Online video is booming.

With more than 30 billion videos being watched every month, online video has become an increasingly common way for Internet users to get information about the products, services, and destinations that are important to them. Video has become so ubiquitous that YouTube is the number two search engine on the Web.

The online video boom is not strictly an opportunity for Fortune 500 companies. Small businesses have been quick to embrace online video.

By eliminating the high cost and hassle of traditional TV advertising, online video represents a powerful method to reach customers in a way previously outside of many small business budgets. And excitement at this new opportunity for small business owners is evident in the adoption rate of online video.

In this post, we’ll uncover some of the ways you can use video to get more customers from your website.

Use a Pro

We wouldn’t use our Uncle Charles or Cousin Al to shoot and edit our wedding video, so why would we use them to shoot our website video?

Nothing is more important for accountants than building trust with potential customers. And presenting a high-quality video allows you to do just that.

Remember, high-quality does not mean high cost. Forward-thinking companies have helped tens of thousands of small businesses grow their business by providing affordable video production.

In addition, by using a professional filmmaker, you can focus on the content of the video and let the pro handle the flow and story-telling aspects.

Put the Video Next to an Actionable Area

Now that you have a high-quality video, you need to put it where you’ll maximize its full potential. If the goal of your website is to generate leads, then put it right next to your form.

Do not bury the video on your “About Us” page. People generally don’t take action on this page and they don’t visit it very often.
To use a sports analogy, it’s like batting Barry Bonds in the bottom of the order. You want to ensure he gets as many at-bats as he can and he won’t have that chance batting near the bottom.

During our own A/B tests, we’ve seen 10-15% increase in conversion by having a video versus a photo. Video builds personal one-on-one connections, so use it where you want your visitors to take action.

Distribute It

Millions of people every day seek out and watch video on search engines, popular Web sites, and video sites like YouTube. Spreading your video across the Web is the best way to reach viewers and find new customers.

By “fishing where the fish are,” you can get your video seen by more people. With YouTube now the number two search engine in the world, it is clear that searchers are turning to video for answers.

Besides your website, here are three other places you should definitely have your video: YouTube, your Facebook Fan Page, and your Google Places Page.

Bonus Tip

Here’s a great outline to use when shooting your next video:

• Open with a hook to capture your audience’s attention. Stats and past performance are great as openers.
• Then highlight unique selling points. What makes your practice different? What do you do that your competitors don’t?
• Close with a call to action. Tell the viewer what to do next. Should they call you, fill out a form or come by the office?

As a forward-thinking business owner, you’ve seen the value of online video for awhile now; but the costs and complexity along with a lack of a comprehensive solution have made it a low priority.

Now, with affordable options and end-to-end solutions that get your video seen, online video is an exciting and powerful way to get more customers from the Web.

While they can be a boon to your company in countless ways the principal role of the best CPA websites is luring new clients into your business.

It’s important to find a web designer that understands this.

The internet has evolved over the last 10 years, and your website can no longer be a one page contact sheet. Really good CPA websites will not only help you manage your business more effectively, they’ll also help with client retention. Just like in any relationship, the key to success is keeping the lines of communication open. Websites allow your CPA practice to attract a widespread customer base, make it easy for them to keep in touch with you, and project a professional image to clients and prospects alike.

Being an accounting firm, you are likely to have a large and diverse customer portfolio. This means you have unique needs where your website is concerned. You’ll be communicating with small business owners, contractors, freelancers, even jet-setting CEO’s and they all have different needs and expectations.

Your site needs to be accessible and attractive to all of your current clientele, but it also needs to be listed in the major search engines so that you gain as much traffic as possible.

1. Make it personal:

Don’t just post a generic website.

A good designer will take the time to personalize it and show the world what makes you unique. Your designer should not only have experience setting up accounting and CPA websites, but he should also know how to present your practice in a way that reflects your company culture and personality.

