What should an accounting firm website look like?

If you want people to trust you with their money, you have to be credible. One of the greatest credibility builder is your website, but only if it is done right.

Let me explain.

Any website won’t do. The days when a simple website with a few words about your accounting firm and a phone number won’t do anymore.

You need a website that is professionally built focusing on your clients and prospects.

Related post: Can I Start And Run A Successful Accounting Firm Without Being A CPA?

Here is what every accounting firm website should have:

Make a wishlist.

If you had your website for a while, there is a good chance that you want to see several changes. Make a list of what you want to improve. What do you dislike about your website? How many leads are you currently getting from it? What would the ideal website look like to you?

Align your website with your goals.

Every CPA firm websites are not created equal. One firm’s needs are not the same as another. It is crucial that your website aligns with your marketing goals.

To make sure that your website aligns with your marketing goals, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want your website to accomplish?
• Get more inbound leads, phone calls?
• Increase brand awareness?
• Educate your audience?
• Collect email addresses and build a subscriber list?
• Encourage interaction on your website or on social networks?

Professional design.

People can tell when a website hasn’t been touched in years. An outdated website tells the world that you don’t care. Or, even worse, that you are no longer in business. Your website creates the first impression about your business. Make sure it creates the image you deserve.

Prospects will look at your website before they call you or hire your firm. If your website gives the wrong impression, they will click off your site and end up working with one of your competitors.

Contact us now and we will help you with your accounting firm website.

Mobile-friendly.

Yes, your website must be mobile friendly for two huge reasons:

1. There are more online searches on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets than on desktop computers. If your website is not optimized for mobile browsing, people will abandon your website and look for one that works.
2. Google penalizes websites that are not mobile-friendly. That means your search rankings will suffer and you will have less visitors coming to your website.

Show your experience.

People want to know that you can do the job. So, why not show what you have done for your previous clients.

The best way to show your experience is by including the following:

• Customer testimonials –  You should have at least one testimonial on your homepage and a dedicated “Testimonials” page. People want to hear from other people about the reliability of your firm.
• Customer logos – Your prospects want to know that they can trust you. Show the logos of the businesses you have helped in the past.
• Associations – Do you belong to any associations? Show the logos of the groups and associations you are a member of.
• Awards – Have you received any awards? Share them with your website visitors.

Call to action.

Unless you tell people what to do on your website, they won’t do it. Don’t assume that people will call or email. Tell them to call you if you want them to call you. Make sure your website includes specific calls to action.

Collect email addresses.

Even though email marketing is very effective, most accounting firm websites do a poor job collecting emails. Don’t just have a “Signup for our newsletter” on your site. That is not enough to get people to give you their email address. Give them something valuable like a special report, a case study, or a book.

Make it about your customers.

Your website should focus on customer pain. What problems are you solving? How do you solve those problems? Create content about the services and solutions your accounting firm offers. It’s not enough to have a bullet point list of your skills and capabilities. Tell stories about how you have helped past customers. Have a detailed FAQ section where you deal with questions relevant to your customers and future customers. If one customer asks you a question, there is a good chance others will have the same or similar questions.

Consider your competitors.

What can you do better than your competitors? What differentiates you from the competition? Your website is the best place to set your accounting firm apart from the competition. Don’t be shy about your accomplishments.

Add video.

I don’t mean that you have to start making movies now. But, since video is the most popular content online, you should give it a serious consideration.

You can add video to your website several ways:

• Testimonials.
• Training.
• How-tos.
• Tutorials.
• Advice.
• Reviews.

These videos don’t have to be long, actually, the shorter the better. Videos that are a couple of minutes long would work well.

Blog regularly.

A blog can be a great way to add new content to your website. The key here is to blog regularly. It’s a big turnoff when companies start to blog and drop the ball. Make a commitment to write at least one meaningful blog post per month.

Be active on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a great tool for accounting firms because it is the largest B2B social network.

Here are the best ways to stay active on LinkedIn:

• Constantly grow your contact list. Only connect with people you know. Quality is more important than quantity.
• Submit articles to be published. Yes, LinkedIn has a great publishing platform that is free, so why not use it.
• Join groups relevant, and be active in the group. Post discussion questions and respond to others.
• Create your own group, and invite potential clients. Post to your group regularly and keep the conversation going.
• Share your content. Every time you add new content to your website share it on LinkedIn.
• Share other people’s content as long as they are relevant.
• Stay in touch with your contacts through email. At least twice a year, send a personal message – don’t sell – to each of your contacts. Yes, it takes time, but it pays off.

Contact us now and we will help you with your accounting firm website.

photo credit: DS Meetings at HQ