So you have a CPA website, but what do you do to get more potential clients to view your site? The logical next step would be to optimize your keywords.

If you have begun to sell your website already, there are some common terms you might of heard. One of those terms is "keywords". You hear internet marketers talk about them a lot. You might already know what a keyword is. Even so you probably have some questions about what they do and how to properly use them.

Basic Definition

At the most basic level, keywords are the words or phrases a user types into the search engine to start a search. For instance, a promising client wants to find your firm. They might type "accountant" in the search field. Selecting the right keywords is very important. For your CPA website the best keywords are most likely your location, the services you offer, and the name of your firm. Of course there are as many variations as there are services that you offer.

The Importance of Keywords

Keywords are the catalyst for getting you those possible clients on the internet. To better understand the importance of these keywords, you need to interpret what people are searching for to discover your services. When you do, you'll better grasp what lures them to your website.

Basic Keywords

The first basic keywords are tailored to your location and services that you offer. Start by making a list of all the services you provide. Now combine each with your location and you have your basic keyword choices for your website.

Using your location as a keyword is crucial. Use your town and state as keywords. more often than not most people who enter their state as a keyword use the abbreviation, so it's best to use that. It's not a good idea to try to compete nationally for a keyword like "accounting" or "CPA" without professional help. You'll lose. There may just be too many older professionally optimized sites ahead of you. If you optimize your site to your town plus that same keyword, however, you're competing for a much smaller market.

For a CPA website design the strongest keywords would include "CPA", "Accounting", "Tax Preparation" and "Accountants". For some markets these are good keywords when combined with your town and state, but if you're in a particularly competitive market like "Tampa, FL Accounting" or "Atlanta, GA CPA" you'll find yourself at a severe disadavantage. You're competing with some firms that got into the game long before you. If this is the case you should choose more specific services. Elaborate on these keywords by making the terms more specific to what a potential client might need. An example might be a string of keywords like, "San Francisco small business accounting." Use a spreadsheet to stay in order with the terms you generate.

Using Keywords

At the very least, use your keywords a couple of times on certain prime pages. An example is your home page. The home page should have the keywords of your primary service and your location somewhere in the text.

Once you have customized the home page, move onto your firm profile page and include some keywords there. Once you have customized these first two pages, move into separate service pages and make sure your location is included within the pages text.

There is a lot more to using keywords - but including them in your website pages' text is a big first step.

Brian O'Connell is the CEO and founder of CPA Site Solutions, one of the country's most successful website design firms dedicated exclusively to CPA Websites. His company at present provides websites for more than 4000 CPA and accounting firms.