If you want to attract new business and cultivate long term relationships with your clients you need to offer more than skill and professionalism. This is the real impetus that gets them to actually pick up the phone and call you, and this is what makes them confident that you really care about them and their businesses.

2. Content. Content. Content.:

Your site should reflect your offline business – a talented, organized space in which customers are made to feel comfortable and well taken care of.

Offer features like Financial Guides, newsletters and Financial Calculators. These are the elements of your website that will bring people back time and time again even if they’re not looking for a CPA… yet. Good content will also ensure your clients feel confident in your abilities as a company.

3. Standing Out:

Another important factor in choosing CPA websites is SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. Websites require traffic to generate business, after all. SEO can be a fantastic way to get CPA websites placed at the top of the Google rankings.

Once again, content is key – if you choose a cheap service, you are likely to end up with a lot of badly written articles and visitors won’t stick around. Internet slang has a word for losing traffic this way. We call it a bounce, and on the internet bouncing is bad.

4. Monitor Your Traffic Stats:

Part of managing your business is going over financial statements and productivity reports. You can’t just pay your rent and hope for the best. Similarly it’s crucial to keep track of your CPA website success.

Monitor the traffic that’s coming and going through your website is really important. There are a number of free tools for doing this, but my personal favorite is Google Analytics. Used in conjunction with their “Webmaster Tools” Google Analytics can tell you everything you need to know about who’s visiting you’re site, where they’re coming from, where they’re going, how long they’re sticking around, and anything else you may want to know.

5. Marketing Doesn’t Stop with Google:

The smartest, savviest, most successful business owners don’t find their accountants by looking them up on Google.

So how do you land these big fish? You land the best clients now the same way your ancestors have done for centuries. No matter how much technology changes the method for prospecting will always be the same: networking.

CPA websites need to be designed in such a way that they can be integrated into your network marketing strategy. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter can be enormously useful not only in “getting the word out” but also for communicating with your clients and prospective clients. If you don’t already have a blog, you should consider adding one to your site to keep people informed about your accounting firm, taxes, and fiscal affairs.

At present the internet is the single most effective force in marketing your accounting or CPA firm. These five rules of thumb will help you with the transition into the cyber-sphere. CPA websites needn’t be complex, just well planned.

CPA firms are just like any other local businesses with an online presence. One great way to let potential clients know about your services is by submitting press releases, either through a local magazine or online press release service. If you’re a local CPA hunting for a cost effective way to stretch your advertising budget, then check out these 7 best places to send press releases.

1. Exploit Your Home Field Advantage

Local media like newsletters are easily found by searching online. Two of the most effective methods of searching are using Google Maps and doing a simple search. When using a search engine type to find local newspapers type in the word “newspaper” followed by your city and state. Google Maps is easy to use. Just search for newspapers or regional magazines, first type in your location (city and state), then type in “newspapers” using the “search nearby” button.

Once that’s done it’s time to get organized and start contacting them. First, make a list of media contacts in your town. Some newspaper websites might have this information on their website, but others might require a phone call or email.

2. BusinessWire.com

Businesswire is a pretty big global newswire service. Like most major newswires they have local news bureaus in Europe, North America and Asia. Many corporations in the financial sector including accounting firms rely on these larger newswires to distribute press releases about noteworthy services such as client portals offering secure exchange of sensitive financial information during tax season.

3. PRNewswire.com

PRNewswire is a reliable online press release service that offers distribution to local and regional media as well as journalists looking for a good story. In most cases, press releases for local CPAs will be picked up by local media outlets as long as there is a local angle to the press release.

4. PRWeb.com

PRWeb is another large press release distribution service. PRWeb is one of the best newswires for SEO. Because this site is so search engine friendly it’s a great tool for optimizing CPA websites. The trick is to take advantage of the website’s link function. When you submit a press release to PRWeb, always include a link to your CPA website because when it is distributed to a news agency the link will remain intact giving your website a valuable backlink

5. NPR.org

NPR is a news bureau with member stations throughout the US in both urban and rural locations. What most people don’t know is that NPR accepts press releases through it’s website. To contact NPR through their website and click on “Contact Us”.

