Sensible Article Distribution & Keyword Use and CPA Website Marketing

I don't need to prove that accounting and CPA sites are becoming very hard to market nowadays. Some accountants have seen some substantial success by using a strategy called article marketing. Alas, lots of these businesses are using it rudely and this is giving the method a bad reputation.

You've probably encountered many references to "keywords" and "article marketing". You've probably also run into some of the horrendous – and clearly keyword driven – articles online that may have put you off keyword use altogether. This is actually a useful strategy, but you'll get much better long term results if you respect some simple rules of "keyword etiquette".

The following two scenarios will show what search engines and customers alike think of a keyword stuffed – and then a well written – paragraph. The keyword – or rather, the phrase – in this instance is "Philadelphia CPA."

A Keyword Stuffed Article

A typical keyword stuffed article might look something like this...

"Looking for a Philadelphia CPA? Our Philadelphia CPA can help you at our PhillyAccountants.com website, an outstanding Philadelphia CPA. A Philadelphia CPA is bound to find your Philadelphia CPA needs to be simple to handle. With many Philadelphia CPA offices located in Philadelphia for all your accounting needs, you don't have to look far to find a good Philadelphia CPA."

This is the wrong way to write an article. There was a time not too long ago when articles like this could fool the search engines into thinking it was relevant, but search engines are more sophisticated now and can identify this article as "spam".

What Search Engines "think:"

"This article is obviously full of keywords and trying to attract our attention, so we'll mark it down for that. The article doesn't seem to contain any meaningful information. It really isn't worth scoring at all."

What potential clients think:

"Uggh, I hate spammers. This is just useless. Why should I click on any of the links to this CPA website if the article is just geared toward search engine rankings? I don't consider this company professional and I am likely to use a different business for my accounting needs."

A Well Written Article Containing Keywords:

"If you are a company looking for a Philadelphia CPA, it's best to be discerning and look around for the firm that'll be most likely to fit your business needs. Finding a good firm does not have to be a chore if you keep these three simple tips in mind:

* A good CPA won't be afraid to provide real evidence of their skills, such as testimonials, figures and other useful information.
* An experienced CPA will generally attempt to make a good estimate of the price of a tax project up front.
* Putting off your CPA can be an expensive mistake so find someone you like. Trust your instincts. If you feel like an accountant is hiding something move on even if you don't know exactly why."

What Search Engines "think:"

"This article is clearly written for a real person to read and includes bullet points and proper information about a real topic. It looks relevant to the keywords in it. Let's give this article full credit."

What potential clients think:

"OK, maybe this isn't Pulitzer material, but the author is offering me some useful information. This firm cares about it's image. I like these guys. They're real professionals who may just be worthy of my respect. Maybe I should click on their link and learn more."

It's important when article marketing to write quality content that adds actual value to the publishers' websites. The basic rule is simple. When you create a post always write it on the assumption that actual prospects are going to be exposed to it. It won't need to be a chef-d'oeuvre, it just has to be comparatively informative. This will make publishers happy and add a high-quality article to their blog, lure prospects who see it, and improve your placement in the search listings.

Ken Marshall is a marketing consultant and former Vice President of CPA Site Solutions, one of the nation's largest website companies dedicated solely to providing high quality CPA Websites.