How to Create a Compelling Website for Your Accounting Business

Creating a successful website for your business can be a powerful tool for attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. With the first commercial websites going live around 30 years ago, the accounting and bookkeeping industry has since benefited from their advantages.

To make your website informative, entertaining, and engaging, you need to aim for certain goals and follow best practices for website design. In this article, we’ll offer advice on how to create a website that truly serves your business and its customers.

Your website is essentially a virtual storefront, particularly for businesses that don’t have prominent main street establishments with shop windows promoting their services. And with most people no longer looking up businesses in phone directories, your website is often the first point of contact for potential clients.

By following the tips and guidelines provided in this article, you can create a website that effectively communicates your business’s services, values, and unique selling points, while also engaging visitors with useful content and a visually appealing design.

Why You Need a Website

Online search is one of the most commonly used methods for consumers looking for accounting or bookkeeping services. Search engines such as Google, Bing, Baidu, or Yahoo! are often used to find what they need. If you don’t have an online presence, your company won’t appear on the search engine results pages. This means that a competitor with a great website could end up landing a new client, leaving your business at a disadvantage. It’s essential for modern businesses to have an effective website to stay competitive.

However, it’s not necessary to spend thousands of dollars to have a site developed and built for you. Starting small is a good idea if you’re unsure about the benefits a website can offer. Services like Wix, WordPress, and others allow you to create your website quickly and easily without requiring programming skills. This will get you started quickly, and monthly costs can be as low as a few dollars.

To ensure that your website looks professional, it’s important to focus on the fundamentals.

If you’re an accountant or tax agent, it’s important to have adequate insurance coverage to protect your business from unforeseen events. You never know when a client may make a claim against you for an error or omission or when your business may be impacted by a natural disaster or cyber attack. That’s why accounting insurance can be so useful.

Start by purchasing a domain name: Having a domain name like yourfirm.com is more professional than using a free hosting company’s domain name like yourfirm.freehostingcompany.com. Domain names are inexpensive and can greatly enhance your online presence.

Choose a basic layout: Most web service providers offer a large selection of templates that you can choose from to customize the appearance of your site. However, be cautious of choosing templates that are too colourful or garish, as they may not be seen as professional. Remember, your clients expect you to look mature and professional.

Include crucial pages: Make sure you have pages that outline the services offered by your business, as well as your contact details. You should also introduce the partners and other top employees and mention the expertise of your company. These pages are crucial in providing potential clients with all the necessary information they need to make an informed decision.

Keep it current: Keeping your website current is essential for your business to succeed. If your website looks outdated and stagnant, it may deter potential clients and cause you to lose existing ones.

To ensure your website stays up-to-date, make sure to regularly update personnel profiles, add new services, and keep contact information current. This not only helps keep your website looking fresh and modern, but it also shows that your business is active and evolving.

Post quality content: In addition to updating the basics, the key to a successful website is high-quality content. You may have heard of SEO (search engine optimization) and its importance in online marketing. Having quality content on your website will not only improve your website’s ranking on search engines but will also attract and retain more clients.

Quality content includes relevant and informative blog posts about accounting or bookkeeping challenges in your clients’ industry, suggestions and tips to save them time and money, interviews with individuals of interest to your client base, and relevant news headlines to keep your clients up to date. You can also include frequently asked questions on significant topics.

Share newsletters: Email marketing is still one of the most effective strategies. After creating engaging content that your audience will want to read, ask them to sign up for your newsletters. But be mindful not to spam them with excessive emails. It’s sufficient to send them occasional newsletters.

Develop industry analysis: Having a representative from your company serve as an industry expert can boost your company’s reputation. Regular blog entries, news article links, and webinars can all contribute to establishing your business as a thought leader in your industry.

Leverage social media integration: If your company has a Twitter feed, link it to your website. Sharing other business-related social media posts can also be beneficial. You can find more tips in our guide to social media business promotion.

Effective websites are engaging, new, and relevant to the target audience. All of these things can be achieved for your company’s website without breaking the bank. There are many resources available, such as forums and well-established business websites, where you can gain insights and inspiration.

Your website, like your business, will evolve over time, becoming an extension of your marketing initiatives that silently bring in new clients for you.