CPA Practice Advisor - 35

MARKETING YOUR FIRM

SEO Keyword Tips to Boost
Your Firm's Google Ranking
DID YOU KNOW 93% of experiences on the Internet start with a search
engine, according to Forrester? If you haven't put much thought into your
firm's keyword search ranking you may have been missing out on valuable
lead-generation opportunities that don't cost a dime.
Working with your website developer, here
are four things you can do to help increase your
Google keyword ranking.

IMPROVE PAGE LOAD TIMES
According to the MachMetrics Speed Blog, "The
average [page] Speed Index is 4.7 seconds on
desktop and 11.4 seconds on mobile. Google's
best practice is to have a speed index under 3
seconds."
How quickly do your website pages load?
Thankfully, fixing page speed is not too
difficult. Google has been offering the Page
Speed Insights tool since 2018.
Get your stats by:
■ Entering your home page, or any page's URL into
the search box;
■ Choosing mobile or desktop in the top, left
corner;
■ Clicking analyze;
■ Reviewing the suggestions; and then
■ Sharing the information with our website
developer to fix any problem areas.
■ Retesting fixed pages.

LEVERAGE NICHE KEYWORDS
Most accounting firms use the same service
keywords on their website, no matter what
industries they serve. To stand out in your niche
areas, consider this formula:
Accounting Term + Niche keyword = phrase
for that page/content
Example: Virtual CFO + pharmaceutical
companies = virtual CFO for pharmaceutical
companies
Then place that term on the corresponding
page. Use the phrase in the:
■ Body copy;

■ As part of the image file name [Virtual_CFO_
Pharma.png];
■ Within the content headline, e.g., Virtual CFO
Saves Pharma Client $1.2 Million; and
■ In the description and keyword meta tags (your
website person will know what that means).

THINK LONG TERM
Ranking for any keyword phrase is a marathon,
not a sprint. If you are approached by someone
claiming they can get your firm on page one of
a search engine in a short period of time...run!
As with any long-term plan, you need a
strategy.
Each month everything you do online should
relate to a target keyword phrase, including
social media, marketing, website content
development, advertising, videos, podcasts,
interviews, etc. The content doesn't have to be
long, just focused.
Here's what that looks like:
■ Open a spreadsheet and put each month in a cell.
■ Define a theme/topic for each month.
■ Add a keyword phrase for that month's theme.
■ Research hashtags for that topic.
Hashtagify.me is great for this!
■ List the media format(s) you plan to create.
Example:
Month: September
Topic: Cash Flow
Keyword: Cash Flow Management Tips for
[industry]
Hashtags: #CashFlow #Business #[Industry
term]
Media: Blog, video, infographic
Tip: Revisit your existing content to see if
you can update it; freshen its publish date; and/
or update its meta tag data.

REVISIT YOUR BUSINESS LISTING
If you have a free business listing on Google or
Bing, revisit the keywords used to help ensure
it promotes what you want. If it lists things
like Tax, Accounting, and Consulting, you
might want to infuse it with some creativity,
such as Small Business Tax Pro, Car Dealership
Accountant, or Restaurant Cash Flow Wiz...you
get the gist.
Everything you do online that's tied to your
brand impacts its keyword ranking.
Each piece of content shared on social
media, every blog posted, each byline article or
interview that links back to the firm affects its
keyword ranking.
When you focus on what you want to be found
for, your online brand will begin to stand out. ■
Becky Livingston is the President and CEO of Penheel
Marketing, a NJ-based firm specializing in social media
and digital marketing for CPAs. With over 25 years of
marketing and tech experience, she is the author of "SEO
for CPAs - The Accountant's SEO Handbook" and the
"The Accountant's Social Media Handbook." In addition
to being a practitioner, she is a dog lover, an active on
the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) social
media committee, an adjunct professor, and a speaker/
trainer. Learn more about Becky and her firm at https://
Penheel.com.

AUGUST 2020 ■

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

35
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