6. LocalPressReleaser

Some press release services use CMS (Content Management System) that uses Google Maps API so that it’s easy to find local accounting firms in their area. LocalPressReleaser uses this system.

7. PRLeap

PRLeap is specifically optimized for accountants and other businesses that use social media. This site is really dissimilar to the others we’ve talked about. The release form is completely different, for one thing. Make submitting to this site a priority. It can be a very effective way to publicize your practice.

The home page is the most visited page on websites for accountants and it is critical you take the time to “optimize” it so your page will rank well in Google. Your home page content should tell Google and the other search engines where you are located, who you are, and what you do.

1. Identify Your Keywords
Focus your SEO on your top 10 most important keywords to get the best results. Most searches will include a location, so your town name and state will be on your list of 10 keywords. Your next most important keyword will be related to your business profession, so if you are a accountant then accountant will be a great keyword.  Next, think about the products and services you offer and use those as keywords.  So, if you are an accountant then tax preparation would be a likely keyword.  And when I say keyword it can be multiple words like tax preparation.

Each page can only be optimized for a handful of words, so you’ll need to choose the keywords for your index page carefully. My recommendation for an accounting firm would be to optimize your page to two, maybe three, of the following keywords:

• Accounting
• CPA
• Accountant
• Accountants
• Tax Preparation
• Tax Prep

Of course, you’ll want to include your city and state. I know it can look a little sloppy but consider using the abbreviation for your state. Abbreviations tend to have a higher search frequency. For example, a good selection of index keywords might be:

• Orlando
• FL
• Florida
• Accounting
• CPA
• Accountant

2. Write original relevant content
Using the keywords you’ve chosen write some original content for your home page that includes each of your keywords 4 – 5 times and is 400 – 600 words in length.  When writing the content try to break it up into different paragraphs and have a paragraph for each keyword. Keywords used at the very beginning and very end of your copy will get a slight boost. Don’t hesitate to contact your CPA Site Solutions design representative if you need help modifying your pages.

3. Create headlines and use keywords in them
Write a headline for each of your paragraphs and use your keyword each headline. Apply the H1 tag to the headline. Almost all web page editors have a setting for headers. Your design rep can show you where this dropdown setting is in your WYSIWYG editor.

4. Use keywords in meta title tag
Use your keyword(s) in your page title and format it like this. Page titles can be pretty long, but the search engines are only going to give real weight to the first seven or eight words. List your firm name last as this is not a competitive keyword. A good page title would be…

5. Build links to internal pages
This is easy. Link your keywords to relevant internal pages on your website using your Site Manager. The keyword “tax preparation” should link to a full page that has content explaining your tax preparation service in detail. For best results optimize that page as well. Call us if you need help.

6. Use alt tags on images
Have a nice photo of a popular landmark that is located near your business?  Add it to your home page to help visually localize your website to your physical location, then add your location keywords to the image “alt tags” or “alternative text”. This one is a little trickier. You can add alt tags to your images in your CPA Site Solutions Site Manager by opening the properties of an uploaded image.

If your website isn’t with CPA Site Solutions these tips will still work for you! You’ll need to contact your website provider for more information. They can tell you which of these features they support and how to implement them on your site.

Websites for accountants are not that hard to optimize. If you know what you’re doing you can get a solid boost in the search engines with very little difficulty. While these strategies won’t help you attract “backlinks”, the biggest factor in your Google ranking, in most smaller markets these “on-page” factors alone can often get your site onto the first page.

Stand out from the crowd with an online review.

Once you get your CPA website up and running, what’s your next move?

Is it to get started with social media – communicating with your clients through Facebook and Twitter?

