In Part One of this article on ways to improve your accounting business web presence, we provided in-depth information on the following topics:
- Online Challenges For Accountants
- Online Opportunities For Accounting Businesses
- Basic Pages
- Improving The Content On Your Website
In this section, we discuss more ways to grow your accounting business online. Areas covered below include:
- Ways Of Improving Traffic
- Tips For Generating New Leads & Enquiries Using WordPress-Based Applications
- Improve SEO, Increase User Engagement And Increase Web Traffic Generation Using WordPress Plugins
To learn more about WordPress plugins and themes, see these articles:
Grow Your Accounting Website – Improve Your Business Online Using WordPress
Your web traffic is an important part of your business growth. In this section, you will learn WordPress plugins for improving SEO, increasing user engagement and web traffic generation.
Optimize Your Site For SEO
There are loads of ways WordPress can help to optimize your website for search engines:
- URLs – WordPress lets you set the permalinks to create search engine-optimized web addresses for your content posts.
- Post Tags – WordPress lets you select the keywords that you want your article pages (posts) to be indexed by in the search engines.
- Categories – Create categories for your posts and products.
- Excerpts – WordPress lets you compose the description for your posts that will appear in search results.
- Images – add search-optimized titles to your images for improved search engine results.
- Internal Content Linking – WordPress has a built-in feature that lets you easily link internal content
- Post Notification – Configure your site to automatically notify other sites and directories the moment a new post is published on your website.
How To Improve Search Engine Optimization, Improve User Engagement And Increase Web Traffic Generation With Plugins
As well as the built-in features of WordPress, the WordPress developer community makes available a number of plugins that improve your accounting or financial services website’s SEO, increase engagement and drive more web traffic to your website.
For example, here are some plugins you can use to improve your SEO:
- All in One SEO – WordPress SEO plugin
- Google XML Sitemaps – WordPress XML sitemap plugin
- WP Tree – WordPress site map plugin
(A plugin like Yoast SEO can improve your site’s SEO)
Other WordPress plugins you can use to improve your accounting website’s SEO, increase engagement and drive more visitors to your business are to add a forum, newsletters, comments, and social features. Here are some more WordPress plugins that can help (many of the plugins described below can be downloaded at no cost):
- BuddyPress – This plugin allows you to set up a social networking community on your website, with member profiles, messaging, user groups, activity streams, and more.
- bbPress – This plugin lets you set up a forum on your WordPress site.
- E-Newsletter – This plugin lets you send email newsletters, track results and manage subscribers from your WP dashboard, without requiring 3rd-party subscriptions.
- Disqus – Power discussions and helps to increase engagement on your website or blog.
- Monarch – Easily add social buttons and features that allow visitors to share your content online on your website.
(You can add social sharing to your website easily with free or inexpensive WordPress plugins)
Generating New Leads & Enquiries
This section explains how to improve sales and generate leads and enquiries.
Provide An Email Newsletter
Providing an email newsletter is an excellent way to build a subscriber list. It] provides a number of benefits including:
- Drives targeted traffic to your site
- Keeps readers from forgetting about you
- Provides useful information and advice
- Provides a targeted marketing channel
- It’s a way to provide special products or services to a select audience
- Provides new opportunities for increasing interaction
- Provides you with additional opportunities for your content to be shared online with other prospective customers
A proven way to get your visitors to become subscribers is to provide high value information and give users a free gift in exchange for their personal details. This can be a guide, checklists for handling tax, access to financial calculators, coupons, membership access to courses, contests, etc.
Adding A Contact Form
A contact form provides an easy and simple way for readers to contact you. A contact form also allows users to raise problems, ask questions to specific departments, ask for quotes, and more.
Contact forms provide several benefits including:
- Reduces spam
- Automated response
- Gives you control over what gets sent to you
- Allows you to keep your email address private
- They can be added to any page or post
- Improves the professional look of your website
- More convenient for users
A very popular contact form plugin is Contact Form 7.
