Let’s face it; no company is going to switch accountancy firm or choose a new lawyer based upon the search results they find in Google.   This may help form an opinion on a professional services company but what we are really searching for is someone else’s opinion.  We seek an endorsement from a third party or trusted friend. 

The obstacles we face when switching our professional services providers are rarely that we want to know if a new accountancy practice can actually do our accounts or if a Hotel we want to stay in actually has beds.  The obstacle to commitment is that we want to know what other people think about the service provider before we make our decision. 

If this is the case, then why do professional services companies crave high rankings in Google and pay less attention to arming their existing customers with marketing collateral such as email marketing updates? A well-designed email can prove more effective as it is easy to forward and as it is forwarded on, comes with that third party endorsement built in already. 

Why is less effort and money put into gaining visibility on blogs and forums that their potential customers typically read, illustrating that you are a thought leader in your chosen field?

Online PR and Email Marketing trump SEO for this sector every time in terms of return on investment and if done right, your position in Google will improve naturally as a result of your other activities.