Think it’s too early to start preparing your financial services business for the 2021 tax season? It’s not! Now is the time to focus on SEO and partnerships to grow awareness for your business.
Did you know most SEO efforts take six months to have an impact? Given the breadth of the internet with its billions of websites, it can take a great deal of time to move the needle.
That means that financial services organizations need to be preparing their SEO efforts now for the 2021 tax season. Because of changes to deadlines in light of the coronavirus, you probably just finished this year’s tax season.
Starting now to think about how you’ll be the top search result for financial advisors and tax preparers will pay off in dividends when the upcoming tax season begins.
Local SEO means ensuring that your business appears in search results related to your area. So if someone is looking for a tax advisor in your city, do you show up in those results.
Search algorithms are more sophisticated than they used to be. You don’t need to put your city name all over your website for search engines to return results for your website. Instead, just be sure your address is listed on your website.
You’ll also want to be sure you’re on Google My Business and have an address listed on social media sites, Yelp and other online directories where your company name is listed.
And if you serve multiple areas, you might consider having a page on your website about each of those major cities and your office locations for each. This can help you rank in multiple areas.
Most taxpayers are probably not too worried about finding a tax advisor right now. They’re preparing for the holidays, maybe some time off of work, and their children’s winter break from school.
But what they might be considering is how to get their financial house to prepare for the end of the year. Taxpayers might be considering a final contribution to their 401K, charitable donation or other ways of lowering their taxable income by December 31.
Writing articles now on this topic and distributing them to previous customers and across social media networks can help you increase your network before the 2021 tax season begins. This will showcase your expertise and build SEO value on your website as you prepare for your busiest time of year.
Think about other local businesses in the financial services industry outside of tax preparation. Could you collaborate with insurance agents, will and trust attorneys, kids’ dance studios or other local businesses to write content for them about the 2021 tax season?
Getting information like this on other local company websites will help build your SEO and increase awareness for your services. You don’t want to start thinking about these collaborations in February or March when you’re getting slammed with tax returns to prepare and don’t have the time to collaborate.
Look for ways you can help other small businesses and they can return the favor now during your slower times. Six months from now, your SEO will see great improvements and you’ll stay busy during tax season.
Online reviews play a role in your local business rankings on search engines. Take the time now to request that your previous customers leave you reviews on Google. This will help your SEO and will make you look like a trusted partner for tax preparation.
And because many tax companies closed out the 2020 tax year just a few months ago, the details from your interactions with customers should still be fresh in their minds. Now is the perfect time to go back and request their input on your services.
Financial services businesses can benefit greatly from SEO efforts. New Light Digital has expertise in financial services and is prepared to help you grow your business through organic search results. Get a quote to learn more about our services and how we can help.
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