Most accountants grow the same way for years: referrals, word of mouth, the odd bit of networking. It works — right up until it plateaus. If you want to grow past what referrals alone bring in, the online side is where the next tier of clients comes from. Here’s how it actually works, in plain English, with no marketing waffle.
Understand how people choose an accountant now
Even a referred client checks you out online before they call. Someone says “you should talk to my accountant,” and the very next thing they do is Google your name. So your online presence isn’t separate from your referrals — it’s the second half of every referral. If what they find is thin or dated, some of that goodwill leaks away before you’ve spoken. Fixing that is the cheapest win you’ll ever get.
And the clients who aren’t referred? They search. “Accountant in [town]”, “small business accountant near me”, “self assessment help”. If you’re not showing up for those, you’re simply not in the running for a whole stream of local businesses actively looking to switch or start.
Get your Google Business Profile working hard
For a local firm, your free Google Business Profile is the single highest-return thing online — often more so than the website. It’s what puts you in the little map that appears at the top of local searches, and most people choose straight from it. Three things matter most:
- Categories and services filled in properly, so Google knows exactly what you do
- Photos — your office, your team, you; a real face beats a stock logo every time
- Reviews — the big one, covered next
If you do nothing else from this guide, get this set up properly. It’s free and it’s where the local enquiries start.
Make reviews a habit, not an afterthought
Handing over your finances is a trust decision, and nothing reassures a nervous prospect like a stack of recent, genuine five-star reviews. Reviews also directly help you rank higher locally — so they do double duty. The mistake most firms make is only asking occasionally, or never. The fix is a simple system: after you’ve sorted a client’s return or saved them a headache, send a one-tap review link. That’s the moment they’re happiest. A steady trickle of reviews, month after month, quietly becomes one of your best sales assets.
Rank for what people actually search
Beyond the map, you want your website turning up when people search the services you offer in the areas you serve — not just “accountant”, but “VAT return help [town]”, “landlord tax accountant”, “limited company accountant near me”. That’s local SEO, and it’s a longer game (months, not weeks), but it compounds: once you rank, the enquiries keep coming without paying per click. Content helps here too — a few genuinely useful pages answering the questions your clients ask (“do I need to register for VAT?”, “what can I claim as a sole trader?”) pull in exactly the people who need you.
Have a website that converts the visit
Getting found is only half of it. When someone lands on your site, it has about three seconds to make them think “safe, capable, professional.” That means clean and current rather than cheap and cluttered; your services laid out so people see their exact situation; your qualifications and a few real testimonials on show; and one easy, low-pressure next step — usually “book a free initial chat.” A site that looks the part and makes the first conversation effortless turns far more of your visitors into clients. (This is the bit I build — there’s a fuller rundown here.)
Don’t ignore the quieter channels
Two more worth a mention. LinkedIn is genuinely useful for accountants, because your clients are business owners and they’re on it — a bit of consistent, helpful posting keeps you front of mind. And email to your existing client list around key dates (payments on account, year-end, budget changes) both adds value and quietly prompts referrals. Neither needs to be a big production; consistency beats polish.
What to actually do first
If this feels like a lot, don’t try to do everything at once. In order of return:
- Sort your Google Business Profile properly.
- Start asking every happy client for a review, every time.
- Make sure your website looks credible and makes it easy to get in touch.
- Then build local rankings and content over the following months.
Do the first three and you’ll likely see more enquiries within weeks, because they’re mostly about converting attention you’re already getting. The fourth is what grows the amount of attention over time.
None of this is magic, and none of it needs an agency retainer. It needs the right things set up properly and kept up. If you’d rather not wrestle with it yourself, that’s exactly what I do for accountants — you can see how I help you get found, or just tell me where you’re at and I’ll point you at the quick wins.