In Part 1 of this guide on ways to grow your accounting business online, we provided practical tips and suggestions on the following areas:
- Online Challenges For Accounting And Financial Businesses
- Online Opportunities For Professional Accountants
- Basic Pages
- How To Improve Your Web Content
In this section, we explore more ways to grow your accounting services business online. Areas covered include:
- Improve Traffic
- Ways To Generate More Leads & Enquiries With WordPress-Based Tools
- How To Improve SEO, Improve User Engagement And Increase Web Traffic Generation With Plugins
To learn more about WordPress plugins and themes, go here:
- WordPress Plugins – The Easy Way To Enhance Your Web Site’s Features And Functionality
- Themes – An Introduction
Tips For Accountants – How To Improve SEO, Improve User Engagement And Increase Web Traffic Generation Using Plugins And Themes
Your web traffic is vital to your online business growth. This section will help you improve your web traffic.
Optimizing Your Site For SEO
There are loads of ways WordPress can help to improve SEO:
- URLs – configure the permalinks to use the title of the post.
- Post Tags – Specify the keywords that you want your articles to be indexed by in the search engines.
- Categories – Create SEO-friendly categories for archiving and organizing your content.
- Excerpts – Set descriptions for your posts that will show in search results.
- Images – add search-optimized titles to your images for better search results.
- Content Linking – WordPress has a built-in feature that lets you easily link your content to other posts and pages on your site
- Pinging – WordPress can be configured to automatically notify other sites and directories as soon as a new post is published on your website.
WordPress Plugins That Can Help Improve Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Improve User Engagement And Increase Web Traffic Generation
In addition to the built-in features of WordPress, there are quite a number of WordPress plugins that will improve your accounting website’s SEO, increase engagement and drive more traffic to your business.
For example, here are some plugins you can use to improve your SEO:
- Yoast SEO – WordPress SEO plugin
- Google XML Sitemaps – WordPress sitemap plugin (for search engines)
- WP Tree – WordPress site map plugin
(Use a plugin like Yoast SEO (previously known as WordPress SEO by Yoast) to improve your website’s search engine optimization)
Other WordPress plugins you can add to improve SEO, increase user engagement and drive more visitors to your website are to add a forum, newsletters, comments, and social sharing features. Here are a few plugins that can help (many of the plugins described below can be downloaded at no cost):
- BuddyPress – This plugin can be used to run a social network on WordPress, with member profiles, messaging, user groups, activity streams, and more.
- bbPress – Set up your own online discussion forum on your site.
- E-Newsletter – Send professional email newsletters, track results and manage subscribers from your WordPress dashboard, without requiring a third party subscription.
- Disqus – Disqus lets you power discussions and helps to increase user engagement on your website.
- Monarch – Easily add social buttons and features that allow visitors to share your content online to your pages and posts.
(You can add social sharing buttons to your site easily with WordPress plugins)
How To Generate Leads & Enquiries
Let’s now take a look at ways to improve sales and generate new leads and enquiries online.
Providing An Email Newsletter
Adding a newsletter is an excellent way to grow and retain your readership. It] provides many benefits including:
- Drives targeted traffic
- Keeps readers from forgetting about you
- Provides useful information and advice
- Provides a highly targeted marketing channel
- Allows you to provide special products or services to a select audience
- Provides new opportunities for improving interaction
- Provides you with additional opportunities for subscribers to share your content
A proven strategy for attracting subscribers to your newsletter is to provide them with high value information and offer them a free gift in exchange for their details. This can be a time-saving guide, tips for handling tax, access to financial calculators, discount coupons, access to subscriber-only content, contests, etc.
Contact Forms
A contact form provides an easy and simple way for prospective customers to get in touch. Visitors can provide feedback, ask questions to specific departments, request a quote, send suggestions for improvements and more.
Contact forms provide many benefits including:
- Reduces spam
- Set up automated responses
- Gives you control over what is sent to you
- You can keep your email address private
- They can be added to any page or post
- Improves the professional look of your website
- More convenient for site visitors
A very popular contact form plugin for WordPress is Contact Form 7.
Contact Form 7
(Contact Form 7 Plugin For WordPress)
This free plugin is easy to install and set up and allows you to create multiple contact forms, customize your forms and the email contents, add fields, and more.
The plugin supports international languages, Ajax-powered submissions, CAPTCHA, spam filtering and so on.
Something to consider is to add sections to your contact form so visitors can choose which topic they want to discuss. This ensures that contact form requests reach the right person.
Add A Map
Adding maps helps your visitors and clients find you.
