Grow Your Accounting Business Online With WordPress

Accountants today face many challenges created by the web economy.

Challenges CPAs Face Online

Accounting businesses must work harder than ever to remain competitive. Not only do they have to become actively involved in the communities and industries they serve, they must also develop an active digital presence. This includes having a dynamic web presence and learning how to better promote your business services online.

In addition to spending dollars in offline marketing, you will probably find (if you haven’t already) that in order to remain competitive, you will need to invest a bigger amount of your budget towards the development and maintenance of a website that can drive new prospective clients, engage users, outperform the competition in search engines and social media, and increase your reach online.

This means that your website not only has to look great, your web pages have to load fast, and be easy to navigate, but it’s also important to keep in mind that the needs of the website will change over time and sections will need to be frequently updated. This requires the implementation of a well-developed web and content management strategy.

One other difficult challenge that accounting organizations (and other professions) face with their websites, is that you have an average of thirty seconds to give users what they need or they will find what they are looking for elsewhere.

“Websites have evolved into central information hubs where service information is still present but enhanced with web portals, hyperlinks to state and federal sites, and a variety of free tools.”

Michael Alter, http://www.accountingweb.com/technology/accounting-software/tips-for-improving-your-website

Opportunities For CPAs

As well as facing significant business and technology changes, there are also many online opportunities available for businesses in the accounting sector that are willing to adapt to meet the challenges of the online economy and can think outside the box in terms of improving their online business marketing skills.

This comprehensive article will help you uncover new ways and opportunities to attract and engage new visitors and establish stronger online credibility for your business.

As well as providing useful website improvement tips, we also recommend that you consider using the WordPress content management system (CMS) to power your accounting business website.

For more information about the benefits and advantages of using the WordPress CMS platform, see these articles:

• Discover Why A Poorly Built Web Site Can Lose You Business
• The Beginner’s Guide To Building Your Successful Small Business Using A WordPress Blog

Useful Tips For Improving Your Accounting Or Financial Services Website

In this section we’ll show you ways to improve your accounting website and get better results online. We will look at what pages a financial services website needs, what content works best for accounting and financial services websites, your layout and navigation, etc.

If you need website planning assistance, read this detailed step-by-step guide we have written: A Practical Guide To Web Site Planning For Non-Technical Business Owners

Basic Web Pages

All business websites need a number of basic pages. Let’s discuss the pages your  need and how to set up your accounting or financial services website for best results.

Description Of Products And Services

It’s essential to have a page that lists your services or products.

Your page will include all the services and products you offer, such as:

• Business accounting – business planning, incorporation of companies, accounting, payroll, preparing financial statements, book keeping, forecasting, budgeting, financing, strategic planning, consulting services, etc.
• Taxation – preparing, planning, reviewing, auditing, advising, problem resolution
• Investment strategies
• Corporate accounting
• Wealth creation
• Superannuation/retirement plan (401k) advice
• Audit risk assessment and assurance
• Quickbooks – setup, training, tune up, and support
• Specialist services – mergers, acquisitions, information technology, secretarial, rentals, trusts, fiduciary accounting, succession planning, selling businesses, asset transfers, etc.
• Lending and leasing

Make sure to list all of the services you provide. Provide your visitors with information that will educate them about what these services do and why they should book an appointment.

Who We Are

The ‘About Us’ page needs to describe your business and what your business stands for, its unique approach, community events, etc.

It should also mention any awards, accreditations, certifications, recognitions, associations, publications, etc., that you can use to promote your company and set it above your competitors.

(List all of your business awards accreditations, certifications, recognitions, associations, publications, etc. in your About page. Screenshot image source: deloitte.com)

Your Staff

If you are looking for quicker and simpler ways to sell more products online, then make it easier for your prospects to get to know, like and trust you, your team and your business better.

You want your business to be relatable. A great way to do that is to have a page that introduces your staff. This page should include a photo and a mini bio. Since most visitors won’t be familiar with accounting terms it should tell who they are and what their specialties are. It should also explain what those specialties mean. It should also include social buttons that will allow your site visitors to follow individual team members on their social networks.

In this page, don’t be afraid to show the human side of your team members with personal stories, hobbies, etc., but make sure to outline each employee’s expertise, why they are an invaluable asset to your team, and more importantly, how they will help add value to your clients’ business.

(Make sure to add a staff description page. Screenshot image source: deepsky.com)

We have created a detailed tutorial on how to create and add an easy-to-manage list of employees to your site with no coding skills required here: How To Easily Add A Simple Employee List To Your WordPress Site

Career Opportunities

List any career opportunities within the organization. This page would include training offered, employee benefits, professional development, social activities promoted or sponsored by your firm, etc. You can also include stories of recruits who have risen within your firm and information about upcoming career opportunities in the accounting and financial services industry.

Include also a positions available section in your page. If there are no positions currently available, consider inviting people to return periodically to this page, subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on social media, etc.

Case Studies And Testimonials

Testimonials and case studies are a great way to show potential clients what kind of accounting solutions you are capable of implementing to help them solve their problems. Adding a page with testimonials from past clients and case studies also provides visitors social proof online.

(Add a page with case studies and testimonials from past clients. Screenshot source: pcg-services.com)

We have written extensively about using testimonials, case studies and reviews get better results online here: Learn How To Turn More Visitors Into Qualified Prospects Using Compelling Testimonials

Contact Us Page

A contact page is absolutely necessary.

It should provide some or all of the following information:

• Business Name
• Physical address
• Phone
• Facsimile
• Email address
• Map
• Website address
• Contact form
• Request for information – contact details
• Links to social media profiles
• Interactive chat

If your business operates in different locations you will want to make this clear when displaying the address and contact information.

