SEO Keyword Tips to Boost Your Firm’s Google 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:

1. Entering your home page, or any page’s URL into the search box;
2. Choosing mobile or desktop in the top, left corner;
3. Clicking analyze;
4. Reviewing the suggestions; and then
5. Sharing the information with our website developer to fix any problem areas.
6. 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:

1. Open a spreadsheet and put each month in a cell.
2. Define a theme/topic for each month.
3. Add a keyword phrase for that month’s theme.
4. Research hashtags for that topic – Hashtagify.me is great for this!
5. 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 it’s 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.