Nobody picks a lawyer or an accountant at random. A builder in Hamilton who needs help with GST, or a couple in Wellington buying their first home, will search, read a few websites and check the reviews before they ring anyone. By the time they call, they have already decided you look like someone they can trust.
That is the job for accountants, lawyers, financial advisers, mortgage brokers and every other practice that sells expertise. Be seen when someone searches for the problem you solve. Look good enough, once they find you, that you get the first meeting.
In this article
- 1. Showing up for the problem a client searches, not just your job title
- 2. Why your website carries more weight than it does for most businesses
- 3. Getting reviews when the work is confidential
- 4. The registers and directories clients use to check you
Be seen for the problem, not the title
Clients rarely search for a job title alone. They search for the thing that is keeping them up at night: "relationship property lawyer Christchurch", "accountant for builders Tauranga", "first home buyer mortgage broker". The practice that names that problem on its listing and its website is the one Google shows.
On your Google listing, pick the primary category that matches most of your work, such as "Accountant", "Lawyer" or "Financial planner". Add secondary categories for the specialties you really offer. Then use your description to name the clients you serve and the problems you solve, in the words they would use.
Keep the basics exact. Your hours, your phone number, your street address and whether you have parking all matter to a client planning a first visit. If you see clients by video or at their premises, say so, because many small business owners would rather not drive into town.
Key point
Your expertise is invisible until someone experiences it. Before the first meeting, the only evidence a client has is what they find online. A strong presence does not replace good work. It gets you the chance to do it.
Look good: your website is the first meeting
For a plumber, the Google listing does most of the work. For a professional practice, the website does, because clients are judging competence rather than availability. A site built years ago that still lists a partner who has left, or breaks on a phone, tells a careful client you do not keep on top of details.
Write one page for each main thing you do, built around the client's situation. "Selling your business", "Setting up a family trust" and "Separating and dividing property" each deserve a page that explains the process, who it suits and what happens first. One clear page like that beats a dozen thin blog posts about why you need an accountant.
Show the people. Clients hire a person, not a firm, so a team page with real photos, qualifications and what each person focuses on does a lot of the trust work. Say how you charge, even if it is only "fixed fees for most work, quoted upfront". Make the next step obvious with a phone number and a booking or enquiry form on every page.
Those pages work twice. Google reads them to decide which searches to show you for, and so do the AI answers people are starting to ask, like "who's a good employment lawyer in Wellington". A page that plainly names the situation, the place and the person who handles it gives both something to work with.
Picture this
An illustrative example: a three-person accounting practice in Tauranga whose website was built six years ago. It still lists a staff member who left, has one "Services" page with eight bullet points, and is hard to read on a phone.
The owner replaces the bullet points with a page each for the three kinds of client she wants more of, updates the team page and fixes the mobile layout.
Her expertise was always there. Now a client checking her out at 10pm can see it.
Reviews when the work is confidential
Asking for a review feels awkward after helping someone through a separation or a tax problem. Some clients cannot say anything public at all. You do not need dozens. A handful of recent, specific reviews about how you communicate and how the process felt is enough to reassure the next client.
Ask at the right moment and make it easy. When a matter settles well, a refund comes through or a business sale completes, send a short personal email with a direct link to your Google review page. Ask every client the same way, and never offer anything in return, because Google's rules forbid it.
Replying needs the same care as the work itself. Your duty of confidence applies in public too, so never confirm what the matter was or add details the reviewer left out. Thank them, keep it to a sentence or two, and for a critical review invite them to call you directly.
Tip
Suggest what to mention, not what to say. "If you have a moment, a line about how we kept you informed would help other people in your position." Clients write better reviews when they know where to start.
The registers and directories clients check
Professional clients verify. Every practising lawyer is on the Law Society's public register, chartered accountants can be found through CA ANZ, and financial advisers and mortgage brokers sit on the Financial Service Providers Register. Make sure your entry is current and that your name and practice details match your website exactly.
LinkedIn plays the role for professionals that job sites play for trades. A client who has read your website often looks you up there next. Keep your profile current, with the same firm name, the same specialties and a photo that matches the one on your team page.
Industry and local directories count too, from your professional body's member search to your local business association. Your name, address and phone number should read the same everywhere. Every mismatch is a small doubt, and doubt is exactly what a professional cannot afford.
A strong presence does not replace good work. It gets you the chance to do it.
Your action plan
10 minutes today
- Search the problem your best clients bring you, plus your town, and see who shows up
- Open your website on your phone and check the team page is current
An hour this week
- Rewrite your Google listing description around the clients you serve and the problems you solve
- Email three recently finished clients a direct link to leave a Google review
- Check your register entry and LinkedIn match your website
Ongoing this month
- Write one service page built around a client's situation
- Reply to every review you have not answered, briefly and with no details of the matter
Where Marketbase comes in
Marketbase checks your practice against every other practice like yours in your city, the way a client sees them: your Google listing, your reviews, your website and where else you are listed around the web. Find your practice by name and your free report shows what is working, what could move and where you stand.
Open your free 7 days and you get the how for every finding, in the order that gets you the call. Sort it yourself, or we'll do it for you.