your prospects use it. so should you.
by sandi leyva and jason holmes
one of the most important signals that google uses to rank websites higher in local search results is something that is not even on most accounting firms’ marketing radar. it’s the free business listing that google offers: google my business.
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cpas who take advantage of this listing will have their marketing dollars go much further, even if they outsource this task.
you may already have a listing. google your business name to see if a panel comes up on the right side of the search results page. if it does, it could be your business listing. if you haven’t claimed it, you can go to business.google.com to do so. if nothing shows up, you can add it by going to the same place.
if you haven’t claimed or added your business listing in the past, you will need to verify it. in this process, google will send you a postcard and you simply need to add the code to the listing when you receive it.
the fun part is filling out the profile as completely as possible. selecting a category is important, and you can choose more than one.
- accountant
- accounting firm
- bookkeeping service
- certified public accountant
- tax consultant
- tax preparation
- tax preparation service
choosing the right address is critical. no p.o. boxes are allowed, and that includes the ups store and similar rented mailboxes, and even regus and similar shared office spaces. if you don’t serve customers where you work (such as your home), list a service area instead of an address. otherwise, you won’t be eligible for a google business listing.
one big draw is showing up on google maps. when a prospect searches for a cpa firm, google search results will often show a map with three listings. being listed as one of these is called getting into the “map pack,” and that’s a very good thing!
other areas to complete in your google business listing include adding photos, posts, a q&a section where you can add and answer your own questions (before someone else does), services, products, and business characteristics, such as hours and appointment requirements. your content doesn’t have to be genius quality to get attention. one of my coaching clients added a picture of an office closet, and she increased her traffic significantly that week!
tracking your leads in google business is easy. you can even set up a unique phone number so you can tell which leads came from your listing.
another key area is reviews. the more reviews you can get, the better. prospects are pretty much trained these days to check out reviews before they commit to a purchase, so if you don’t have them, you will miss out when the firm down the street does have them. the best place on the internet to ask clients to leave you a review is on your google business listing, and you can send them a direct link to make it easy for them. adding a process to respond to reviews, thanking your clients for taking the time, is icing on the cake.
don’t miss out on this no-brainer marketing task to enhance your business growth.
jason holmes is a serial entrepreneur, most recently founder & ceo of thrivefuel, a marketing agency specializing in targeted digital advertising, promotion and conversion techniques across all technologies. jason has been in the digital marketing industry for over 20 years. clients include a wide range of businesses and niches in local, regional and national markets.