The 6 Steps To Putting Your Accounting Firm on the Map with Google Maps (2021 Update)
How to Navigate One of Google’s Most Overlooked Resources
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Below you will find the exact strategy one of our clients used to add 103 new clients to her firm and collected over $100,000 in new annualized billings for her accounting firm in less than one year. You can, somewhat ironically, find her review on our Google My Business Page by clicking here.
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When working with our clients in the accounting, bookkeeping, and tax space, I help them to focus on the low-hanging fruit that generates high levels of return. One of the major areas of opportunity for accounting firms that we've realized after collecting data on several key markets in the U.S is generating online reviews.
What's crazy about this, is that even after a year of talking about what a tremendous opportunity this is... the vast majority of firms still have not taken advantage of it!
It is not difficult to become one of the top 10 rated firms inside of your local market. It's simple to do the research that led to this conclusion and I encourage you to do your own research for two reasons.
- You will have a goal to shoot for.
- You will realize just how easy it is to be rated in the top 10 when you look at the landscape.
To do the research yourself, simply enter 'accountants in _______' or 'CPA in ______' and enter the geographical market you are located in on Google Maps. Limit the search to 4.5 stars and up. Simply count the number of results, and if you feel so inclined, rank them on an excel sheet.
Let's be honest, when you search for a restaurant on Google Maps, do you look at a restaurant with less than 4 stars? Never. It's the same when people search for a local accounting firm.
We conducted a recent study inside of New York City with the methods above and found that it would only take 19 five-star reviews to rank in the top 10 firms inside of the most competitive market in the USA for accounting, bookkeeping, or tax services.
In that same market, one single five-star review would put your accounting firm ahead of 72% of your local competition meaning 72% of the competition has zero reviews, or have a net rating below 4.5 stars.
All of the other markets we have conducted this research in, are about HALF as difficult to be rated in the top 10. For example, Tampa Bay Florida only requires 7 reviews to get into the top 10 rated accounting firms.
Just think, how much more effective would your marketing, advertising, and client acquisition efforts are when you say "We're one of the top 10 rated firms in our area on Google Maps".
...Not to mention all of the ‘unseen’ benefits like ranking higher on Google Maps, improved SEO rankings, and reinforcing to existing clients how amazing your services are.
Many of our clients achieve 'top 10' status in less than 2 days after following the exact system I'm giving to you below, for free! (??Some proof for you ??)
What can we say… we practice what we preach and our clients practice it as well ??
The Riches Are in the Reviews
Even if you’re in startup mode or working as a solopreneur, you can still generate plenty of reviews. The key is to position both you and your client in a manner so that when you do deliver the positive result they’re looking for, they want to leave you a review. Knowing how to do this makes it much easier to attract the right clients to your firm.
Online reviews are to your business as the +4 Wild Card is to winning a game of Uno. They aren’t absolutely necessary to win, but when your competitors have them and you don’t, you are going to have a bad time. Online reviews are the backbone to building your dream firm. Now, let’s dive into how you can masterfully use Google My Business to make sure that you get positive reviews for your accounting, bookkeeping, or tax firm.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free tool that lets you manage how your accounting, bookkeeping, or tax firm appears on Google Search results and Google Maps. It also allows you to increase the online visibility of your business, generate & respond to client reviews, upload pictures or media, and learn how people search for your business.
This invaluable tool can help to boost the frequency at which you or your firm is mentioned and seen online, which helps you deliver your message to your target market. And of course, with a lot of people talking about you online, you will be more likely to get calls from prospective dream clients.
The most shocking thing about Google My Business is how many people don’t use it or are not aware of its full capabilities. We’re gonna start at the very beginning with the setup, but there’s plenty of pro tips in here for those of you who already have your Google My Business set up and ready to go. Many people who are already using it are still missing out on a lot of tips and techniques that can drive conversions and attract new clients. Here’s how you can set things up and get the most out of Google My Business today.
How to Get Reviews on Google My Business
It’s time to step to it and make Google My Business work for you.
Create or Claim Your Google My Business Listing
To add or claim your listing, go to the Google My Business site and sign in with your business Gmail account. From there, you will be directed to Find your business, if you don’t already have a listing, or manage it, if you have an existing business listing. If you don’t have a listing, simply click Add your business to Google and follow the instructions carefully.
Protip: Try googling your business name, there’s a high chance there’s a Google My Business profile already set up and this can shortcut the time it takes to access your listing.
Add All Of Your Business Info To Your Google My Business Profile
Think of this as a one-stop-shop for new, potential clients. If you follow these steps carefully, you’ll be placing your business front and center on Google Maps, and you’ll want as much information as possible available to people when they see you there. By filling in specific details you can give your clients a less tedious online experience. Your clients won’t have to contact you for trivial matters like business hours, and you can reinvest that saved time on other high-level activities.