Yes, social media is an increasingly important way to stay in touch… But before you get active socially, you should put some effort in to obtaining online reviews.

A recent survey by LocalBright.com revealed that 55% of U.S. consumers place more trust in a local business that has positive online reviews, and two-thirds of respondents put as much faith in online reviews as they do in word-of-mouth recommendations.

This means that online reviews are massively effective in establishing the trustworthiness of your firm. Of course, being trustworthy is critical for all businesses, but it’s especially so for those in the financial services industry.

What Is an Online Review?

The easiest way to get started with reviews is to go through Google.

When you register with Google Places, you automatically get a Google Place Page. That’s where your clients write reviews of your firm.

Here’s an example of a Place Page:

The review is circled in red at the bottom.

Top 5 Ways to Get Reviews Politely

You might be uncomfortable asking your clients to write reviews of your services. Here are some tips for how you can ask without being pushy…

1. Put a link on the home page of your website to your Place Page. Name the link something catchy, such as “Thanks for reviewing our firm!”
2. When you deliver completed tax returns this busy season, include a line in the cover letter asking for a review, and direct them to your home page.
3. Send an email blast through our Email Marketing System thanking clients for their business and asking for a review. The benefit of this approach is that it allows you to include a link right in the email, which ups the chance that your clients will follow through.
4. Put a link to your Place Page in your email signature.
5. Consider giving clients an incentive to review your firm, such as a 5% off coupon.

Remember: the more reviews, the better, even if they aren’t all favorable.

Check in on Your Place Page Regularly

No one wants to hear complaints about their business – but if someone leaves a negative review, see that as an opportunity to learn about your clients’ needs, their tolerance levels, and their pain points.

Follow up with complaints on your Place Page, too. Get in touch with folks who write negative reviews and learn how you can improve the relationship. It just might lead to a stellar review in the future.

First a Website, Then Online Reviews

Your first marketing move should be to get a website. If you need one, give us a try! We offer the first 60 days free.

Your second marketing move should be to ask your clients to write online reviews. This is an often-overlooked way to quickly establish yourself as an honest, trustworthy business.

In the enormous playing field that is the World Wide Web, this kind of promotion is not just a nicety, but also a necessity.

To get your Google Place Page up and running, sign up for our Local SEO Service. We can help your business rise through the ranks of the search engines.

Brian O'Connell, President

In website design, color is critical. It has a powerful effect on your audience’s psychology, and it can help establish the brand for your firm.

Why does this matter? Because your website is your most important marketing tool. You want your visitors to get an immediate sense of who you are as a firm – and color achieves this in the blink of an eye.

When potential clients see your personality clearly and quickly, it forms your Unique Selling Proposition – or what makes you stand out from your competitors and persuade prospects to sign up with you.

But how do you know which colors project what image?

In this post, I’d like to discuss the meaning conveyed by different colors so you can decide whether your current CPA website design is in line with the personality of your company.

What Colors Mean

Here’s an overview of what various colors “mean” on an unconscious level:

Red – passion, danger, excitement, action

Blue – trustworthiness, success, power, professionalism

Green – money, health, nurturing, friendly

Orange – creativity, fun, affordability, youth

Grey – neutrality, indifference, reserved

White - purity, cleanliness, simplicity

What Image Do You Want to Project?

To use this knowledge about color’s effect on our psychology, you might consider taking a few minutes to determine what personality you want to project.

Are you the strictly serious firm that serves mostly corporate clients? If so, blue with grey accents is a good choice.

Are you a more youthful, creative firm? You could benefit from an orange design with white accents.

Are you a no-holds-barred firm that specializes in tax relief and audit representation? Red is an excellent color for you.

Here Are Some Examples…

1. A nice color scheme for a sole proprietor who targets smaller clients is green and white, as shown below in Design 343.

Design 343 in green projects friendliness and healthiness - perfect for a sole proprietor.

2. Firms who want to be known for their big personalities and no-nonsense approach might want to pick a red design like 436.

