky on this occasion that the client spoke up – it doesn’t always happen.

It can be embarrassing to admit you don’t understand something and at the same time, some people have a vested interest in keeping clients in the dark.

At PracticeWeb, our view is that the more people know and understand about the art of marketing, the more likely they’ll be to get engaged and excited.

With that in mind, we’ve written this guide specifically for people who don’t know the first thing about SEO but would like to learn enough to inform smart strategic planning and buying choices.

First things first: what is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimisation.

This describes the practice of tweaking and improving websites and their content to get more visitors via search results on Google and other search engines.

Getting better quality visitors is also a key goal. You don’t just want any old passer-by to click on the link – you want to help your ideal clients find you among all the competition.

You’ll also sometimes hear the term SEO used to describe the experts who practice the art of search engine optimisation – “She’s been an SEO since 2003,” for example.

Does my accountancy firm need SEO?

These days, SEO isn’t something you do as a one-off fix – it’s a necessary process most businesses embed into their ongoing marketing strategies.

In most cases, though, SEO will help you generate more traffic and therefore more leads – so, yes, you probably do need it.

If your site is performing well in search results, SEO can help you maintain that position as the competition begins to catch up.

If your website isn’t ranking highly for important search terms, such as ‘farm accountants in Lincolnshire’, for example, SEO can turn that around.

And if your website isn’t appearing in search rankings at all, even when you search your own company name…well, that means you’ve got a serious problem and need SEO urgently.

Having said all of that, if you’ve already got more business than you can handle through referrals, maybe you don’t need it – but there aren’t many firms that don’t want more clients, are there?

 

What’s inside our beginner’s guide?

• First things first: what is SEO?
• Does my accountancy firm need SEO?
• How does Google work?
• Some important SEO terms
• Ethical SEO vs. playing the system
• Why are keywords important?
• What is technical SEO?
• What is local SEO?
• How much should SEO cost?
• How long does SEO take to show results?
• How do I know if it’s working?
• Some SEO myths

Get an SEO audit

Accountancy firm owners, partners and marketers often tell us that they don’t know if their website is performing as well as it could be.

They don’t know if it’s getting found in search engines.

They’re unsure whether it’s driving traffic or engaging visitors. And, most importantly, if it’s generating leads.

Our comprehensive report is based on your digital marketing performance data. It’s written in plain English, offering actionable insights to revitalise your marketing strategy.

And that’s not all: we’ll also tell you how your firm’s website stacks up against your peers using our exclusive accounting industry digital marketing benchmarks.

Contact us today if you would like us to help you make a difference with your SEO.