Contact Form 7
(Contact Form 7 – WordPress Plugin)
This free plugin allows you to create multiple contact forms to your site, customize your form and the mail contents, add fields, and more.
Supports international languages, Ajax-powered submitting, CAPTCHA, spam filtering and so on.
Another feature to consider is to add sections to your contact form so prospective clients can select the aspect of your business they are contacting you about. This ensures that visitors get the comment to the right person.
Maps
Adding maps to your site helps your visitors and clients find you.
Maps are a useful tool for several reasons:
- They improve local SEO
- Visitors can find your office more easily
- Show location of events
(A map helps your visitors and customers find you)
Popular map plugins for WordPress include:
- Google Maps
- Advanced Google Maps Plugin for WordPress
- WP Google Maps
- Comprehensive Google Map Plugin
WordPress Plugins For Improving Search Engine Optimization, Better User Engagement And Driving More Visitors
WordPress Plugins - Accounting Services
WordPress lets you add a number of plugins to your accounting site to immediately add a range of functional tools for users. Here are just some of these:
Calculator Pro Calculators
(Calculator Pro Calculators Plugin For WordPress)
This is a free collection of over 400 calculators. You can embed them into your posts, pages, or sidebars using shortcodes. Internationalization is supported.
Note: Most of the calculators aren’t focused on accounting, but there are a few for:
- Mortgage
- Loans
- Tax
- Debit
- And more
For more details, go here}:
Show Stock Quotes
(Show Stock Quotes Plugin For WordPress)
This plugin lets you add 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 – WordPress Plugin)
This free plugin lets you add custom stock tickers to any page, post, or sidebar using shortcodes.
This plugin comes with loads of customizable ticker. You can choose from built-in skins or customize these yourself. It’s easy to customize it so it matches your site. You can also add custom stocks to individual categories.
Customize the appearance by changing colours, speed, symbols, etc.
For more details, go here}:
Finance Calculator
(Finance Calculator WordPress Plugin)
This free plugin allows your site visitors to calculate indicative repayments. It’s great for car loans, property, or other large loans.
(Finance Calculator Plugin For WordPress – Loan Calculator)
This plugin also contains an application form that sends a message to a specified email address.
Other features of this plugin include displaying 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.
WP-Invoice lets you integrate billing into WordPress. You can send out itemized invoices. It even allows you to set up recurring billing. It can be expanded through both free and premium add-ons that let you manage locations, accept electronic signatures, create PDF versions of your invoices, provide quotes, create checkout forms, and more.
The plugin ties into the WordPress user management database to keep track of your clients and their information, and integrates with PayPal, Authorize.net, Stripe, 2Checkout, Interkassa, and others.
WP-Invoice features include adding custom payments and charges, creating pre-defined line items and discounts, quickly viewing invoice status and progression, easily filtering and finding invoices, showing invoice receipts and invoice history, creating notification email 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)
This is a complete business management system that includes accounting management, invoicing, order management, helpdesk with knowledgebase and ticket system, client relationship management and lots more.
(All In One Business Management Application – WordPress Plugin – Client Invoicing)
The plugin supports different 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 customers, tracks your company’s net worth and cash flow, send single-click payment reminders and payment confirmations, and lots more.
(iBilling – Accounting and Billing Software WordPress Plugin – Client Invoice)
It integrates with several online payment gateways.
For more details, go here}:
WordPress Themes
To get the best features and professional look for your website, we recommend choosing a theme specifically suited for accounting. Here is a list of some of the best WordPress themes available for accounting. With the themes listed below you can have a professional accounting website within minutes.
Accounting Pro
(Accounting Pro WP Theme)
This is an inexpensive turn-key theme created for accountants and accounting firms. It’s responsive, has a drag-and-drop page-builder, offers several page templates, custom menu features, a content composer (gives you an improved WordPress editor), a sidebar manager, performs auto resizing for images, and lots more.
Accounting Pro can be expanded by installing premium add-ons.
More info:
Accountancy
(Accountancy)
Accountancy has a variety of built-in styles and layouts to make your accounting website look and feel professional.
