Accounting keywords spike during tax season with students Googling 'what does an accountant do' and career researchers searching 'CPA salary'. These clicks consume budget without any conversion potential. January-April sees 40% of clicks wasted on non-prospects.
People searching 'TurboTax vs accountant' or 'do I need an accountant' are weighing DIY options—they want validation they don't need you. These comparison searches rarely convert because they're looking for reasons NOT to hire a professional.
Tax prep, bookkeeping, audit services, and advisory work attract completely different clients. A restaurant owner needing monthly bookkeeping isn't the same as an individual wanting a 1040. Mixing these in one campaign creates generic messaging that converts poorly for all segments.
Broad match keywords trigger your accountant ads for searches like "accountant jobs" and "accountant salary". Without negative keywords, you're paying for clicks that will never convert.
Fix: Add comprehensive negative keyword lists and switch high-value keywords to exact match.
Your homepage isn't optimized for conversions. Accountants who click ads expecting specific services bounce when they land on a generic page.
Fix: Create dedicated landing pages for each service with clear CTAs and matching message.
You're paying the same CPC at 3 AM as you are during peak hours. But accountant searches convert differently throughout the day.
Fix: Analyze your conversion data by hour and day, then adjust bids accordingly.
Running the same ads for months means you're leaving performance on the table. Different messages resonate with different accountant customers.
Fix: Run at least 3 ad variations per ad group and let Google optimize.
These keywords waste budget without delivering customers:
Career researchers and students, not potential clients.
Price-sensitive DIYers looking for reasons to avoid hiring you.
Completely opposite of professional accounting services.
Students researching education, not business clients.
DIYers specifically avoiding professional help.
Two powerful tools for accountants to improve your Google Ads performance