How many city pages does a typical accounting firm need?
Enough to cover the towns and neighborhoods that already send you clients – or could – inside a realistic drive time. For many firms that is a few dozen opportunities, published in waves, not a hundred thin pages on day one. We size the list from your footprint and competition, then start where rankings can still move first – before those towns fill up with competitor pages.
Can local SEO work if our main office is in a competitive downtown?
Yes, but the downtown market is rarely the first win. We start with surrounding towns that feed the office, build rankings and inquiries there, then push into the harder main-city terms. Firms that insist on only the #1 city keyword in month one usually stall. Firms that cover nearby towns first usually do better – and they stop leaving those markets open for a competitor.
What does “Map pack” work include beyond a verified listing?
The Map pack is the map block of local businesses at the top of Google – and only a few firms get those spots. Beyond verification, the work includes category choices, services with real descriptions, photos and posts on a schedule, Q&A, earning reviews at a pace that keeps up with competitors, and consistent name/address/phone across directories. The listing has to stay active – it is not a one-time setup.
How do you keep local SEO from bringing only individual 1040 shoppers?
We target the searches and page topics tied to the services you want more of – business clients, advisory, specialty work – and write those pages so the right prospects self-select before they call. Broad “accountant near me” alone is not the whole plan if that is not the work you are hiring for.
What happens after the first ninety days?
The work shifts from foundation and the first wave of pages into expansion and maintenance: more markets, stronger pages, ongoing Google Business Profile upkeep, and reporting tied to inquiries. Local rankings slip when the work stops – and competitors move in – so maintenance stays scheduled.
Do multi-office accounting firms run the same play?
Same approach, different coverage map. Each office gets its own surrounding towns, page set, and Google Business Profile plan so locations do not compete with each other. We plan how pages and listings relate before launch when there is more than one office.
Do accountants really need SEO – is it worth it?
If referrals already fill your calendar with the right clients and you are not hiring, maybe not. If you want more of a specific kind of work – and competitors are already ranking for those searches – SEO is how you stop leaving those clients on the table. Worth it means booked work that pays for the engagement, not traffic for its own sake.
How much does SEO cost for an accounting firm?
Local SEO starts at $2,000 per month in smaller markets. Pricing is set so a positive ROI can show up quickly when the work matches your market. A website rebuild, when needed, is a separate project – not bundled into that monthly SEO fee.
How long does SEO take to work?
In thinner nearby towns, some city pages can move within days or weeks once they are live. Your main city usually takes longer – months – because competition is heavier. Anyone promising page one downtown in 30 days is selling you something. We start where you can win sooner, then push into harder markets.
SEO or Google Ads – which should my firm do first?
For most accounting firms, SEO first. Ads stop the day you stop paying. SEO builds rankings that keep sending clients. Ads still make sense for a short-term gap or a busy season push – but they are not a substitute for owning the local searches your competitors are taking.
Should I hire an SEO agency or do it myself?
You can do pieces yourself if you have the time and skill – Google Business Profile posts, basic page edits, asking for reviews. Ranking across a real radius of towns, Maps, and ongoing authority work is a full job. Most managing partners are better off hiring specialists who already know accounting search than learning SEO while competitors keep the clients.
Is SEO a one-time project or an ongoing investment?
Ongoing. Rankings slip when the work stops, and competitors are ready to take the spots. There are no long-term contracts – SEO continues month to month with 30 days’ notice to end. The results come from consistency, not a one-week launch.
What does an SEO agency for accountants actually do?
For local SEO: service and city pages, Google Business Profile work, name/address/phone consistency, local link building, and reporting tied to inquiries – not a pile of vanity charts. The point is ranking for the services and towns that fill your calendar with clients worth hiring for.
Will my firm show up in AI search (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google’s AI Overviews)?
More people are asking AI tools for a CPA, and Google shows AI Overviews on many searches. Showing up there still rests on the same local SEO foundation – clear pages, a strong Google Business Profile, and real authority in your markets. It is not a separate product. Do the local SEO right and the AI answers have something solid to cite.
Why is local SEO important for accounting firms?
Most new clients still start with a local search. If your firm is not in the Map pack or the top organic results for the towns you serve, a competitor gets the call. Local SEO is how an accounting firm shows up for the searches happening in its own market every week.
How important are Google reviews – for ranking and for winning clients?
Both. Reviews help your Google Business Profile rank in the Map pack, and they are often what a prospect reads before they call. Steady, recent reviews from real clients matter more than a big pile of old ones with nothing new. Local SEO includes a plan to earn them – not fake them.
What keywords should my accounting firm target?
The searches tied to the services you want more of, plus the towns you can actually serve – for example business tax, payroll, or advisory in your city and nearby markets. Broad “accountant near me” alone is rarely the whole plan. We build the keyword list from your service mix, drive-time radius, and what competitors already rank for.
Do I need a new website, or can you work with my current one?
If your current site is fast, converts, and Google can read it, we work with it. If it is slow, dated, or killing inquiries, a rebuild is the right move – and that website work is a separate project from the monthly Local SEO engagement. We say which path fits on the call.
How do I know the SEO is actually working – and that I’m not being scammed?
You track inquiries and booked work, not vanity visit counts. Reporting should show rankings by market, listing health, and calls or form fills against your own numbers. Walk away from guaranteed rankings, secret methods, or traffic reports with no line back to real clients.
When does SEO not make sense for an accounting firm?
When you are brand new with almost no reviews, when you only compete on being the cheapest return in town, or when you expect the hardest city ranked in 30 days. Local SEO fits an established firm with a real reputation that wants more of the right work and is ready to handle it.
