What changes
Small business owners increasingly ask AI assistants the questions they used to type into a search engine or ask a friend: who can help me with Making Tax Digital, do I need to register for VAT, which accountant near me understands farming or construction. Increasingly, AI agents will shortlist and contact suppliers on the owner’s behalf. The practice that gets recommended is the one whose website answers those questions clearly, shows who it serves and what it charges, and can be checked against other sources.
This is sometimes called answer engine optimisation. For an accountancy practice it mostly means plain, specific writing: pages that name the kinds of clients you serve, the services you offer, your fixed prices or price ranges, your partners and their qualifications, your professional body membership and your AML supervisor.
Why it matters now
Referrals will stay important, but the owner who gets a referral will often ask an AI assistant to check you out before calling. A brochure site with a list of services and a contact form gives the assistant very little to go on. The work compounds over time, so starting in month 3 means the site is ready by the time your new services launch.
Checklist
- Write down the 20 questions new clients most often ask at a first meeting, and publish a clear answer to each on its own page, signed by a named partner.
- Add a page for each client type you want more of, such as landlords, contractors or a local sector, stating what you do for them and what it costs.
- Publish your subscription tiers and fixed-fee services from Move 5 with the scope written out, and keep your professional body and AML supervision details accurate across your site and directory listings.
- Ask every new enquiry how they found you, including whether an AI assistant suggested you, and review the answers each quarter.
- Agree referral arrangements with at least one financial adviser and one solicitor in the 8MDs network, so clients facing a sale, retirement or bereavement are passed between you.
Illustrative example
A two-partner practice has a ten-page website: home, about, services, team and contact. Over a quarter, it adds 20 question-and-answer pages, a page each for landlords and self-employed tradespeople, and a pricing page showing its three tiers. It starts asking every enquiry how they found the practice. By the end of the second quarter, several new enquiries say an AI assistant named the practice when they asked about quarterly tax updates for landlords, and they arrive already knowing the price.
Common mistakes
- Publishing large amounts of generic AI-written content. Assistants recommend specific, checkable expertise, and general tax articles add little.
- Hiding prices. An assistant comparing practices for an owner can’t recommend a price it can’t find.
- Treating it as a one-off website project. Questions and rules change, so review the pages every quarter.
Coaching your clients
Your clients’ customers are starting to ask AI assistants for recommendations too. Part of the readiness review from Move 4 is helping them check how their own business appears and what to fix, from clear pricing to accurate contact and service details.