This responsive theme includes a custom slider, a featured testimonial section, it’s lightweight, search engine friendly, and loads fast. It provides what you need without bloating your theme. Free updates and one year of support is included in your purchase.
More information:
Accounting
(Accounting Theme For WordPress)
Accounting includes a drag-and-drop builder that allows you to design your site any way you want. The theme also provides unlimited sidebars and custom widgets, four different header types, a custom administration panel, four color schemes, a custom slider, three different blog types, and is fully responsive (mobile-friendly). It looks clean and modern and loads fast.
Visit this site to learn more this theme:
Kathryn
(Kathryn Theme For WordPress)
This one is developed for accounting services. It provides a slider, multiple layouts, multiple sidebars, author boxes for single or multiple bloggers, many colors, is easy to use, search optimized, and is responsive (mobile-friendly). Although this theme can easily fit any profession, it builds a great looking accounting theme. It includes a license for the Soliloquy plugin and is a separate purchase from the Genesis Framework.
More information:
Accounting WordPress Theme
(Accounting WordPress Theme – WordPress Theme)
This theme was designed with the idea of professionalism within the accounting industry. Every color, layout element, icon, menu item, page structure, call-to-action, etc., was designed specifically to make your accounting website look professional while not looking dull. It’s a turn-key installation but you can still modify it if you want. It’s fully responsive and includes pages for your services, contact form section with consultation requests (downloadable as a CSV file), testimonials, and a blog.
Go here to learn more about using this WordPress theme:
WP Advocate
(WP Advocate – WordPress Theme)
This is a corporate theme built specifically for professional service providers such as accountants and attorneys. You can use the theme’s bundled images or upload your own. WP Advocate also includes a custom post type adding employee profiles. It will also integrate with BeSpoke profile templates. It’s clean and fast-loading.
More information:
Divi
(Divi)
This premium theme is one of the most flexible themes in Elegant Themes‘ entire collection. You can create a unique, professional site using its page builder or beautiful and unique pre-made layouts. You can change your layout as much as you need.
Divi’s page builder transforms elements into visual building blocks, allowing anyone to understand and easily change the structure of their page without touching code.
(Divi WP Theme – Page Builder)
Divi has 40 content modules that you can drag and drop anywhere you want. This includes accordion, blurb, contact form, email optin, image, number counter, person, pricing table, social media follow, text, fullwidth image, fullwidth menu, fullwidth slider, and more.. It is mobile-friendly and fully customizable. Elegant Theme prices start at $69 per year and includes full access to over 80 themes.
More info:
The Corporation
(The Corporation – WordPress Theme)
This premium WordPress theme from Elegant Themes was designed specifically to make corporate sites look great.
This theme has a sleek page-based home page design with a eye-catching slider. It also has a blog design. It comes with six color schemes. It also has multiple page templates which include contact pages, blog feeds, sitemaps, search page, gallery page, and more. Elegant Theme prices start at $69 per year and includes access to 80+ beautifully-designed themes.
To learn more about about this theme, go here:
Adviser
(Adviser Theme)
This one was developed specifically to help finance industry professionals build trust online through clean web design. It’s perfect for businesses that provide services like investment advice or tax advice. It includes a recruitment page with hiring announcements and where to send applications, a built-in lease calculator, multiple shortcodes and widgets, and the drag-and-drop visual composer..
More information:
Tax Help
(Tax Help)
Tax Help WordPress Theme was specifically built for financial organizations, tax and finance advisors, and businesses offering tax assistance. This theme is designed to showcase 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.
For more information, go here:
Finance Business
(Finance Business)
This premium theme was developed for firms that provide financial services including consulting, tax help, corporate, insurance, finance, loans, accounting, and more. This theme includes a custom CMSMasters Visual Content Composer plugin, around one hundred shortcodes that includes charts and financial content, custom drag-and-drop composer, two premium sliders, page settings, color management, animated elements, and a 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 guide on ways to improve your accounting or financial services business online with WordPress themes and plugins helpful.
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