Design 436 in red is bold and active - just the right image for a firm focusing on IRS audit representation.

3. For a conservative firm that wants to be known for its by-the-books professionalism, a design like 379 in blue gets the right image across.

Design 379 in blue is just right for the more traditional firm serving businesses and wealthier clients.

Need a Better Color for Your Website?

If you think your current website design is projecting the wrong image, just switch it! A new design is absolutely free and can be up and running within 2 business days.

Check out our Design Portfolio to find a style and color palette to suit your firm’s personality. Then give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com to request the change.

If you’re in the market for a CPA website, give us a try and enjoy our risk-free 60-day trial.

Effective websites follow a simple formula.

What is a “successful” CPA website?

Given that over 75% of people looking for a local service provider conduct their search online, the measure of a successful website is how well that site attracts prospects and then compels them to contact you once they visit.

Obviously, some CPA websites are more attractive and compelling than others – making them more successful.

So how do they do it? What sets them apart?

Surprisingly, there’s actually a formula for successful websites:

Effective Design + SEO Content + Persuasive Copy = Website Success

Effective Design

Less is more. When it comes to website design, you want to keep it clean. The less cluttered your home page – and the more intuitive your navigation - the more effective your design will be.

Pleasing graphics. A few well-placed images help your website feel more personal and give your readers a great first impression.

Consistent fonts and colors. You want your “visual system” to be consistent so that your message is easily conveyed. Only two or three fonts should be used, and they should complement one another. Likewise, colors should be part of the same palette.

SEO Content

SEO – or Search Engine Optimization – is a process that makes your website show up near the top of the search results for particular keywords.

When it comes to optimizing your web pages, it’s all about keywords and content.

Keywords. Use one of the free keyword tools – like Google’s – to find the keywords and keyphrases that best relate to what you do. Once you’ve figured that out, make sure you add keywords to the meta tags, headlines, and text on each page.

Content. In SEO terms, bigger sites are better, and sites with regularly updated content are better still. This is one reason why we recommend blogging. A website with an active blog stands to fare much better in the search engines than one with static content. (You get bonus points for using your keywords and keyphrases in your blog posts!)

Persuasive Copy

Have you ever heard of “direct-response writing”? You may not know it by name, but you’ve definitely read it – and maybe even been influenced by it.

Direct-response writing is persuasive and compelling, and it leads you to take a specific action. Publishers Clearing House uses this type of writing, as do many nonprofits that send fund-raising letters.

You may not like to be on the receiving end of direct-response letters, but the fact is, they work.

Persuasive or direct-response writing uses pain points, descriptive headlines, bulleted lists, and calls to action as part of its mix. Readers get sucked in, scan the copy, and then take action - whether it’s sending in money or clicking a button.

CPA websites usually focus on persuading readers to contact the site’s owner to set up an appointment. Theoretically, a majority of the pages on an accounting website could end with a link to the contact page.

Is Your Website As Successful As It Could Be?

With so many websites out there, it’s not hard to find examples of not-so-effective websites.

How about yours? Does it employ all three elements of the “success formula” to attract prospects and convince them to set up a meeting?

If not, don’t despair. If you’re a CPA Site Solutions client, it’s easy to improve your site.

If you think your design isn’t as clean and pleasing as possible, switch to a new design at any time and for no additional fee. Check out our Design Portfolio for one you like better, and then give us a call at 1-800-896-4500. We’ll move your site over to the new design within one business day.

If you’re looking for improved rankings in the search results, first spend some time learning your keywords and keyphrases. Then make sure they’re placed in the meta tags and copy of your web pages. And give blogging a try. Just a post a month can really help your SEO.

Finally, if the copy on your site is flat and uninviting, consider rewriting it to be more dynamic. And add a call to action at the end of each page – starting with the home page.

