I help clients package ideas for maximum impact.
Most professional service firms have websites. My Dad, a CPA in Wells, Maine, decided he needed one as well. Beyond providing basic information about the office, he had little idea of what its purpose would be. As with most CPAs, Dad frequently provides the same advice to multiple clients. While he did not want to lose any personal connection with his clients, he wanted to make his advice more accessible and let the general public know that he served clients this way.
Challenge: I had to convince my Dad and his partners that blogging (almost a bad word) would be a good use of their time and beneficial to their firm.
Solution: Using Google's local search, I demonstrated that their firm was almost inaccessible from the internet. We explored some competitive firms with better web presences. Easily, we registered the firm with Google for Local Businesses and put the correct information (and a link to the website) into Google. Knowing that people could actually find the business, my Dad agreed that having relevant content would make the site worthwhile.
We combined writing the CPAs did for a newsletter with ongoing news posts into the Yellis & Foley blog. However, to avoid negative connotations, we told customers what it was, not what it was called. Thus customers expected the firm to post relevant tax news and tax strategies, not 'maintain a blog.'
Outcome: The CPAs' frequent updates, combined with a simple, straight-forward original design, have effectively optimized their search engine rankings. Now when people search for a CPA firm in southern Maine, they encounter Yellis & Foley CPAs.
Effective 'search engine optimization,' an overused term, is really about simplicity and honesty in your website.