Attract visitors to accounting websites

Your website is an important part of your marketing strategy, as it markets you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and showcases your experience, attracts new potential clients, and confirms your reputation. People can find information about you any time they want, from any device they have handy.

Visitors typically come across your website in one of three ways:

They find it through online search engines when they search for your speciality
They’ve connected with you on social media or through your email list and have decided to learn more
They’re referred to you by someone they know and want to find out about your services

This guide explains how to drive more traffic to your website.

Here are some effective ways to attract more visitors to your website.

People who find you through search engines

These are the people who search for accountants using search engines like Google and visit your website by following a link that comes up in the results. The higher your firm is in the search results, the more people will see your website and potentially visit.

Here’s how search engines work:

The search engine checks the Internet for relevant content, reviewing the code and content of each website to see if the information is relevant to a keyword or phrase someone has entered into the search bar.
Any information found is then indexed and stored so it can be displayed as a search result for relevant queries.
Content that appears most highly matched or relevant to the searcher’s query is ranked, with the best matches appearing first.

If someone searches for “Accounting firm for retailers,” you’ll need content on your website that talks about your expertise and services, so the search engine knows you have relevant content to rank. That’s where keywords become more important.

Using keywords

Keywords play an important role in ensuring your website shows up in search results by matching what prospects search for, and what’s on your website.

To find the best keywords for you, it’s important to know what your ideal clients search for. Do they use search phrases that combine ‘accountant’ and the name of your city? Do they look for industry-specific accountants? Do they type in questions like, “How do I save money on my taxes?”

Knowing what keywords your clients use to find you enables you to use those words and phrases in your content, making it more likely you’ll appear in search results.

Some keywords might be overused, making it difficult for you to appear in the top search results. For example, if you live in a big city it will be hard to get noticed if your only keywords are “accountant” and the name of your city. In that case, it might make more sense to narrow it down to your particular area of the city or include other descriptors, such as the industry you work in.

To improve your search results:

Conduct keyword research to determine what phrases your clients use when they search and the format they prefer information in (such as web text, videos or podcasts)
List all your services and assign words or phrases to those services, using your clients’ wording
Use those keywords and phrases in your website content
Where possible, use search phrases in titles, content headings and main content pages
Include links to popular websites relevant to your business and ask if they will link back to yours (this is known as reciprocal links or backlinks, which search engines like)
Ensure your website is mobile friendly, as search engines consider this important
Update your content regularly and ensure it’s relevant, authoritative and trustworthy
Have searchable content on your website, such as blogs, whitepapers, e-books, case studies and industry guides
Consider using paid advertising to get in front of your target market
Use Google Analytics to see how your website is performing and revise your website strategy if necessary
Review your website at least once a year to ensure the keywords you use are still relevant and are effective

It’s more important that you show up in front of the right people than that you show up in front of a lot of people who don’t need your services. Using targeted keywords and phrases for your firm is one way to qualify leads before they visit your website.

Visitors who find you through social media or newsletters

If you’re regularly putting out content through social media or newsletters, you have an excellent means of driving traffic to your website as both give you a way to share valuable information with your audience while promoting your business. Visitors who find you through social media or newsletters may be more likely to work with you because they already have a relationship with you through your content.

To use social media to drive traffic to your website:

Make sure you’re on the platforms your target audience is on (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram are popular platforms)
Include a link to your website in all your social media profiles
Post engaging, relevant content and remember to include a link to your website in some of the posts (don’t oversell by including your link in all posts, or people will stop reading)
Encourage your followers to share your links to their network
Participate in groups and forums (follow their rules for self-promotion)
Share links to any blog posts you publish on your websites

To use newsletters or email to push traffic to your website:

Have a link to your website in emails or newsletters you send out
Make sure your email signature has a link to your website, ideally with an engaging call to action
Send information that’s valuable and relevant to your audience
Include links to your blog posts in your newsletter

Potential clients who have been referred to you

Referrals are among the best potential clients because someone they trust has already vouched for you. They’re reaching out to you to find out more, and they’re doing so because they need your services.

Rather than waiting and hoping that people in your network will refer you, ask them to do it and make it easy for them to.

Email your clients asking for a referral and include a link to your website that they can share
Add social share buttons to your shareable content (such as blog posts) to make it easy for people to post your content for their networks
Encourage your social media followers to share your posts and refer people to you

Other ways to attract traffic to your website

These aren’t the only ways you can promote your website online. You could

Write thought leadership pieces and include links to your website (for example, you can post your articles on Medium)
Write guest blog posts for relevant businesses in exchange for posting a link
Have profiles that link to your website in online directories or industry guides

Final thoughts

You don’t have to do a lot to attract more visitors to your accounting website. Taking a few steps to ensure you can be found in search engines, marketing your website through social media and newsletters, and making it easy for people to refer you will draw more traffic to your website.