Here is a quick checklist of items to add to get you started.
- Update Your Business Hours
- Update Your COVID safety procedures
- Include a URL to your website
- Add a Call Now Button
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Aside from your usual business info, you can also add a schedule appointment link, short name, and “attributes.” “Short names” can be used to hide messy URLs and customize your quick access links. But, if you really want your listing to stand out, you’ll need to use “attributes.” These allow you to spotlight your business amenities and service inclusions via keywords that your clients are likely to use. Taking the time to tweak this information section can help increase your visibility and improve search rankings.
First You Got Certified, Now You Get Verified On Google My Business
Once you’ve added your business information and clicked 'Continue', you’ll have the option to verify your listing. This lets Google know that you are where and whom you say you are.
- The postcard option is the easiest option but takes the longest.
- If you have the option to verify by email, that’s your best route.
- Please note that 'Video verification' as stated in the 2019 edition of this article is no longer available. See this help article for up-to-date information on verification.
Protip: Worried about having your home address listed on Google My Business? An alternative is using a service by a company called ‘Regus’ that lets you get verified in a coworking shared space for businesses.
Find the Missing Link
If you only take away one thing from this article, it should be that Google My Business provides you with a direct link to get reviews. It gives you a shareable short link that immediately loads the page for writing a review on your business profile. This feature makes getting reviews from clients a breeze and allows you to easily include links to do so in emails, on your website, and even on social media.
On your Google My Business dashboard, you can find the “Share review form” button inside the “Get more reviews” section. You can then either copy and paste the link or share it directly via Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, or email… wherever you want. If you really want to make this process seamless, bookmark your one-click review link. To do so in Google Chrome, simply launch the link and click the start button on the right side of your website URL. Customize the bookmark name to make it easier to find. Bookmarking this link ultimately removes the need for you to spend more time logging into your Google My Business and navigating your dashboard just to obtain a short link for your clients.
Protip: Have staff that interacts with clients? Make sure they have access to this link so they can share it easily with happy clients!
Whose Most Likely To Show You The Love?
Now that you’ve got a shiny new Google My Business listing created with all your info, it’s time to put it to work. Create a list of clients that you believe are happy with you as a service provider, with their first name, last name, and email address. For obvious reasons, we caution against reaching out to customers who were unhappy with their experience. But it’s your business and you’re the captain here so, whatever floats your boat Cap'n. Although keep in mind that bad reviews are detrimental to this overall strategy and can easily be avoided with a little bit of list management during this step.
Protip: Already dealing with a negative review on your profile? Every sensible person knows ‘that the empty can make the most noise’ but if you haven’t responded to it, it looks like there's more credibility to that negative review than there would be if you did write a response. A good rule to live by is this: Respond to a negative review ONLY once, state facts and offer them an opportunity to continue the conversation with a support email address.
Email Template for Your Happy Client List
This is the EXACT email template we use with our clients. Feel free to tweak it so that it fits you and/or your firm better. For example: We switch out 'trusted client' with their first name when using Active Campaign, our recommended CRM solution for accounting professionals.
EMAIL TEMPLATE:
Dear trusted client,
Thank you for your continued business. I truly appreciate our interactions and hope to meet and exceed your needs for many years to come.
I hope that the feeling is mutual, and in recognition of this, I would like to ask you for one minute of your time.
Would you be willing to write a review of my services online? You don't need to do anything other than click this link [Insert your link] and leave your thoughts.
If you feel I've EARNED a ?ve-star review from you, please take a minute to let others know about your experience, it would mean the world to me.
*** Click here to leave a review on Google My Business *** [Insert your link]
If you feel that your experience has been less than 5 stars, I want to know how I can make it better. Respond to this email and tell me what you think should be better with respect to my services, and I'll be happy to make the necessary adjustments.
-Signature
Protip: - Hyperlink your review link in 2-3 places in this email!
Asking Once Won’t Get The Job Done.
People are busy, and in a world where the average person receives over 100 emails per day it’s no wonder that asking once is not enough. It’s easy to forget, or to have something come up that interrupts your clients ability to leave a review on your behalf. It’s why TIMING is so important, and being able to gently remind them about your request. When you have regular touch points with your clients, it’s much easier to give them a gentle nudge.
Protip: It’s not a coincidence that this article is coming out the day after tax season ends. TIMING MATTERS! You just finished delivering on your promises to a large swath of your clients. Upon completion of a task for a client, mention verbally that you’d like a review, and then follow up with the email template from above! The odds they convert into a 5-star review are significantly higher.
