A 42-point framework you can audit this week — then fix in priority order

This audit is organized by priority, not difficulty. Start at the top (technical foundation). Each item has a pass/fail assessment and an estimated fix time.

Implementation strategy: Run the technical audit in week one. It takes 4–8 hours and unblocks all downstream content and link work. Assign each section to an owner: your web developer handles technical items; your marketing lead owns content and local; your office manager can coordinate review generation.

Mark items complete as you finish them, not as you plan them. A half-done SEO checklist is worse than no checklist—Google rewards consistency, not intention.

Priority levels: Red items (critical—blocks all other work), Yellow items (high—affects 60%+ of prospects), Green items (foundational—long-term authority). Most firms complete the Red and Yellow sections in 8–12 weeks.

Download the PDF version at the end to track progress offline and share with your team or agency.

Why this tier matters: Google crawls your site before it ranks it. Broken fundamentals prevent indexing and slow down rankings by months.

• SSL certificate (HTTPS) — Verify your site uses HTTPS, not HTTP. Check your security badge in the browser bar. Non-HTTPS sites lose ranking points and trigger warning messages for prospects.
• Mobile usability — Test on a phone. Tap buttons; read text without pinching. Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Non-mobile sites are invisible to most searchers now.
• Page speed (Core Web Vitals) — Run PageSpeed Insights. Target scores above 70. Compress images, defer JavaScript, minimize CSS. Slow sites rank below fast competitors in the same market.
• XML sitemap — Generate an XML sitemap (most modern CMS platforms do this automatically). Submit it to Google Search Console. Helps Google find all your pages faster.
• Robots.txt file — Verify your robots.txt allows crawling of important pages. Common mistake: blocking your entire /blog or /resources folder.
• Canonical tags — Check for duplicate content issues. Use canonical tags to point Google to the authoritative version of each page. Prevents ranking dilution.
• Google Search Console setup — Verify property ownership. Monitor crawl errors, indexation, and search performance. This is your real-time diagnostic tool.

Estimated time: 6–10 hours. Fix in this order: SSL → Mobile → Speed → Sitemap → Robots.txt → Canonicals → GSC.

Each page must have: A clear H1 tag (one per page, not multiple). Title tag and meta description that match the page intent. Internal links pointing to related cornerstone pages. These are not optional—they're how Google understands your site structure.

• Title tags (50–60 characters) — Include your target keyword and location if relevant. Example: 'Tax Planning for LLC Owners | [City] CPA Firm' ranks better than 'Tax Services'.
• Meta descriptions (120–155 characters) — Write a description that makes someone click. Google doesn't rank based on it, but low click-through rates from search results hurt rankings over time.
• H1 structure — One H1 per page; match it to your target keyword intent. Use H2 and H3 for supporting sections. Hierarchy helps Google understand topic depth.
• Keyword placement — Include your target keyword in the first 100 words, in the H1, and 1–2 times in the body. Don't force it. Natural language matters more than keyword density.
• Internal linking architecture — Link from service pages (e.g., 'Tax Planning') to related content (e.g., 'S-Corp Election Guide'). Aim for 2–4 internal links per page minimum. This distributes authority and helps Google crawl.
• Schema markup (FAQ, BreadcrumbList, LocalBusiness) — Add FAQ schema to your FAQ page. Add LocalBusiness schema to your homepage with firm name, phone, address. Schema doesn't rank you, but it earns rich snippets and trust signals.

Estimated time: 8–12 hours for a 20-page site. Focus first on your top 10 pages (homepage, service pages, top blog posts).

Why this tier matters for CPAs: Most accounting searches include location intent ('CPA near me', 'tax preparer [city]'). Local optimization is not optional—it's your highest-ROI ranking channel.

• Google Business Profile (GBP) setup and completion — Claim or verify your profile. Fill every field: business name, address, phone, hours, services offered, service areas. Incomplete profiles rank below completed ones. Update hours for tax season and holidays.
• GBP photos and posts — Add 10+ high-quality photos (office, team, tax-season signage). Post monthly updates (tax deadline reminders, seasonal tips). Posts drive engagement and freshness signals.
• Reviews and review generation — Aim for 15+ reviews on GBP. Encourage clients to leave reviews after service delivery. Respond to all reviews within 48 hours (positive and negative). Review count and recency both affect local rankings.
• Citation consistency — Verify your firm name, address, phone (NAP) match exactly across your website, GBP, local directories (Yelp, Thumbtack, Better Business Bureau), and social profiles. Mismatches confuse Google's local algorithm.
• Service area pages — Create pages for each service area or city you serve. Example: '/tax-planning-for-llcs-denver'. Include local keywords, local testimonials, and local schema markup.
• Local link building — Get links from local nonprofits, chambers of commerce, industry associations. Local links boost local rankings more than national ones.

