Content SEO for professional services firms works differently because clients are hiring people, not a product. Whether you run an accountancy practice, a management consultancy, a law firm, an architecture studio or an HR advisory, prospects want evidence that the person they will deal with understands their situation. I build the content that shows that evidence: people pages, service-line and sector pages, and insight written from your partners’ actual experience.
Most of your clients arrive by referral, then they search you
In many firms, new instructions start with a recommendation from another client, a banker or another adviser. What happens next is a search: the firm’s name, the partner’s name, or the partner’s name plus a topic. The prospect is checking whether you are credible, whether you have handled cases like theirs and whether you seem approachable. If your website has a thin bio, a generic service list and a news page last updated two years ago, a warm referral can cool quickly.
So content SEO here has two jobs. It wins new clients from people searching problems (“R&D tax relief for software companies”, “shareholder dispute advice”, “succession planning for a family business”). It also confirms referrals, which is less visible in keyword tools but often worth more. Search Console usually shows this clearly: a steady stream of impressions for partners’ names and the firm name combined with a service, from people who already intend to call and only need reassurance that they have the right person.
Where to start: a priority order for firm websites
- People pages. Each fee-earner or consultant who wins work should have a full profile: what they advise on, sectors they know, qualifications and memberships, notable types of matters (described without breaching confidentiality), articles they have written and how to contact them. These pages rank for personal-name searches and support E-E-A-T across the site.
- Service-line pages. One page per distinct service clients buy, written around the problem it solves, the process, typical timelines and who leads it.
- Sector pages. “Accountants for dental practices” or “employment law for hospitality employers” pages, but only for sectors where the firm has real depth and can say something sector-specific.
- Insight articles. Commentary on rule changes, deadlines and common client questions, authored by named partners.
- Fees and engagement pages. How you charge (fixed fee, hourly, retainer), what a first meeting involves, and how quickly you can start.
Turning partner knowledge into content without taking their week
The biggest obstacle in professional firms is time. Partners bill by the hour and articles slip down the list. The process I use keeps their involvement short:
- A 20 to 30 minute recorded conversation per topic, built around questions clients actually ask.
- I draft the article from the transcript, keeping the partner’s phrasing, examples and opinions.
- The partner reviews for accuracy and professional standards, usually with a single round of edits.
- The finished piece goes out under their name, linked to their people page, with a review date if it covers rules that change.
This produces something a content mill cannot: a point of view grounded in real advisory work. It is also the kind of first-hand expertise Google’s guidelines describe for topics where poor advice can harm someone.
Common mistakes on professional services websites
- Service pages written as capability lists. “We offer a comprehensive range of tax services” tells a business owner nothing. Start from their problem.
- Insight hidden in PDFs. Briefings uploaded as PDF newsletters are hard to rank and impossible to link to individual sections.
- Out-of-date technical content. An article on last year’s thresholds or deadlines, still ranking and still wrong, is a risk to the firm’s reputation. Pages that cite figures need an owner and a review schedule.
- Location pages for offices that do not exist. If you serve clients remotely in another city, say so honestly instead of implying a local office.
- Partners leaving and pages disappearing. When someone departs, redirect their profile to the relevant team page and reassign their articles, rather than leaving broken links.
Regulation and professional conduct in content
Many professions have rules about how they market themselves. Solicitors, accountants, financial advisers and some healthcare-adjacent consultancies are restricted in how they describe results, use client names or compare themselves to competitors. Testimonials and case outcomes in particular may need consent and careful wording. I write with these constraints in mind and flag anything that needs checking, but your compliance partner or professional body’s guidance has the final say. I do not provide legal, tax or financial advice in the content I write; the expertise comes from your people.
Schema and entity signals that suit firms
| Markup | Where it fits |
|---|---|
| ProfessionalService, AccountingService or LegalService | Firm and office pages, with address and contact details |
| Person with jobTitle, worksFor and sameAs | People pages, linked to LinkedIn and professional register entries |
| Article with author linked to a Person | Insight pieces |
| Service | Individual service-line pages |
Consistency matters as much as markup. The firm’s name, offices and partners’ details should match across your site, professional directories, LinkedIn and your Google Business Profile for each real office. You can read more about my approach on the services page and see how I document work in my case studies.
Questions professional firms ask me
Our partners are reluctant to write. Can content still go out under their names?
Yes, if it reflects their genuine views. Drafting from a recorded conversation and having them approve the result is common practice and keeps the expertise authentic.
How do we describe past work when everything is confidential?
Describe the type of matter, sector and challenge in anonymised terms, and only with appropriate consent. Many firms use “typical engagements” rather than named case studies.
Should a small firm compete with the large national firms in search?
Not on broad terms. Small firms do better on specialist topics, specific sectors and local searches where the big firms’ pages are generic.
If your firm wins work through referrals but your website does little to support them, get in touch for a free content audit. I will review your people, service and insight pages and send you clear priorities.