Optimising your accountancy firm’s Google Business Profile
Here at Whitefish Marketing, we often talk to clients about the importance of local SEO for accountants, and why a Google Business Profile is essential for your local marketing success. Why? Because Google gets over 3.5 billion searches a day, and a large percentage of those have local intent.
Google is, for most people, the go-to search engine, boasting a 92% search engine market share in the UK. It’s here that we look for local businesses whose services we need, so it’s here that accountancy practices need to stand out. And one feature that’s sure to help even the smallest accounting firms appear on the map is Google Business Profile (GBP).
If your business is struggling to gain traction in organic listings through regular SEO, a GBP can help you attain exposure in local searches. In this article, we’ll look at how you can leverage your GBP to get the most out of it.
Why do I need a Google Business Profile?
Accountants have traditionally gained a significant proportion of their business through referrals. But today, that’s just not enough. Even if a business is recommended by a trusted friend or family member, most people will still head online to check it out before making contact. And if your practice can’t be found online, your chances of getting that business are dramatically reduced.
Conversely, research shows that 88% of consumers who search for a local business on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours. With that in mind, it’s crucial for accountants to have a Google Business Profile that enables users to easily find them, their exact location, and their key contact information.
Verifying or creating your Google Business Profile
Claiming your Google Business Profile is the first step to gaining exposure in local search results. Google lists a lot of businesses automatically, so often it’s simply a case of verifying that the business is yours. To do this, search for your organisation and choose the correct listing. Click ‘Claim this business > Manage now’. You can then select a verification option and follow the on-screen steps.
If your practice isn’t listed, you’ll need to create a profile by entering your address into Google Maps and clicking ‘Add your business’ in the business profile section. You’ll then need to follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
Optimising your Google Business Profile
Fully optimising your GBP gives you more prominence in local search results. Here are some tips for ensuring you stand out from your local competitors.
Accuracy is key
The first step is to complete the basics accurately. According to Google support, customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider your practice reputable if they find a complete GBP. And ensuring all the information is correct – from your business name, address and phone number to opening hours – is essential. This means updating the listing whenever something changes, such as Christmas opening hours. Your GBP needs to be a reliable source of information, because sometimes customers won’t even go to your website, they’ll simply get what they need from your profile.
Get reviews
Another key part of GBP marketing strategies for accounting firms is collecting and managing reviews. While reviews on third party sites such as TrustPilot are seen by web users as more likely to be genuine, reviews on your Google Business Profile are important for your visibility for local search. Google states that, “Google review count and review score factor into local search ranking”, so more positive reviews on your profile means a greater chance of appearing higher in the Google Local Pack – the three listings that appear above the other organic search results when a local service is searched for.
The importance of reviews for your rankings doesn’t mean you should make them up. Request reviews from legitimate clients on an ongoing basis, sending them an email to ask for feedback. Of course, you’ll need to note which clients have already done so to avoid annoying them with continued requests for reviews.
Where clients leave an unsolicited review, be sure to respond as promptly as possible. If the review is positive, you can simply thank them for it. If it’s negative, take steps to address the feedback. This shows your business values the comments and aims to deliver a high-quality experience.
Add Google posts
Simply filling in your details and periodically requesting or monitoring your reviews won’t necessarily be enough to set you apart from the competition and boost your rankings. You’ll need to keep your GBP active too. A great way to do this is by adding Google Posts. This can impact your visibility, as Google searches the content in your GBP and leverages any keywords that are included in Posts.
With that in mind, create Posts that use location-based keywords. Use the Posts feature to update customers with timely information or to link to useful and relevant articles or guidance that you’ve added to your website.
Add images
Images provide an extra layer of engaging content to your GBP. An image of the outside of your building can be useful to help customers find it when they visit, and images of the interior can add a human element to your business. Make sure you geotag the images by uploading them to https://tool.geoimgr.com/ first, and placing the corresponding map pin at the correct point (i.e. your business location). Then simply click ‘Write EXIF Tags’, download the tagged image, and upload it to your Business Profile.
Help with your Google Business Profile
Ensuring your GBP is up to scratch and working as hard for you as it can takes some consistent effort. Often, accountancy marketing gets side-lined due to all the other tasks that need seeing to, so engaging a professional to monitor everything on your behalf can pay dividends. At Whitefish Marketing, we specialise in SEO services for accountants and can help you to improve your visibility in local search results through the optimisation of your GBP as well as through other tried and tested methods. Get in touch with us today to learn more.
