5 ways to improve your firm's SEO results

December 14, 2022 11:47 AM

By now, pretty much every accounting firm has come to understand the value of optimizing the content on its own web pages to maximize its placement in the search results of potential clients. This form of search engine optimization, known as "on-page SEO," has been baked into web page redesigns and marketing/communications strategies for years.

"Off-page SEO," on the other hand, can be more challenging to generate but substantially more rewarding when it comes to improving the search engine rankings and the visibility of a firm and its key personnel. Off-page SEO strategies focus on ratcheting up rankings for a website or a thought leader based on endorsements, expressed or implied, from third parties — so-called "earned media" recognition. Online mentions of a firm or individual on pages that are relevant to the accounting profession, business community or targeted sectors, combined with backlinks to their websites, signal a level of authority and respect online that translates to higher SEO rankings.

There are several ways that firms and their thought leaders can increase online visibility and off-page SEO results. These digital PR strategies focus on generating earned media visibility that engages the support of third-party content providers to bolster the online bona fides of thought leaders and their firms.

1. Create opportunities with quality online content

Insightful, keyword-enriched content on websites and thoughtful posts on social media channels like LinkedIn can generate views, shares and links that bolster SEO rankings. They can also draw the attention of journalists and editors.

2. Share your insights with the media

It's pretty rare for a reporter to simply email or pick up the phone and cold-call someone they don't know for an insight on a story or a quote. However, publications, trade associations and professional organizations are almost always on the lookout for knowledgeable resources to contribute content in the form of guest blogs and articles. Reaching out to editors at publications or communications departments at associations can often lead to publication of thought leadership pieces that generate interest in a particular topic as well as additional publishing opportunities.

If the time commitment needed to create and publish an article or guest blog seems a little daunting, professionals with knowledge and opinions on current developments in their field can reach out to journalists with timely and insightful comments and soundbites using a technique called "newsjacking." Follow these four steps to raise your online visibility through newsjacking:

First, identify relevant pending developments and set alerts for breaking news. Also, identify the reporters or association resources writing about them. Given the nature of accounting and tax developments, potential newsjackers can often get an easy head start based on the knowledge that FASB, the AICPA, the IRS, Congress or the courts are in the process of drafting a new rule, regulation, law or opinion.
Second, plan the key messages you want to convey about the new development and draft the actual language. Answer questions like:
o   What's my take on this topic?
o   Why is the development newsworthy?
o   Who is affected by it and how?
o   How can I establish to journalists that my take on this is different and better than other sources that are competing for their attention?
o   What short soundbites will resonate with an audience?
o   Are there stats, infographics and images I can share that support my point?

Third, edit those comments down and tighten them up. A journalist on deadline doesn't have time to read a treatise. If you send more than 200 words, it's likely that all of them will be ignored.
Fourth, when the development becomes public, forward your thoughts to the resources you've identified.

3. Seek out speaking engagements

Just as associations and media outlets are always on the lookout for guest bloggers and articles, they're also constantly soliciting for speakers on key topics. If you follow certain organizations that host annual meetings, you'll usually see calls for potential speakers to submit topics and presentations ahead of annual meetings. You can also start closer to home and test out a presentation in front of a local chapter.

Opportunities like these result in a variety of earned media off-page SEO benefits, such as increased web traffic from event producers and attendees and linkbacks to your profile and firm website in event materials.

4. Shareable social media content

If you can provide a short, pithy, insightful comment on a key development or a smart infographic that sums up a complicated topic, it will get shared. All of those reposts of content that you create will constitute the kind of third-party earned media recognition that pays high dividends in SEO recognition.

5. Collaborate with influencers and providers of complementary services

Who are some of the leaders in your field, or experts with knowledge in areas that complement yours? Do they host podcasts or write blogs? If so, there's a chance they're looking for guests to talk with or writers to submit a guest blog every now and then. Establish relationships with them and pay attention to how you can fill gaps in their content. And always make sure that your ask includes some type of online referral or recommendation that lends their support to your earned media SEO improvement efforts.

With so many potential clients relying on the internet to identify and evaluate professional services firms, SEO has become a key driver of success. As more and more firms up their game when it comes to on-page SEO with keyword-rich content, the new leaders in the field will be those who can master the more challenging task of generating the recognition and linkbacks that only earned media digital PR strategies like the ones we've described here can deliver.