Maps are a great tool for several reasons:
- A map increases local SEO
- Visitors can find you easily
- Display location of events
(Adding maps helps your visitors and clients find you)
Some of the more popular map plugins include:
- Google Maps
- Advanced Google Maps Plugin for WordPress
- WP Google Maps
- Comprehensive Google Map Plugin
Improving Search Engine Optimization, Increase User Engagement And Increase Web Traffic Generation With Plugins And Themes
WordPress Plugins
WordPress lets you add a number of plugins to your accounting website that will immediately make available a range of functional tools for site visitors. Here are some of these plugins:
Calculator Pro Calculators
(Calculator Pro Calculators WP Plugin)
This plugin provides a free collection of 400+ calculators that you can provide to users on your website and embed into your pages, posts, or sidebars using shortcodes. It supports internationalization
Note: Most of them aren’t focused on accounting, but there are a few you can use for:
- 401k
- Loans
- Tax
- Credit
- And lots more
For more details, go here}:
Show Stock Quotes
(Show Stock Quotes)
With this plugin you get a widget that shows up to 20 different stock quotes per portfolio. You can show as many widgets as you like.
(Show Stock Quotes Plugin For WordPress – Stock Portfolio)
For more details, go here}:
Custom Stock Ticker
(Custom Stock Ticker WP Plugin)
With this plugin you can place custom stock tickers on any sidebar, page or post with shortcodes.
Custom Stock ticker comes with a number of customizable ticker. You can choose from built-in skins or customize it yourself. It’s easy to customize it so it matches your site. You can also create custom stocks for individual categories.
Customize the appearance by changing width, height, scroll speed, background color, opacity, number of stocks displayed at one time, font size, text color, font family, etc.
For more details, go here}:
Finance Calculator
(Finance Calculator)
This free plugin lets users calculate indicative repayments online. It’s great for calculating repayments on automotive loans, property loans, or any other large loan.
(Finance Calculator Plugin For WordPress – Loan Calculators)
The plugin also contains an application form that sends a message to a specified email address.
Other features of this plugin include showing payment protection, calculating 12 to 60 months loans and creating a form that can be placed in any page or post.
For more details, go here}:
WP-Invoice
(WP-Invoice – WordPress Plugin)
WP-Invoice lets WordPress blog owners send itemized invoices to their clients.
This plugin integrates billing into WordPress. You can send itemized invoices. It also allows you to set up recurring billing. WP-Invoice can be expanded through both free and premium add-ons, like business location, electronic signature, PDF creation, quoting, single-page checkout forms, and more.
The plugin ties into the WP user management database to keep track of your clients and their information, and integrates with payment processors like PayPal, Authorize.net, Stripe, and others.
Plugin features include adding custom payments and charges, creating pre-defined line items and discounts, quickly viewing invoice status and progression, filtering and finding invoices, seeing invoice receipts and invoice history, creating email notification templates, viewing reports (collected vs uncollected invoices, most valuable clients and top grossing line items), and more..
For more details, go here}:
All In One Business Management Application
(All In One Business Management Application Plugin For WordPress)
This complete business management solution includes accounting management, invoicing, order management, help desk with knowledgebase and support ticket system, CRM and many additional features.
(All In One Business Management Application Plugin For WordPress – Client Invoicing)
The plugin supports international languages, is fully customizable and provides powerful tools like document management, notice board, and more.
For more details, go here}:
iBilling – Accounting And Billing Software
(iBilling – Accounting and Billing Software Plugin For WordPress)
iBilling is a scalable business software that lets you manage and communicate with clients, tracks your company’s cash flow and net worth, and lots more.
(iBilling – Accounting and Billing Software Plugin For WordPress – Client Invoice)
iBilling integrates with several online payment gateways.
For more details, go here}:
WordPress Themes - Financial Services
To get the best features and professional look for your website, it’s best to choose a theme specifically for accounting. Here is a look at some of the best accountancy themes available. These themes allow you to own a professional accounting website within minutes.
Accounting Pro
(Accounting Pro)
This premium theme is an inexpensive turn-key theme for accountants and accountancy firms. It’s a responsive theme with a drag-and-drop page-builder, has several page templates, a custom menu feature, a content composer (gives you an improved WordPress editor), a sidebar manager, auto-resizing for images, and lots more.
Accounting Pro can be customized with premium add-ons.
To learn more about this theme, go here:
Accountancy
(Accountancy Theme For WordPress)
This premium theme comes in a variety of built-in styles and layouts to give your accounting site a professional look and feel.
It includes a custom slider, a featured testimonial section, and more. It’s lightweight, search engine optimized, fast loading, and is responsive. Accountancy Theme provides the features you need without bloating your theme. Free updates and 1 year of support is included in the price.
