"Google Instant" is Google's original new search engine tool and it's forcing changes to the way you prospect with your accounting website. Google toolbar users will find it familiar. It's a simple keyword suggestion tool. Outside the keyword suggestion, though, Google Instant displays the search results page right away based on popularity of previous searches. In order to properly choose which keywords to concentrate your marketing resources on you'll need to understand how this new feature works.
I'm sure you're wondering how this will affect 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"
If you can get a good ranking in a better keyword your listing 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! This is the search term you want to market to!
What Does This Mean for SEO?
A lot of SEO types are dreading this change, and it will very likely be a painful one for affiliate marketers and retailers who make their money chasing the "long tail". The average small accounting firm, however, has nothing to fear from this change if they adapt quickly.
The first step in the SEO process is identifying your relevant keywords. Google instant makes this process easy. 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.
Keyword Basics Still Count
Keep the basic principles of accounting website keyword selection in mind. 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 Tax Planning."
You've Got the Keywords - Now What?
You need to make your page relevant to the keywords you're competing for. One easy step you can take is using 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. Go to each individual service page and check to see if your location is on each page.
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. Try to optimize as many pages as you can to as many different key phrases as you can.
Work on your website continuously. Search engines prefer dynamic sites to static ones. SEO is a journey without a destination.
Even the longest trip starts with a single step, so get started right now. Spend a couple of minutes on Google Instant and allow it to make your journey a bit simpler.
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Small Business email server – Please suggest?
I have a small business & need to send out allot of email every day.
I hosted my email server at google under their classification of “Standard Edition(free)” package. But looks like they have amximum limit of 1000mail/day.
There is another package they have listed with “Premier Edition($50/employee/yr)” but have not specified any max limit for this account.
Does anyone know what is the max limit for “Premier Edition($50/employee/yr)” package?
Also please let me know if you have good experiences with any-other reliable/user friendly email hosting service!
FYI, I tried yahoo but it not that user friendly when worked directly on net.
I have routed all my domain related mails to google small business email server solution.
If I install an email server to my local linux box then it brings along the baggage of admin responsibilities, too, which I wish to avoid.
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What about registering your own domain, and running a mail server on your own PC?
Linux has several free mail server programs you could try out.
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How to back up Yahoo (Small Business) Emails and Import them to Google-Hosted email account?
I have Yahoo hosted email account and would like to transfer it to a Google (Gmail) – hosted. How do I crate a backup from my Yahoo emails so I can import them to Gmail and not lose them?
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To backup your small business email account you will need to use a POP mail client like Outlook or Thunderbird to download your messages to your local computer. Instructions for setting up POP mail clients can be found at
This will get the messages on to your computer, I do not know if there is a way to import them to gmail other than to forward the messages to the new mail account. If you need further assistance or have other questions please contact us at
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Google are a rip off?
Google seem a very nice people and join google account of adwords “Pay Per Click” and wanted my card credit details for £20 cos am a small business and when i got bank statement they charge £116 without me knowing also i have pull out google account and google still draw money out off my bank another £100!!!! Did anyone have the same plmz as me???
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you need to cancel the account. let your banking institution know u canceled the account adn show them proof. if they allow additional charges you might get a charge back..
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How do I find a credit card account that will allow me to accept mail order payments for a small business?
I am working with the publisher of a small journal. We need to make arrangements to accept credit card payments for subscriptions and advertisements.
How do I do this? What are the search terms I’d put into Yahoo or Google? (If I just enter “open credit card account”, most of the links assume I want to get my own personal credit card.)
Are there any sites which list fees for multiple banks so that I can do comparison shopping to find an account with low fees?
Thanks.
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Go to your local Costco and arrange for a merchant account. Their fee structure is the lowest around and their service is the best.
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its $29.99 to much to charge for advertising for a small business?
We are going to launch a classified website in April 2011 and we are having alot of services and almost 90% of that website is free. we offer advertising for small business owners only. That mean not big companies or corp. will be advertising with us. our website will have to two options when you sing up 1- free account you can open a profile ,post free ads, free advertising in one city using a link exchange code. 2- you can open a business account for local business only price $29.99 you will open a profile, custom layout profile, upload logo, pic, tell customers about your business, upload coupons, Google maps to tell customers where is your business, amber a video from you tube, link all your social media , facebook, twitter, you tube, yelp etc,etc, this whoolist page will be link to your advertising so when someone click on the advertising it will take you to your whoolist/page and for this service will be charging $29.99 a month. please let us now what you guys think thanks.
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The problem is that for $30 a month, you can’t guarantee eyeballs. You are going to have a tough sell until such time as you get consistent traffic to your site. I would say be prepared for 6 months to a year with minimum income from the business accounts – at least until you can get up to 1,000 or more unique visitors a day. Be sure to track your web site’s metrics (visits, clickthroughs on ads, etc.). Advertises will want these numbers in order to make an informed decision.
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Has anyone heard about google base or google merchant driving small business off the net?
I have heard from several small businesses that their accounts with google merchant and google base were closed or deactivated or listings hidden overnight without explanation. Google reserves the right to close anyone’s account, but I have heard this is targeted towards small businesses. Does anyone have info on this?
They sent me a series of strange emails first blaming my hosting company, the next email blamed me, the next one blamed my products and said I might be welcome back some other time. I have seen several postings online about this.
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We’ve been setting up small businesses on Google Base/Google Shopping since its inception. The tool is a great benefit to many local and regional small businesses, as it gives them great reach in product search, without any overhead.
Google is the most strict when it comes to abusive parties using their network – especially shopping feeds. Make sure that you follow up and understand the Terms of Service/Agreement before putting your feeds into the system.
Out of thousands of customers over the years, we’ve only heard of “ex-clients” getting nuked off Google Shopping due to abuse and trying to game the system. All of our existing customers are very happy, feeds are bringing in added revenue and marketing reach, and the cost can’t be beat ($0 = FREE).
Whether your business is big or small, if you violate the ToS your are SoL.
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