Google, the most popular search engine on the planet by far, has added a recent instrument called "Google Instant". Google's supremacy is without dispute. No competing search engine comes close to it in influence, and when Google modifies something those changes rumble around the whole world. Google toolbar users will find it familiar. It's a straight forward keyword suggestion tool. To the everyday observer "Google Instant" does not look like much. Google now displays probable searches based on the poularity of previous parallel searches, and shows outcomes in real time immediately. In order to properly choose which keywords to concentrate your marketing resources on you'll need to understand how this new feature works.

There's nothing new about keyword suggestions. Google instant, however, has made these suggestions much more important. Because Google Instant is easier to use and because the results occur in real time casual users are actually using them.

Let me put this is practical terms for you: Some keywords are better than others because they appear on Google Instant when obvious variations do not. For example: "Chicago Accountants" is a better keyword than "Chicago Accountant"

Try to choose relevant keywords that appear as Google Instant suggestions. A good ranking in a suggested keyword will get more exposure and your accounting website will get more visits.

How It Works

Let's look an a practical example; suppose a searcher is looking for a "Boston accountant". As the searcher types Google Instant displays suggested keywords. The City name is too generic to matter, and none of the suggested keywords will be relevant to you, but look what happens as you type "a-c-c-o-u"... the suggested keywords become more relevant and eventually an appropriate key phrase appears! Most users are going to stop typing here and use their down arrow to select the search term they want... "Boston Accountants". Naturally this is a search term you want to market to!

What Does This Mean for SEO?

There's a concern in the SEO marketing community that this could negatively impact how SEO works for long-tailed keywords, phrases containing three or more words. What impact will this have on YOUR SEO? Well, if you're a small or medium sized accounting firm you might be pleased.

Google Instant actually helps your SEO, because it allows you to discover the most popular search terms. As you type, the keywords Google has found to be used most often show up in gray in the search box.

The guessing game and hours spent pouring over traffic stats to identify your primary keywords are no longer necessary. Google Instant will tell you exactly what keywords and phrases are most likely to be searched.

Don't Forget the Basics

There are some basic rules in selecting key phrases for your accounting website that still apply. Being well placed in the wrong keyword is useless. Make sure your key phrase includes your location (city and for smaller cities the abbreviation for your state) and your service (CPA and/or accounting). This will give you a base to work with. Make a list of base keywords and expand it by adding specific terms like "audit", "tax preparation", and "tax planning". Try to identify other service terms prospects might use to find you. For example, someone could look for "Springfield CT QuickBooks Setup."

Once You Choose your Keywords...

Now... make your page content relevant to your keywords. This is a lot of work, but there are some easy steps to take that will help. For one thing you can use your keywords on the page you're optimizing. The home page should have keywords for your primary service and your location. Scatter keywords around the rest of the site as well, and optimize different pages to different, but related, key phrases. The more you customize your site the more relevant it will appear. Make sure your service pages are optimized to your location.

These steps alone won't get you a great listing in a competitive market, but they are easy steps you can take that will allow your site to start accumulating domain authority for the key phrases you want. Remember, you want to increase your visibility and ranking for as many keywords and variations of those keywords as possible.

And finally, don't set up five or six keywords and keyword phrases and then let your website sit for six months. SEO is a voyage without a destination.

Fortunately, Google Instant makes the trek that much less difficult.

Brian O'Connell is the owner and founder of CPA Site Solutions, one of the country's largest businesses oriented solely to accounting website design. His firm currently provides websites for more than 4000 CPA, accounting, and bookkeeping firms.