You should also include a few links for the most commonly asked questions, useful pages, special offers, support area, newsletter opt-in form, blog, etc.

Add An Accounting Blog Section

A blog is a powerful marketing tool for your business. Many blogging platforms typically comprise of a content management system that allows you to promote your business using content like industry news, product releases, training articles, opinions and discussions, promotional videos, infographics, etc.

If you already have an existing accounting or financial services website, then consider adding a WordPress-driven blog to promote your services.

If you don’t have a website yet, or your existing accounting or financial services website is very hard to manage or not giving you the results you want, then WordPress can act both as your business website and blog.

Very few businesses know that WordPress can become an automated traffic machine that will begin driving an ongoing stream of web traffic to your website, simply by publishing regular content to your website.

(WordPress can automate your traffic generation)

If you are interested in learning more here: Web Traffic Blueprint – How To Automatically Increase Your Web Visitors For Your Business

Legal Info Pages

It’s really important for accounting firms to ensure they have a website that complies will all legal requirements online, not just for building trust and credibility with visitors, but also to ensure that no local, regional and federal laws and regulations are being broken wherever you provide services to.

Adding some or all of the following legal pages to your website will help you stay out of trouble with most regulatory authorities, third-party service providers (e.g. Facebook), and other potential sources of legal threats and inconveniences:

• Contact Us
• Privacy Policy
• Terms Of Use
• Website Disclaimer
• Affiliate Agreement
• Anti-Spam Policy
• Compensation Disclosure
• DMCA Notice
• Earnings Disclaimer
• External Links Policy
• Financial/Health Disclaimers
• Refund Policy
• Video/Audio Terms
• and others

We have written a detailed article about adding legal pages to your site. Go here to learn more about this: What You Need To Know About Adding Legal Pages To Your WordPress Site

Improving The Content On Your Website

In today’s globally competitive economy, the sooner you begin engaging in the practice of content marketing, the sooner you will begin to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Providing great content with advice and tips will get your readers to share your content and come back for more. This is the most effective way to inform and educate your visitors and prospective clients about your business and about doing business with your firm.

For example, for an accounting or financial services business, topics could include:

• How balance sheets work
• Understanding profit and loss statements
• Duties and legal responsibilities of company directors
• Presenting accounts for non-profit activities
• Cashflow planning tips
• Business insurance
• Protecting revenues
• Tips on structuring a self-managed retirement fund
• Do’s and don’ts of … (e.g. purchasing vs leasing, claiming business expenses, etc.)

You can also create a series of informative articles that will help your prospective clients gain a better understanding of your services, such as software accounting, business accounting, office accounting software, reducing business debt, understanding financial concepts, etc.

Remember to use relevant keywords and terms in your articles that readers will be searching for online.

We recommend subscribing to our Content Marketing Email Training Series. You will receive a comprehensive series of training emails with easy-to-digest information and practical tips that will show exactly how to drive more traffic to your website, save money creating high-quality content for your visitors and grow your business online using content marketing strategies. It’s not only a great course with loads of useful information, it’s also 100% FREE!

Improving User Experience

Improving your website’s user experience (known as UX) helps keep visitors coming back and using your site. This section will show you ways you can improve your visitor engagement and UX.

Adding RSS Feeds

RSS feeds provide plenty of benefits for your business.

If you provide useful content, other sites may want to syndicate your content.

Some of the benefits of having other businesses syndicate your content, include:

• All of your updates are kept in one place
• your content distribution doesn’t rely on email
• Feeds can be shared and picked up by other sites online
• RSS feeds allow for subscribing
• It provides a way for links to point back to your site
• Feeds can be submitted to RSS directories and aggregators
• There are multiple ways your readers can receive your content (e.g. subscribers can read your content on their mobile device using a feed reader)
• It’s built into WordPress

There are also benefits to providing content on your site from other sites, such as the fact that you don’t have to write, manage or update the content.

To find RSS feeds with useful content just search online for relevant government departments and well-known industry bodies.

For example, here are a few useful RSS feeds you may want to consider adding to your website:

• Taxation Policy Center: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/press/rss.cfm
• Australian Taxation Office: https://www.ato.gov.au/RSS-news-feeds.aspx
• Canada Revenue Agency: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/rssfeeds/
• UK HM Revenue and Customs: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rss/rss.htm
• South Africa Revenue Service: http://www.sars.gov.za/Pages/RSS-Feeds.aspx

(Adding RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds can help to improve your site’s UX.)

Provide Online Forms & Checklists

Adding checklists and forms to your site is a great way to increase user engagement, add value to your audience and set yourself apart from the competition. They can provide visitors with useful step-by-step instructions and resources to perform necessary tasks. Checklists and forms can also be great planning tools.

You can provide online or downloadable forms and checklists covering a range of topics such as:

• How To Set Up A Company
• Negative Gearing Checklist
• Not-For-Profit Activity Checklist
• Disclosure Checklists
• Company Tax Checklist
• Self Managed Super Fund Tax Checklist
• Income Tax Variation Forms

Add Online Tools

Providing unique online tools and applications for businesses on your website is a great way to increase visitor engagement and significantly add value to your target audience. Calculators, such as loan and tax calculators, are useful tools for accounting websites. Others can include time cards, or retirement and interest calculators.

In the next section, we will look at a several online tools you can use in your website using WordPress plugins and themes that can improve seo, improve user engagement and generate more visitors to your business.

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This is the end of part one of this guide on ways to build your accounting business web presence.

To continue, click here:

• Your Accounting Website – How To Improve SEO, Increase User Engagement And Drive More Web Traffic Using Plugins & Themes

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