Estimated time: 4–6 hours for setup; 2–3 hours per month for ongoing review generation and response.

What separates high-ranking accounting sites from the rest: A clear content hierarchy. Cornerstone pages (tax services, industries served, compliance topics) anchor your site. Supporting pages deepen trust on specific subtopics.

• Cornerstone page audit — Identify your 8–12 core service pages (e.g., 'Individual Tax Planning', 'Small Business Tax Services'). Each must be 1,500+ words, include internal links, and rank for a high-intent keyword. These pages earn 70% of your rankings.
• Industry-specific pages — If you serve real estate investors, create pages targeting that audience. Example: 'Tax Strategies for Real Estate Investors' with content about depreciation, 1031 exchanges, cost segregation. Niche authority ranks faster than generic 'tax services'.
• FAQ and guide content — Audit common client questions. Create in-depth guides (2,000+ words) for high-volume questions ('What is an S-Corp Election?', 'How to Structure a Multi-Member LLC'). Add FAQ schema. These rank for long-tail, high-intent keywords.
• Blog editorial calendar — Publish 2–4 posts per month on seasonal topics (tax deadline reminders, year-end planning, new tax law updates). Consistency matters more than volume. Sporadic posting signals low authority.
• Compliance-first messaging — Ensure all testimonials and case study claims comply with AICPA Section 1.600 and FTC Endorsement Guidelines. Unsourced claims ('save 30% on taxes') invite regulatory scrutiny. Educational content and honest success stories are safer and rank better.

Estimated time: 20–30 hours initial setup (cornerstone pages); 8–12 hours per month ongoing.

Google's ranking algorithm increasingly values trust signals beyond links. For YMYL industries like accounting, your reputation directly affects rankings.

• Review monitoring and response — Set up alerts for new reviews on GBP, Yelp, LinkedIn. Respond to reviews within 48 hours, positive and negative. Firms that engage with reviews rank higher than silent ones in the same market. This is non-negotiable.
• Professional credentials display — Add visible credentials to your site: CPA licenses, AICPA membership, state board certifications. Link to the relevant licensing board's website. This builds E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) signals.
• Team bios with credentials — Publish bios for all CPAs and tax professionals on your site. Include education, certifications, years of experience, areas of specialization. Google's entity recognition algorithm rewards sites that clearly identify subject-matter experts.
• Third-party mention opportunities — Get mentioned in local press, industry publications, or accounting association directories (with backlinks). These mentions build domain authority faster than internal content alone.
• Content-driven link acquisition — Publish original research or detailed guides that other accounting sites, tax blogs, and financial publications want to link to. Example: a detailed breakdown of new tax law changes. Organic, earned links rank better than outreach links.

Estimated time: 4–6 hours for initial setup; 3–5 hours per month for ongoing monitoring and relationship building.

These take 1–3 hours to implement and yield immediate crawl efficiency or ranking improvements:

• Submit your XML sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools (in addition to Google Search Console).
• Add FAQ schema to your FAQ page. Test it in Google's Rich Results Test.
• Optimize image alt text on all service and team photos. Use descriptive, keyword-informed alt text (not 'image1.jpg').
• Set up Google Analytics 4 and connect it to Search Console. Track which pages drive traffic and conversions.
• Create a robots.txt redirect for your old domain if you've migrated sites. Ensure 301 redirects are in place for all old URLs.
• Add breadcrumb schema to your site structure. Helps Google understand your content hierarchy.

Ongoing monthly tasks (2–3 hours per month): Monitor Google Search Console for indexation errors, click-through rate trends, and new keyword opportunities. Generate and respond to reviews. Publish 1–2 new pieces of cornerstone or seasonal content. Check for broken internal links and fix them immediately.

Quarterly review: Audit your top 10 pages for ranking position changes. Identify pages that rank #3–#10 and need updated content or more internal links to push them into the top 3. Revisit your content strategy based on what's working.