In recent years, an encompassing online presence has evolved from being “nice to have” to “absolutely essential” for businesses. Enter the Google Business Profile.
A Google Business Profile is a free online tool Google provides that allows businesses to have a dedicated space to share information like their address, hours of operation, website, and customer reviews.
A Google Business Profile is one of the most powerful tools you can use to increase your company’s online visibility and reach your target audience. Let’s look at why Google Business Profile SEO strategies for accountants, CPAs, and financial planners are smart, and tips on maximizing your efforts.
Why Your Company Needs a Google Business Profile
In addition to being literally zero risk (it’s free to use, after all), your financial planning or CPA firm can reap numerous rewards by setting up a Google Business Profile. Some of the biggest benefits include:
- Increasing your company’s online visibility. Your accounting firm or financial planning organization will prominently appear in Google’s search results and on Google Maps. This visibility makes it a snap for potential clients to find you.
- Enhancing your credibility. You can demonstrate your business is trustworthy with a verified Google Business Profile.
- Improving local SEO. Relevant keywords and engaging content can dramatically improve your search rankings (which makes it easier for your audience to find you).
- Increasing customer engagement. Respond to client reviews, post updates, and answer questions through your Profile.
- Gathering valuable insight. Access metrics like how many people viewed your profile, their locations, and how they found your business. This information helps you understand (and market to) your audience more effectively.
Tips for Setting Up a Google Business Profile
Now that you understand why you should have a Google Business Profile, here are some helpful tips on setting yours up so it packs a powerful punch.
Claim and verify your profile
This step ensures you stay in control of how your company’s information appears online. Log into Google and go to the Business website. Enter your business information, then go through the verification process, which can be via phone or email.
Complete accurate business information
Once you’ve verified your business, add more detailed information about it. Include relevant keywords that will help in your firm’s local searchability.
- Name, address, phone number. Accurately represent your accounting or financial planning business to your potential and current customers.
- Tips for ensuring consistency. Using uniform information across every place your company “lives” on the internet increases its authority. Plus, having the wrong phone number or address listed could cause you to miss out on business! Double-check your company details with your website and social media accounts.
- The impact of accurate information on local search rankings. Consistent information tells Google your business is credible and trustworthy, which are key elements of how the search engine ranks information.
Write an engaging business description
Try to strike a balance between keeping your firm’s business description concise and informative and incorporating relevant keywords to boost local SEO.
- Incorporating relevant keywords for local SEO. Potential customers typically use the same keywords to search for a local business online. By strategically incorporating these keywords into your Google Business Profile, you can increase your company’s visibility in local search results. Keywords can be the difference in landing lots of business from your online presence.
- Keeping the description concise and informative. People looking for your service are most likely going to skim your company description. If it’s long and in-depth, they may move on to a more compelling profile. Avoid using accounting jargon that the average reader won’t understand. Instead, use real-life language that focuses on your company’s value proposition and services. Mention years in business, credentials, and industry awards to quickly establish credibility.
Utilize high-quality visual content
Potential clients often form the first impression of your business off the visual elements you associate with your company. Visual prompts capture the reader’s attention and convey a value proposition that text does not.
- Importance of appealing photos and videos for service-oriented businesses. Accounting and financial planning businesses offer intangible services that can’t be physically seen or touched. Photos and videos can humanize your business and showcase what makes it unique.
- Guidelines for adding engaging visuals to your Google Business Profile. Always use high-quality photos and videos, display a variety of content, and only use ones that are relevant to your target audience.
- Showcase your business, team, products, and services. Focus on authenticity portraying your company by ditching the stock photos and videos. Use real employees, interactions, and customer experiences in your visuals.
Managing and responding to customer reviews
Your accounting firm or CPA’s office will benefit tremendously from online reviews. Customer reviews and referrals are powerful sources of business and may be more valuable than any paid advertising you could purchase.
- Asking customers to leave reviews. Build your firm’s reputation by asking happy customers to leave reviews about their interactions. Either ask in person or email them after their experience to remind them to weigh in on the service they received.
- Understanding the significance of positive reviews for local reputation. In a competitive market like accounting, a long list of positive reviews may be the sole reason a potential customer chooses you over another local firm.
- Encouraging specificity. Encourage customers to mention your specific location and other local lingo. These details add credibility to their reviews and add valuable context for potential clients.
Implementing local SEO strategies
As with all other online content, keywords play a huge role in getting found by would-be clients.
- Integrating local keywords. Your accounting firm can increase its visibility by weaving relevant keywords into your business description. Using your city, town, or neighborhood name along with industry keywords will help your profile rank higher than other companies that don’t make this effort.
- Adding relevant service areas and location-specific information. Specify the areas you serve and include details about your firm’s physical location (across the street from the hospital, beside the First National Bank) to improve the chances of your CPA or financial planning firm appearing in local searches.
- Google Map Pack. A well-optimized Google Business Profile increases the chances of earning a placement on the highly-desired Google Map Pack. Being prominently displayed here further increases your visibility and helps drive traffic to your door.
Utilizing Google Posts for updates
Once you’ve built out your Google Business Profile, put it to work. Share updates, promotions, and announcements directly on your firm’s Google Business Profile with Posts. These posts can keep your audience informed and engaged with your messages. Simply decide how often to post, write posts that will resonate with your target customer, and post them consistently.
Implementing attributes and services
Highlight your firm’s unique features and services by using the attributes feature. This information helps customers gather insights about your business and how it’s different from the competition. Attributes can be certifications, specific services, specialties, or unique areas of expertise.
Some examples of attributes are if your staff is bilingual or if you focus your accounting efforts on a specific industry. These give the reader insight into how your company could serve them more strategically than the others on the list, which positions you for success.
Encouraging customer interaction
Fostering a sense of community online strengthens relationships and increases credibility. Your firm can accomplish this by encouraging customers to interact with your brand.
Encourage customer questions in addition to leaving feedback. Answer them promptly to forge an inclusive, welcoming environment. Instead of just the initial transaction between the customer and your company (as pleasant and satisfactory as it may have been), there’s now a more robust story to maintain the relationship on.
Maximize Your Accounting Firm’s Google Business Profile with Surefire Local
Every component of your Google Business Profile, from claiming it to crafting compelling content and visuals, to incorporating keywords, is an opportunity to get your target audience’s attention. Use a strategically optimized Profile as a building block for your firm’s online presence. The result? Increased visibility, productive engagement, and significant growth. Accounting and financial planning professionals can leverage the Google Business Profile tool to create new revenue paths, gain more traffic, and strengthen their company’s brand.
Are you ready to reap the benefits of Google Business Profile SEO strategies for accountants? Surefire Local can give you the help you need to streamline your efforts and maximize your positive results. Our intuitive, all-in-one platform offers everything you need to manage your firm’s entire online presence from a single location. Experience what Surefire Local can do for your accounting firm by attending a live demo today.