Visit this site for more information about using this theme:
Accounting
(Accounting – WordPress Theme)
This one includes a drag-and-drop builder that allows you to design your site any way you want. The theme also provides unlimited sidebars with custom widgets, four different types of headers, a custom administration panel, four color schemes, custom slider, 3 blog types, and is fully responsive. It is a clean-looking, modern and fast loading theme.
More information:
Kathryn
(Kathryn – WordPress Theme)
Kathryn is a premium WordPress child theme for the Genesis Framework that’s designed specifically for accounting businesses. It has multiple layouts, slider, multiple sidebars, widgetized home page, flexible rotator, call to action boxes, author boxes for single or multiple bloggers, various colors, is easy to use, search optimized, and is responsive. Although this theme can easily fit any profession you like, it builds a great looking accounting theme. It includes a license for the Soliloquy plugin and is a separate purchase from the Genesis Framework.
For more information, go here:
Accounting WordPress Theme
(Accounting WordPress Theme – WordPress Theme)
This one was built to enhance professionalism within the accounting industry. Every color, layout element, icon, menu item, page structure, call-to-action, etc., was specifically designed to make your accounting business website look professional while not looking dull. It’s a turn-key installation but you can still modify it if you want. It’s responsive (mobile-friendly) and includes pages for your services, contact details section with consultation requests (downloadable as a CSV file), testimonials, and a blog.
More information:
WP Advocate
(WP Advocate WordPress Theme)
WP Advocate is a corporate theme developed for professional service providers such as accountants and attorneys. Use the bundled images or upload your own. It includes a custom post type adding employee profiles. It will also integrate with BeSpoke profile templates. WP Advocate is clean and fast-loading.
Go here for more information about this WordPress theme:
Divi
(Divi)
This premium theme is the most flexible theme in Elegant Themes‘ entire collection of WordPress themes. Divi lets you create any kind of professional site you want using its page builder or beautiful and unique pre-made layouts. You can modify your layout as much as you need.
Divi’s page builder transforms elements into visual building blocks, allowing you to understand and easily redesign the structure of their page without touching code.
(Divi Theme – Page Builder)
Divi comes with 40 content modules that you can drag and drop anywhere you want. Modules include multiple layouts, a slider, you can place pricing tables, testimonials, call-to-action, and lots more. It is responsive and completely customizable. Elegant Theme prices start at $69 per year and includes access to over 80 beautifully-designed themes.
For more information, go here:
The Corporation
(The Corporation – WordPress Theme)
This premium WordPress theme from Elegant Themes was specifically created to make corporate sites look good.
This theme has a sleek page-based home page design with a nice slider. It also has a blog design and features that toggle on and off. It comes with 6 color schemes. It also comes with multiple page templates that include contact pages, blog feeds, sitemaps, search page, gallery page, and more. Elegant Theme prices start at $69 per year and includes full access to over 80 themes.
To learn more about about using this WordPress theme, go here:
Adviser
(Adviser Theme For WordPress)
Adviser was developed specifically to help finance industry professionals build trust with a clean business design. It’s ideal for those that provide services like investment advice or tax help. It includes a recruitment page with hiring announcements and where to send applications. It also includes a built-in lease calculator. It includes multiple shortcodes and widgets, and includes the drag-and-drop visual composer.
More information:
Tax Help
(Tax Help Theme For WordPress)
This one was built for financial organizations, tax and finance advisors, and firms that provide tax assistance. The theme is designed to show your services in a professional way and help establish your business reputation. It has a range of blog styles, uses a drag-and-drop visual composer, includes a shortcode builder, the Revolution Slider, and additional custom shortcodes.
To learn more about this theme, go here:
Finance Business
(Finance Business – WordPress Theme)
This premium theme was designed specifically for organizations that provide any type of financial service such as tax help, consulting, insurance, corporate, finance, loans, accounting, and more. This theme includes a custom CMSMasters Visual Content Composer plugin. It also has around 100 shortcodes that includes charts and financial content. It also includes the custom drag-and-drop composer, 2 premium sliders, page options, color management, animations, and a whole lot more.
More info:
Avada
(Avada Finance WordPress Theme)
Avada is a fully responsive and versatile multipurpose theme that lets you easily build, configure, and run any kind of website you want without touching code, including a website for an accounting or finance-related organization.
To learn more about the Avada theme for WordPress, go here: Avada
Hopefully, you have found this comprehensive guide on WordPress plugins & themes that improve search engine optimization, increase user engagement and drive more visitors helpful.
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