You’ve Got the Review, Now What?
Respond to Your Reviews
It’s common practice to address the bad reviews businesses get and offer a solution, but what about the reviews you really want, the good ones? When someone takes some time away from their day to share how you were able to help them, show them you appreciate this by replying to the review. Doing this not only strengthens the client relationship but also shows your prospective clients that you are proactive and are invested in your client’s happiness.
View Insights about Your Business
Google My Business Insights lets you know how your clients find your Google My Business listing. Insights also provides you with a way to map their actions on your listings or profile, which can give you a better understanding of your target market. You can use Insights to track how popular your business is with your current and prospective clients, and if you’re interested in in-depth analyses of reports, you can also bulk download a spreadsheet that summarizes all useful findings to help improve your business listings.
Create Your Free Website
If you’re paying for a website, you know that not only are they expensive to design, they’re also expensive to maintain. What is even the point if you’re not showing up on the first page of Google? There isn’t really one… So if this sounds like you, I’ve got good news. All you need to do is create a free website with Google My Business. This will allow you to reallocate your wasted resources on overpriced and outdated web design and non-existent SEO services, so you can focus on other areas and increase your profitability.
If you want to know more about creating and even customizing your free Google My Business website, check out our previous article on how to build a top-tier accounting website for free.
Why no mention of Facebook / Yelp reviews?
Facebook Reviews
Although Facebook is an internet giant, things are looking pretty weird over there right now. They have recently switched from classic reviews to “recommendations,” and while this does make acquiring positive reviews easier, it leaves a little to be desired. There’s less space for personalized descriptions of what the client experienced, and you have to have a Facebook account to leave one. Plus, for all the talk about how much easier it is to leave a recommendation than a review, it’s still not as easy as providing a direct link to your Google My Business listing. You don’t need a special account and all you have to do is click a link.
But when it all comes down to it, we’re all fighting to get Google’s attention. And, in Google’s eyes, a 5-star review is world’s better than a recommendation, so don’t bother wasting resources trying to get Facebook recommendations until you have mastered generating reviews on Google My Business.
One strategy we do recommend is that once someone has left your business a review on Google My Business, con?rm that they are also a Facebook user and reach out to them via your personal Facebook account to ask for a review/recommendation on your business page. If someone leaves positive reviews on two platforms, I suggest giving them a $25 Amazon gift card or something similar as a way of thanking them. (But don't provide the incentive upfront, just reward them after the fact for their kindness.)
Yelp Reviews
I’ll keep this one short and sweet. In my opinion, Yelp is a dishonest platform where oftentimes positive reviews are given in exchange for some sort of compensation and where Yelp hides positive reviews of your firm if you do not pay into their advertising services. This is absurd.
Why aren’t I suggesting that you do this?
Because, If you are a CPA, then promotions such as this would likely need to be disclosed, depending on the state you are in, and this makes you look untrustworthy to new, potential clients. Regardless of the rules, I think that creating incentives for reviews bastardizes the process and Google agrees with me. If you want reviews, you have to earn them by providing great service and exceptional work. There are no shortcuts there.
Worth Their Weight In Gold
How to Transform Your Google My Business reviews into new, high-quality clients
If you’re wondering when I’m going to get to the Google Maps part, guess what? I already did. Setting up your Google My Business profile and getting those precious four and 5 star reviews is what’s going to put you on the map… literally.
Having a high number of reviews and an average 4.5+ star ranking lets Google know that people value your service and are interested in your product. It tells Google that you are where people should be going for their accounting needs and leads to Google favoring your business on Google maps. And, when your business is front and center on Google Maps, you’ll find that you can increase leads and attract new clients without having to spend a single cent.
Two Birds, One Stone
But that’s not all these reviews do. In fact, getting great reviews on Google can help you and your firm in a multitude of ways. Use your reviews in advertisements, sales funnels, and on your websites. They’ll help develop your credibility both on social media and in the real world, driving your cost per client way down. Good reviews lead to great clients, and great clients lead to your dream firm. All you need to get there is a little bit of guidance.
Protip: You can also create social media posts out of reviews directly inside Google My Business! There is an internal posting platform where you can write about your offers, events, and updates. Make the most out of this unique platform by posting your reviews. This is a great way to sprinkle a little razzle-dazzle on your profile and make your business stand out. Having the faces and quotes of clients who’ve had positive experiences with your services will give your business more credibility and add some ‘curb appeal’. To get the most out of this, try to post at least once a week. It might seem like a lot, but once you get into the rhythm of it, it will become second nature and the benefits of it are 2nd to none.
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