If you don’t have time to edit or write your own copy, consider our Custom Copywriting Service. Our writers are trained specifically in SEO and persuasive writing. With their help, you can have new copy on your site within two weeks and with only 1 hour of your time.

If you’re not a client, try us out free for 60 days – and apply the success formula to your firm’s website.

Brian O'Connell, President

It feels so good to have a professional CPA website for your accounting firm. One with a modern design and loads of tools.

And what feels even better is putting your own stamp on it – personalizing it so it reflects the uniqueness of your firm.

The best way to do this is through writing new content. When you write up a unique home page, About page, or blog posts, your website visitors get a great sense of your personality, which helps them decide to do business with you.

The challenge is that it takes time to write. With a busy accounting office to run, many of our clients find this task falls to the bottom of their (impressive) to-do list.

But I think we have the solution for you: our new custom copywriting service.

When you hire us to write for your website, you get the relief that comes with striking something off your list. Further, your site becomes personalized and unique…

…and as a bonus, the custom content helps your site rise in the search results and increase conversions.

Writing for your website takes a certain set of skills.

The Challenges of Writing for the Web

Writing for the Web is its own beast. Believe it or not, people ingest information differently online than they do when reading a newspaper, brochure, or other printed material.

For one thing, people scan. Using headlines and lots of bolds help them get the gist of a page in a minute or two, without having to read the whole thing word for word.

For another, writing for the Web often involves persuasive writing techniques with a call to action at the end. You want folks to read your services page, blog post, or email marketing message – and then DO something. Your writing needs to persuade the readers why they should contact you or sign up for your newsletter – and then give a clear way to do that.

Finally, to help with your rankings in the search engines, writing for the Web needs to incorporate keywords. You need to know what keywords to target, where to place them, and how many to use. When you get this right, you can dramatically improve your placement in Google and Bing – which brings you new prospects.

Our Writers Are Trained in Online Writing

Our writers know how to write compelling copy that urges readers to take action.

They know how to increase your listings through proper keyword copywriting.

And they do it quickly, with no typos or grammatical errors.

What Can We Write for You?

There’s truly no limit to what we can write for your website – but here are some ideas:

• Welcome / Home page
• About Us page
• Service page – a page covering a particular service or one describing all of them
• Blog post
• Email marketing message

Cross “Writing” Off Your To-Do List

Now that busy season is here, you might be feeling the need to outsource some of your duties. Writing is the perfect candidate.

Focus your efforts on serving your clients – and save the writing for us. We have the experience and skills to get the job done quickly – and get more traffic and better conversions for you.

Sign up for Custom Copywriting today – or contact us with questions: 1-800-896-4500, support@cpasitesolutions.com. We’re here to help!

Two-thirds of your prospects might be ignoring you.

Do you ever feel like you’re being ignored?

If you’re not in one of the top 3 spots on the search results, you’re probably right.

In fact, among those searching for an accountant online, 67% click on only the top 3 results.

CPA websites that are any lower  - even in the 4th spot – are missing out on up to two- thirds of potential clients.

So, the obvious question is…

How can you get to the top of Google and Bing and stop being ignored?

The answer is surprisingly simple. All you have to do is… write.

What do I mean?

Well, Google and Bing love fresh content on your website.

The more new content you provide, the more likely they’ll be to list you higher in the results.

Why Do Search Engines Love Fresh Content?

Let’s look at this from the search engines’ perspective.

Their goal is to deliver the most relevant results when someone searches. They want to show the best website or web page, the one with the most timely information.

The more relevant the results, the more people use their tool – and the more money they make with advertising.

In fact, their entire business model is predicated on the need to show timely results.

So you need to give them what they want by adding new pages and content to your site on a regular basis.

What Kind of Content Should You Update?

You should refresh any of the content relevant to your firm – such as:

• new tax information
• changes in accounting practices
• your services
• updates to your firm

And don’t ignore…

• blog posts
• your home page

How Often Do You Need to Update?

The more often, the better.

