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Cyberspace is a strange space. Customers will purchase a fruit basket over cyberspace from halfway accross the country but, commonly, when a prospect conducts a search for a accounting firm they are normally searching for a local firm. Search results will usually be irrelevant if they search on the keyword "CPA" or "accounting firm". More likely successful searches are returned with a location and service, such as "San Diego Accountant" or "Memphis TN accounting".

Google, Yahoo and Bing recognize when a search is a local search. When they detect a local search, they will show the local listings above the organic listings. These listings are oftentimes to a great extent more relevant then the organic listings.

Local Directories

There are other local directories such as YellowBook, City.com, Volta, and several others. Many of them may already have your accounting firm listed.

The source data for your listings is likely to have originated from a variety of third-party sources. These directories may also have variations in your business name, physical location, or phone and fax numbers. This potentially creates multiple representations of your business on the internet. This hinders the capability of the various local search engines to know which of your listings is the accurate identity.

Updating Your Contact Information

Change your address or phone number and update your CPA website? Your updated data may not be updated in these directories, unless you have control over your listings. The online directories do their best to make certain they have accurate data. The longer you have been at your previous address however, the more likely there could be hundreds of websites and directories that show your company at the old address. All that outdated info can tempt the major search engines into believing that is the right data.

Going Mobile

In an ever growing mobile world, the public is relying on local data more and more. In fact 45% of local searches are performed by people who know the company they are looking for. These searchers rely on and expect to find your most current address, phone number and driving directions. They are relying less and less on getting it from your web site.

Taking Control

For these reasons it is essential that your business controls and proactively manages your local business identity. The local search platforms will have increased confidence that they have valid and accurate business data. This also improves the local platforms ability to link other unique content such as social media and customer reviews.

Several companies have "Local SEO" services that optimize and manage your CPA practice's local listings for you. Your business information is submitted to and consistent across scores of directories, including all the master local search directories. The precise number of directories changes from service to service, but here at my CPA website design firm we submit to more than a hundred of these "vertical indexes". When you change your business details your SEO should make sure your information is updated in the local directories. By making sure you can direct your online directory listings and keeping the information on them up-to-date you can ensure existing and new customers alike are able to find your CPA firm.

Brian O'Connell is the owner and founder of CPA Site Solutions, one of the country's leading edge website design companies dedicated solely to CPA website design. His company presently provides websites for more than 4000 CPA, accounting, and bookkeeping firms.

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