LLM-first marketing for accounting firms: earn citations, get quoted, and show up in AI
Search is shifting. Traditional SEO still drives traffic, but users are asking Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude for answers - and those systems cite sources they trust.
If you handle marketing for an accounting firm, your job isn't just to rank on Google. It's to become the expert LLMs reference when clients ask tax and finance questions.
Why LLM visibility matters now
Generative AI usage has gone mainstream, and with it, AI-assisted tax questions and accountant searches are climbing. People want quick, credible answers with context - and LLMs surface brands and experts they trust.
Your edge comes from being cited by reputable outlets. Earn those citations and you increase your odds of appearing in AI answers, while also strengthening classic SEO signals.
Earn citations where LLMs look first
There's growing agreement among AI and search pros: brands cited in trusted media are more likely to show up in LLM responses. That means getting your firm mentioned in local outlets, industry publications, and selective national media.
- Local media: Pitch columns and quotes to metro papers, business journals, and hyper-local sites (including suburban publications). These boost your odds of being cited for local tax and business queries.
- Industry publications: Target outlets your clients read (e.g., construction, healthcare, e-commerce) and professional accounting publications. These are seen as authoritative for specialized questions.
- National media: Land selective, high-authority pieces that anchor your credibility across topics.
Use LLMs to find the right outlets (and contacts) fast
- Ask your LLM in deep-research mode to list tiered publications: local, industry, and national that cover small-business tax, accounting tech, and your target niches.
- Request audience data, editorial calendars, and column formats for each publication.
- Pull masthead contacts (editor, managing editor, section editors), then verify emails on the site before outreach.
- Organize targets by priority and angle: B2C tax tips, B2B finance ops, niche vertical issues.
Prompt starter: "List 25 publications (local, industry, national) that accept guest columns or expert quotes on [niche] tax/accounting topics. Include audience focus, typical word count, editor contact, and recent relevant articles."
Let AI surface timely angles you can own
News drives coverage. Use an AI agent to scan legislation, court cases, IRS updates, and state-level changes. Look for concrete shifts your clients miss - for example, expanded accelerated depreciation or new pass-through entity tax implications.
One firm using AI as an essential tool to keep up with current tax legislation changes is Tax Goddess. The firm's owner, CPA Shauna Wekherlien, specializes in creating tax strategies for business owners who pay $100,000 or more in taxes. "Many CPAs will wait until tax season to take an update class, but we work with clients who need a tax strategy the day after it happens, so we are constantly looking to keep up with court cases and legislation coming down the pipeline," Wekherlien said. "AI agents have become an important tool in that process because when a bill such as BBB is passed, we can use them to provide a detailed breakdown or case study that we can use for content on our blog and target pain points our clients might be feeling."
Wekherlien stressed the importance of verifying the accuracy of AI-generated information by reading the sources it cites and running it through another AI agent to see if it produces the same results. "If you are doing research in ChatGPT, you want to run it through Gemini as well to see if it is giving you the same information," Wekherlien said. Never assume that what AI tells you is correct. Always verify.
Turn signals into publishable pitches (fast)
- Angle: What changed? Who pays more/less? What action must be taken and by when?
- Audience: B2B vertical (e.g., construction CFOs) vs. B2C local taxpayers.
- Proof: Link to official sources, cite examples, quantify impact.
- Format: 700-900 words, clear subheads, a 2-3 sentence bio line for the partner/manager author.
Prompt starter: "Based on this rule change [paste summary], list five column angles tailored to [audience], each with a headline, 3 key takeaways, and a suggested call-to-action that invites readers to ask a specific question."
Daily/weekly AI agent checks
- Daily: New federal/state tax updates, IRS notices, court rulings, keyword trends related to your niches.
- Weekly: Roundup of media targets' most-covered topics and open calls for expert commentary.
- Monthly: Update an opportunity map: what to write, where to pitch, which partner should author it.
Quality control: use AI, but keep the human voice
LLMs help with research and structure. They shouldn't write your byline. Many editors treat AI-written columns as derivative and unpublishable, and LLMs/search evaluate originality and authority.
Chase DuBois, CPA, is the managing partner of AdvisorOne, an accounting firm specializing in tech and e-commerce small-business accounting and CFO advisory. DuBois and his team have integrated AI into their marketing process. He cautions against ignoring the necessity of the human element in content creation. "AI/LLMs are not a silver bullet. You must include the human element in your content, as the market can easily spot AI-slop writing," DuBois said. "Effective use of AI requires thoughtful changes to workflows and procedures, not just replacing a human task with an LLM."
A simple, repeatable workflow
- Research: LLM deep-dive + source links + cross-check in a second model.
- Brief: One-page pitch: angle, audience, outline, sources, deadlines.
- Draft: Human expert writes the first pass. Keep it specific, example-rich, and location/industry aware.
- Edit: Marketing polishes for clarity and voice; verify facts against cited sources.
- QA: Run an AI pass for logic gaps and missing citations; do not let it rewrite your voice.
- Pitch: Personalize outreach to editors with 2-3 sentence relevance notes and why it helps their readers today.
Measure what matters
- Media inputs: Pitches sent, editor replies, columns placed, quotes earned.
- Authority signals: Referring domains, branded search demand, author pages indexed.
- LLM presence (qualitative): Test key questions in Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude and note whether your brand or partners appear as cited sources.
Bottom line
AI is changing how people find accountants and tax answers. To win, earn citations in outlets LLMs already trust, use AI agents to spot timely angles, and keep the writing human.
Do that, and you'll grow traditional search, expand your local and industry footprint, and increase the odds that AI mentions your firm when it counts.
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