Google Business Profile for an accountancy practice
How UK accountancy firms should set up and run a Google Business Profile, within the chartered bodies' advertising rules and with the settings that actually move the three-pack.
01 / Why GBP matters more for accountants
The local pack is where most 'accountant near me' searches end
Google's local pack (the map and three business listings that appear at the top of most local searches) gets roughly 44% of all clicks on searches with local intent, and for 'accountant [town]' queries that figure is higher still. Prospects tap the number, check the reviews, and often ring before they ever see a website. That makes Google Business Profile the single highest-leverage marketing asset most UK accountancy firms have.
The good news is that the settings are straightforward. The issue is that most firms set them up once, then never touch them again. A GBP that has not been updated in eighteen months quietly drifts down the pack, regardless of the firm's reputation. The profiles that win are the ones maintained weekly, not the ones with the best logo.
This page is a practical setup guide for UK accountancy practices, with the details that matter for ICAEW, ACCA, AAT and CIOT-chartered firms specifically. Review-acquisition rules, chartered body language, service listings and the posting cadence that actually moves the needle.
02 / Six settings that move the three-pack
The six GBP settings that matter for an accountancy firm
Category, services, credentials, reviews, hours, posts. Done properly, in that order.
Primary category: Accountant or Certified Public Accountant
Choose 'Accountant' as the primary category for most UK firms. 'Certified Public Accountant' is a valid secondary choice for ICAEW or ACCA firms. Add secondary categories that match your actual services: Tax Preparation Service, Bookkeeping Service, Business Management Consultant, Payroll Service. Do not over-stuff. Five well-chosen categories outperform ten vague ones for local ranking.
Services list, matching your real service pages
Populate the Services section with each service you actually offer: Self-Assessment, Year-End Accounts, Corporation Tax, VAT Returns, Payroll, Bookkeeping, R&D Tax Credits, CIS, Making Tax Digital setup, Xero or QuickBooks onboarding. Each service should link to the corresponding page on your site. Matching service names on GBP and the site creates a consistency signal that meaningfully moves the three-pack ranking.
Chartered body display in the business description
ICAEW members can write 'Chartered Accountants regulated by the ICAEW'. ACCA firms use 'ACCA-regulated firm'. AAT-licensed accountants use the specific AAT wording. CIOT-chartered advisers add their CTA designation. Use the correct language in the first sentence of the 750-character description. It signals regulation to Google and to prospective clients in the same stroke.
Review acquisition, done within the regulator's rules
ICAEW and ACCA both permit soliciting reviews, provided the content does not breach client confidentiality. A short personal message from the partner who did the work, sent within three days of a good outcome, with a direct Google review link, gets response rates around 30%. Avoid responding to negative reviews with any case detail, which can breach confidentiality rules. A neutral 'we would welcome a private conversation about this' response is the safe pattern.
Opening hours that reflect real availability
Accountancy firms that list 9-to-5 hours but do not answer calls at 4:45pm get punished, quietly, by the review system. If your firm runs 9:00 to 5:30 with lunch cover, say so. If partners are available by appointment only outside those hours, use the Special Hours feature around year-end and self-assessment deadline weeks to signal extended availability. Google rewards accuracy.
Weekly posts tied to HMRC and tax calendar
A weekly GBP post on a relevant tax event keeps the profile active and visibly expert. Examples: self-assessment deadline reminders in January, VAT threshold changes, MTD for Income Tax updates, HMRC scam warnings, Budget day commentary. Keep posts under 100 words, link to a fuller article on your site, and rotate between educational, seasonal and firm-news content. Posts decay after seven days, so consistency matters more than polish.
FAQ
Common questions
Can we claim a GBP if we work from a home office or serviced office?
Yes, but with care. For home-based practices you should choose 'I deliver goods and services to my customers' as the area-served model and hide the address. Serviced offices and coworking spaces are allowed if you have a dedicated signed space you work from regularly, but be aware that GBPs in over-populated coworking buildings sometimes get filtered. The safest route for most home-based accountants is a service-area profile with a clear service radius.
Is it against ICAEW or ACCA rules to ask clients for Google reviews?
No. Both bodies permit soliciting reviews, subject to the usual advertising rules about honesty and not breaching client confidentiality. The key points are: do not draft the review for the client, do not offer incentives that amount to payment, and do not respond to any review in a way that confirms or denies a specific client engagement. A simple 'thank you for taking the time to leave a review' is fine. Detailed responses to negatives are where firms get into trouble.
How do we handle negative reviews without breaching confidentiality?
Respond once, publicly, in neutral language that does not confirm the reviewer is a client. Something like 'we take all feedback seriously and would welcome a private conversation to understand your concerns'. Never detail the engagement, fees, or outcome. Then take it offline. A measured response often helps conversion more than the negative review hurts, because prospects can see how the firm handles pressure.
Should we add multiple locations if we have two offices?
Yes, each with its own GBP, its own unique office photo set, its own local phone number, and ideally its own landing page on the site. Sharing one profile across two towns limits you to ranking in one. The extra effort is small and the ranking pay-off in the second town is usually substantial. Make sure the NAP (name, address, phone) is identical across the profile, the site, and any directories.
What photos matter most for an accountancy firm's profile?
Interior shots of the actual reception, portrait photos of each partner with their chartered body credentials visible, a wide shot of the office from the street with signage, and one or two shots of the team at work. Avoid stock photography. The Business Profile dashboard shows you how many views each photo gets, which is a fair guide to which kinds are worth refreshing quarterly.
Does a booking link on GBP help for accountants?
Yes, especially for initial-consultation-style engagements. Calendly, TidyCal, or a native portal booking widget linked from the 'Appointment' button on GBP turns a profile view into a booked fifteen-minute call without email tennis. The conversion rate from GBP visitors to booked calls roughly doubles when the booking link is prominent, based on the firms we have measured.
Want your GBP set up properly, and kept current?
Plans from £39/mo. We run the profile, write the weekly posts, and keep the services matched to your site.