Google Ads can work well for financial planners and accountants. The number of searches is modest, but the right client may stay with your practice for many years.
The catch is that financial services sit under stricter ad policies and regulatory rules than most industries. Getting the setup right matters before you spend anything.
This page covers the practical side. For the wider picture, see our financial services marketing page and our financial services marketing guide.
What to target
Focus on searches where someone is looking for a professional, not just information.
- Retirement: “retirement planning Perth”, “financial planner for retirement WA”
- Life events: “redundancy financial advice Perth”, “inheritance financial advice”
- Super: “SMSF accountant Perth”, “SMSF setup Perth”
- Business: “small business accountant Perth”, “business tax accountant Osborne Park”
- Individuals: “tax return accountant Joondalup”, “tax agent near me”
Split campaigns by service. Retirement planning and individual tax returns attract different people with different value to the practice.
Suburb terms work well for accountants, since many people want someone nearby. Advisers often draw from a wider area, so a metro-wide approach usually makes more sense.
What to exclude
- Jobs and study: “jobs”, “salary”, “course”, “degree”, “graduate”, “how to become”
- DIY and software: “calculator”, “spreadsheet”, “template”, “app”, “MyGov”, “ATO login”
- Free help: “free”, “Moneysmart”, “financial counselling”, “hardship”
- Products you do not offer: “crypto”, “forex”, “trading”, “payday loan”
- Services outside your scope, such as “mortgage broker” if you do not arrange loans
People in financial hardship deserve help, but a free financial counsellor is the right place for them. Excluding those terms keeps your ads relevant and avoids wasted clicks for both sides.
Check the search terms report weekly at first, then monthly once things settle.
Location and schedule
Target the Perth metro area, or the suburbs you serve if your practice is local. Set location targeting to people in your area rather than people interested in it.
Adjust the schedule for the season. Accountants may want more budget from July to October, when individual returns are being prepared. Advisers often see more interest near the end of the financial year, when people think about super contributions.
Run ads when someone can respond. A prospect who calls and reaches voicemail may simply try the next firm.
Ad wording and the landing page
Keep the ad wording factual. Mention your qualifications, your fee approach, or a no-obligation first meeting.
Avoid return claims, guarantees, and words like “independent” unless your firm meets the legal test to use them. Never imply that a general ad is personal advice.
Send each ad group to a matching service page. The page should explain the service clearly, introduce the adviser or accountant, show licence and registration details, and make booking a first conversation easy.
Keep the form short. Do not ask for balances or financial details at this stage.
Call and form tracking
- Track calls from ads using call assets
- Track calls from the website with a dynamic number or phone click tracking
- Track completed forms and online bookings
- Import qualified leads or new clients back into Google Ads where your systems allow it
The last point matters in this sector. A campaign may produce fewer enquiries but better clients, and you will only see that by feeding real outcomes back in.
Budget thinking
Start with the lifetime value of a new client, not the value of a single meeting. An ongoing advice client or a business tax client may stay for many years.
Spread the budget across fewer services and give each one enough to gather useful data. Judge results over several months, because financial decisions take time.
It also helps to know your capacity. If your advisers are already booked out for two months, a bigger budget will only create a waiting list. Scale spend up as you have room to take on new clients.
Common mistakes in financial services
- Sending all traffic to the home page
- Bidding on broad terms like “finance” or “money” that attract the wrong searches
- Missing negatives for jobs, calculators and free services
- Ad wording that has not been checked by the licensee
- Judging the campaign on cost per enquiry without looking at client value
Ad policies and regulation
Google has a specific financial services policy. In some countries it requires advertisers to complete financial services verification before running ads. Check Google’s current policy pages to see what applies to your services in Australia.
Google also restricts ads for some products, such as complex speculative products and some forms of credit.
Regulation applies too. ASIC’s Regulatory Guide 234 covers advertising of financial products and advice, and tax agents must follow the Tax Practitioners Board’s code. If you work under a licensee, have their compliance team approve your ad copy.
Our Google Ads management service can handle the setup, tracking and ongoing checks.
If you’d like help with Google Ads for your practice, SLINKY has worked with Perth businesses since 1998. You’ll deal directly with senior people, with no lock-in contracts. Get in touch.
