Running your own CPA firm is a major accomplishment. It requires you to be on top of your game and know how to juggle many accounts and work with a large number of clients while still managing the inner workings of your business. Being able to take control of all aspects of your business is important to the continual growth and success of the company as a whole.
Marketing your business is a key aspect of gathering new business and becoming a recognizable name in your local area. However, marketing is often the first thing to be put aside when you find yourself having a busy schedule. This can have major long-term consequences for your business.
In order to stay on top of the strategies you have in place and the goals you want to accomplish with your marketing program, it’s important to have the right strategies in mind to get found. Google is the most powerful search engine out there, and being able to appear at the top of map results can have a major impact on your business growth. In this article, we’ll talk about the best Google Map Pack strategies for accountants, CPAs and other financial professionals.
Understanding the Google Map Pack
To begin, let’s talk about what the Google Map Pack is. Also known as the Google 3 Pack Ranking, the Google Map Pack is the set of three highlighted maps-based results that appear at the top of a search engine results page for a relevant search. For example, if you were included in the Google Map Pack for your area, when someone searches for “CPAs near me”, your business would show up at the top of the local results.
The Google Map Pack is one of the most highly sought after digital real estate locations. In fact, 44% of the clicks on the search results page go to the Google Map Pack. Most customers want to find a business that is highly rated, relevant to their needs, and convenient. The Google Map Pack answers their search and makes it easy to click on the relevant business without hours of individual research.
Once you get into the Google Map Pack, the results can be astounding. Customers will trust that Google has done the hard work to find the best results and click on your link to become a lead that can turn into a customer. Your listing will have your name, your location, your reviews, a photo, your hours, your address, and any other relevant information that relates to the search. With that info displayed in the results, customers have what they need to make a decision and move forward.
How Do You Improve Your Ranking in Google’s Map Pack
Every business wants to appear on the Google Map Pack. That means that competition is fierce, and it might be difficult for you to make your way to the top of the pack if other CPAs or accountants in the area have done so already. Thankfully, the results on Google are never set in stone, so you can work to improve your rankings and appear in the Google Map Pack. Here are a few of the best Google Map Pack strategies for accountants that you can use to improve your positioning:
Optimized Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business, is your online Google business directory listing. You have full control over how your profile looks and what information is included on it, so keeping your profile updated and spending time to ensure that everything is accurate is important to the success of your Google rankings. Here are a few tips on how to optimize your profile:
- Keep your business name accurate and clear
- Avoid duplicate listings
- Add details and keywords to your business information
- Include all relevant information, including your name, category, map location, phone number, website URL, hours of operation, and photos.
- Stay consistent with information like your address and hours of operation
- Use a local phone number instead of toll-free
- Upload high-quality photos of your business or products
- Update your information as needed to ensure accuracy
Reviews on Your Google Business Profile
Another important aspect of your Google Business Profile is your reviews. While you can’t directly control when customers leave reviews, you do have control over how you respond to reviews and strategies to gain more high-quality and recent reviews. Customers want to know that other people trust and recommend your business, and they also want to know that your reviews aren’t all from years ago. Factors that matter in reviews include:
- Star rating
- Description of the review
- Attributes added
- Photos uploaded
- Number of reviews from the reviewing profile
You can encourage your customers to leave reviews in person when you meet with them, through social media campaigns, or with an email marketing campaign. Getting reviews is important to your rankings, so don’t be afraid to ask for them. The worst a happy customer can say is no, but the best case scenario can help you reach the Google Map Pack.
Business Directories
While your Google Business Profile is the most important profile to have online, it is not the only one. Having more citations and listing across different online directories can boost your online presence and increase your chances of appearing in the Google Map Pack. Look for directory listings on other search engines, local business guides, or industry-specific publications. Make sure that the information you post on these profiles is accurate, and go back and update them when things like hours of operations or areas of service change. All of these directories together will help Google recognize your business as one of authority and move you up in the map pack rankings.
Website SEO
Another important factor that plays into your Google rankings for the map pack is your website search engine optimization, or SEO. When your website ranks high, it significantly increases your chances of appearing in the map pack. It’s also a great place to indicate where you are located, which helps increase your local search signals so Google knows which specific area you are located in. Some tips to improve website SEO include:
- Making your website mobile-friendly
- Securing your website
- Increasing the loading speed of your website
- Submitting your sitemap to Google
- Creating and publishing high-quality content
- Adding a unique business description
- Including relevant local keywords in your copy
- Having information about your staff and your team
- Posting your operating hours and contact information
- Publishing online reviews and testimonials
- Building a page for local news
Community Engagement
Finally, it’s important to have community engagement online to help improve your rankings and appear in the Google Map Pack. When people from your local area engage with your profile, it makes it easier for Google to establish authority with your brand and trust that your website and your business is a popular choice for the local area.
You can encourage your customers to ask questions on your Google Business Profile, which builds your reputation. You can also ask them to upload photos when they visit and leave positive reviews after they have a good interaction with your business. These types of actions can be the final push you need to appear in the rankings for the Google Map Pack and start receiving the benefits of being listed locally.
Attend a Surefire Local Marketing Platform Demo
Managing the Google Map Pack is an important job, and requires you to dedicate time to your business marketing program. When you can take these steps and implement them, you can optimize your brand presence for the Google Map Pack search results. This is one of the most effective ways of attracting nearby customers in your area and building your brand locally.
However, trying to manage all of these steps manually is nearly impossible. That’s where Surefire Local comes in. At Surefire Local, we work to provide businesses like your CPA firm with the software you need to accomplish your marketing goals and accelerate your business growth strategies. We provide business intelligence marketing software at a fraction of the cost that other agencies and platforms will change, allowing you to accomplish marketing goals while staying on budget. Our business intelligence marketing platform allows you to control the most important marketing initiatives from one location. With our software, you can gather reviews, manage your Google Business Profile, engage with your customers, respond to messages, publish content, and track results all in one location. To learn more, get a demo of the Surefire Local marketing platform today and discover the difference we can make to your small business and your Google Map Packs results.