But, with a busy accounting practice to run, you should strive for at least once a month.

What If You Hate to Write?

If the idea of sitting in front of a blank computer screen fills you with fear and loathing, here are some tips.

1. It doesn’t have to be grand literature. Just focus on getting the information across.
2. Don’t worry about using big words or impeccable grammar. Use a conversational tone and it will be easier to read.
3. Start your sessions by writing for 5 minutes without stopping. It gets the creative juices flowing and loosens you up.
4. Consider investing in speech recognition software, which types for you while you talk.

If you still can’t face it – or you want help with one of your site’s pages, such as your blog – we can help with that.

We now offer Custom Copywriting services.

In an easy, quick phone interview, you tell us what you want on the page, and our writers craft it into compelling, error-free copy.

This is a stress-free way to keep your site updated.

And at $1.00/word, it pays for itself.

If you add just 300 words a month to your site for $300, your site has a much better chance of rising to one of the higher spots in Google.

And once you get to one of the top 3 positions, you’re exposed to 67% more traffic. If just one of those searchers each month becomes a client, your investment has paid off.

Make Your Website the One They Visit

If you’re not getting enough new clients from your website, check your position in Google and Bing. You want to be in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd spot.

If you aren’t, adding fresh content to your site on a regular basis can make a huge difference. The search engines will view your site as being more relevant, which makes them far more likely to move you up to the top.

Once you’re there, you capture 200% more visitors than when you’re lower on the search results.

So get started writing today!

And if you need help, sign up for our Custom Copywriting services.

Brian O'Connell, President

Believe it or not, if you want your website to get noticed by the search engines, you have to tell them.

Google and Bing actually rely on you – well, more precisely, on the information on your website – when deciding where to list you on the search results pages (aka “SERPs”).

But it’s not just the content of your pages that helps them. The search engines’ automated spiders that crawl the Web for content don’t read every single line of text.

In addition to the content on your pages, the spiders go to the coding behind your website. Within these codes are the clues they need about what the website is, how well it relates to the site’s content, and how high they should rank it.

If you want your website to rank well and bring in more business, you need to make sure your codes are filled out with the proper information.

Three Important Codes

The three important codes, or meta tags, for website ranking are…

• Page Title
• Description
• first-level Header, or H1

Page Title

The Page Title text appears within the <title></title> tag.

The text you supply within these codes appears in the very top bar of a browser when you view a web page. It also shows up as the “headline” of your site on the SERPs, as seen in this example:

Here's how the Page Title appears on the search engine results page.

Description

The Description meta tag appears this way in the code: <meta name=”description” content=.

Everything that comes after this tag shows up as the 200 characters or so that describe the site on the SERPs.

Here’s an example of the Description of Virginia Accounting Services in the Google search results:

Virginia Accounting Services' Description text is outlined here in red.

H1 Tag

Finally, the <H1> tag is for the major headline on each page. In the example below, “Payroll” is the H1 – and you can see it shows up as the biggest header on the page:

"Payroll" is the first-level header, or H1, on this page.

Now you know which codes are important to the search engines.

But what’s the best content for these meta tags?

Simply put: keywords.

Your Keywords Should Appear in These Codes

You should try to get your top 3 or 4 keywords into all three of these meta tags. That way, when the spiders crawl your meta tags, they find out what your website is about – a crucial step in figuring out how high to rank you.

For most accountants, the best keywords to use are:

location + top first and second service offerings

For example, Virigina Accounting Services focused on the following keywords, all of which can be found in the Page Title and Description for their home page (see above examples):

• Norfolk VA CPA
• Newport News VA
• tax
• accounting
• payroll

For more on which keywords to pick, check out this blog post on keywords.

We Can Help

If you’d like some guidance adjusting the code behind your site, we can help. The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consultants at CPA Site Solutions are keenly aware of these and many other issues that affect your place in the SERPs.

Give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com to talk with one of our SEO specialists.

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