Designing an accounting website may sound complicated. With so many elements to consider, you might feel lost at first. However, an easy-to-use modern website builder helps take the dread out of design. In fact, with a website builder, you can create engaging website content even without previous design experience. In this accounting website design guide, learn the key elements to consider and how a builder helps make your website shine.
How to create an accounting website
In the old days, you needed to find a coding wizard to put together a website for you. Today, you just need to know how to use a modern website builder.
A website builder walks you through the design process and does the majority of the work for you. It helps alleviate coding stress by doing all the programming needed without you directing it. Plus, it’s easy to set up and saves a ton of time and money in the long run.
Important considerations for your accounting website design
Marketing for your accounting website has a few moving parts that you need to keep in mind.
First and foremost, you should approach your website from your clients’ perspective. By visualizing your site as your clients do, you can hone in on areas that catch a client’s attention or perhaps need more work.
Here are some helpful considerations to focus on in the design process.
Make a mobile-responsive website
If your site doesn’t look inviting on a mobile device, you might want to focus your energy on making it better. Many clients searching the internet today do so on their phones, tablets, or other devices. Mobile-responsive websites give clients insight into your business approach and encourage action. Plus, they send clients a message that you’re conscious of current internet search trends.
Many website builders allow you to view and design your site in a traditional website layout as well as a mobile-device layout. Spending time perfecting both ensures that you’re considering all possible clients, regardless of how they find your site.
Explain what you do
Time and time again, accounting companies make the mistake of assuming that potential customers know what accountants do. Accounting is a general term and a lot of people don’t know the intricate details of accounting, much less what you do.
For that reason, you should take time to explain what you do on your website. Don’t make people dig through your site for answers. Display this information on your homepage or About Us page.
Attract the right people
By targeting certain geographies, search phrases, and demographics, you’ll make sure that the right people see your site. The site itself should include images and themes that match your typical demographic.
For instance, if your clients are typically in their 30s, using references that only teenagers will understand probably won’t work. Keep in mind what your general audience does and doesn’t know and use an appropriate voice that speaks to them.
Design a website to find more clients
This might seem obvious, but your website exists so you can gain more clients. There are a lot of tips to get bookkeeping clients, and many of them revolve around designing a good website.
By spending some extra time on design upfront, you’ll be optimizing your results and making the most possible money long-term. While putting together your site, don’t forget the reason why you’re making it.
What pages does your accounting firm website need?
The best-looking website in the world won’t do you any good if the content isn’t right. If you want your online marketing to work, your accounting website design needs a few key pages.
Homepage
The homepage is the face of your website. A vast majority of your visitors start by visiting your homepage. That means that you need to hook them so they visit the rest of your pages and choose to purchase your services.
An accounting firm website needs a homepage that answers a few questions, such as:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Why should they choose you?
Don’t forget to add a few eye-catching images and have a clean flow for your homepage.
About us
The About Us section of your website gives you an opportunity to tell your story. This page should also explain what you do, but the bigger focus should be on who you are.
By telling your story, you become familiar to the person reading this section of your site. You start feeling like a friend to them, and not just a random company. Ultimately, you show the personal side of your firm and explain how much industry knowledge you have.
A strong About Us section boosts your brand awareness with a client and makes them feel more attached to your company.
Services
The Services page of your website can go on and on. A lot of companies have different pages to explain the different categories of services that they offer.
As the name suggests, this is your opportunity to tell a prospect what you have to offer. Don’t forget to use your SEO tactics here as you list your different services. Using a bulleted list also makes certain elements of your services stand out and ensures your offerings are easy to read.
If any of your services are unique or special, write a little blurb explaining what they are and how they benefit your clients.
Contact
Of course, what purpose does a website serve if it doesn’t direct people to contact you? Include a form somewhere on your site that allows users to fill in different boxes to send a personal message right to your inbox.
Across your site, add hyperlinked boxes or text that take visitors to your Contact page. The ultimate goal of a site is to make more money. The only way for a CPA website to do that is to have prospective clients directly contact your company.
Make sure the form is easy to understand and fill in. If it’s too complicated or too hard to understand, people won’t contact you and will instead move on to another option.
Blog
A blog is the best place to focus on search engine optimization (SEO). SEO boosts your placement on Google and other search engines and directs more clients to your website.
Use a blog to showcase your industry knowledge and prove to readers that you know your stuff. In your blog, include posts that give out free information like tips, tricks, and secrets about accounting.
Each time you write about an accounting topic and link to other related topics on your blog, search engines see that information and help you rank higher on internet searches. A higher standing will, in turn, attract more people to work with you. Plus, if you help them out, they’ll want to pay you for your services because they feel like they owe you.
Locations served
Another trick for improving your Google or search engine placement is by having different areas that talk about the locations that you serve. This is only applicable for people offering help to their immediate area or the towns around them.
A list on your site can say all the different towns, cities, areas, or ZIP codes that you serve. As people search for accounting services online, they’ll sometimes include their hometown — that’s why this works so well.
You don’t have to put a ton of time or effort into making this page. A simple list on your homepage should work.
