How to Optimize Your Site to Get More Clients

Websites for accountants are common these days. How do you stand apart from your competitors?

In the world of online marketing, it’s all about SEO.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is what helps your firm’s website get listed near the top of a search on Google, Yahoo, or Bing.

Keywords

Keywords describe what your company does. For an accounting website, the most important keywords are the following, in order of importance:

• Accounting
• Accountants
• CPA
• Tax Preparation
• Tax Planning

Make a list of which words best describe your firm. Add in specifics: both “accountant” and “Dallas accountant” are great keywords. Your list should include 20 or 30 words and terms.

Navigating SEO

The text on each page of your website should include one or two of the most important keywords for that page. Place them in your headlines and in the first 50 words of the text on that page.

Caution: Do not “overstuff” your page with keywords. This used to work in the early days of Google, but it’s no longer good practice. Write the text for the reader, not the search engines. If your page is about 400 words, include the keyword about 4 times – a 1% density.

Meta Tags

You can’t see meta tags when you read a page on the Web. They live in the HTML code. They help the search engines determine what your page is about.

They are less important now than they were 5 years ago – but they do still matter.

There are 3 kinds of meta tags: Page Title, Keywords Tag, and Description.

Page Title

The Page Title tag is what appears at the very top of your web browser, above the URL. For instance, for this page, the Page Title is “Optimize Websites for Accountants.”

The Page Title should include one or two of your keywords. The Page Title should not be an unreadable list, but it’s more for the search engines than the reader.

Search engines only read the first 7 or 8 words of your Page Title. You can make the title longer, but be sure your keyword is placed in the first 7 or 8 words. Better yet, make your keyword the first or second word of your Page Title.

Keywords Tag

List the one or two keywords for that page in the Keywords Tag. You can add in a few more, but make sure they are relevant to your page.  This tag has become less important, so don’t worry too much about what you put in here.

Description

The Description Tag text is what appears under the link on a Google search listing. For this page, the description is “Learn the secrets of SEO for websites for accountants. See how keywords, meta tags, and domain names can make or break your CPA firm.”

Unlike the Page Title, this tag should be written for the reader. Put in a keyword or two, but also focus on how to entice the reader to click on your link, not the one above or below it.

A trick is to “invite” the reader to come to the page. Use phrases like “Check out these tips,” “Come take a look,” and “Learn the secrets of.”

Domain Names

Your domain name is what appears after the www in your Web address or URL. For this website, the domain name is websites4accountants.

Many accounting firms want their domain name to be the name of their company. But in fact, your domain name should be conceived for the search engines.

For instance, www.smithandsmith.com does not describe your company. It won’t help the search engines discover what you do. But www.dallasaccountant.com will give your firm a huge boost when someone searches for an accountant in Dallas.

SEO for your accounting website isn’t hard. Work a little on the page and see your page rank climb.