Grow Your Accounting Business Online With WordPress

Accounting professionals today face significant challenges.

Challenges Accounting Businesses Face Online

Now, more than ever, accountants must work hard and find smarter ways to remain competitive, source new clients, and retain current clientele. Not only do you have to become more involved in the communities and industries you serve, you must also develop and maintain a strong digital presence. This includes having a dynamic website and learning how to better promote your services online.

In addition to spending money advertising offline on newspapers, ads in industry publications and magazines, radio and tv, etc., you will probably find that in order to compete with other accounting businesses, increasingly larger amounts of their budget will need to be assigned to develop and manage a website that drives new clients, engages visitors, outranks the competition in search engines and helps you gain a wider amount of exposure online.

This means that your site not only has to look great, your pages have to be fast-loading, and be easy to navigate, but even more importantly, your site’s needs may change over time and some areas may need to be updated frequently. This requires implementing well-planned web and content management strategy.

Another challenge that accountancy firms face online (as do most professions for that matter), is that they have around thirty seconds or less to give visitors what they are searching for or they will leave and go 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 Accounting Businesses

As well as facing significant challenges, there are also plenty of online opportunities available for businesses in the accounting profession that can evolve to meet online demands and who can think outside the box when it comes to improving their online business marketing skills.

This article will help you uncover new opportunities to drive more traffic and build more 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 or financial services business website or blog.

For more information about the benefits and advantages of using the WordPress CMS platform, go here:

• How A Poorly Built Web Site Can Cost You Business And What To Do About It
• The Small Business Owner’s Guide To Using WordPress

Useful Tips For Improving Your Website

In this section we will start with the basics and show you ways to improve your accounting website and get better results. We will look at what web pages you need, what content works best for accounting websites, useful tips for improving your layout and navigation, etc.

If you need website planning assistance, check out the detailed step-by-step guide we have written here: A Cost-Saving Guide To Web Site Planning For Non-Technical Business Owners

Essential Website Pages

All business websites require a number of basic pages. Let’s go over the pages your  should have and how to set up your accounting website for best results.

Your Products And Services

You need to include a page that lists your services or products.

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

• Business accounting – planning, formation, general accounting, payroll, financial statement compilation, bookkeeping, financing, forecasting, budgeting, strategic planning, consulting services, etc.
• Taxation – preparing, planning, reviewing, auditing, advising, problem resolution
• Investment strategies
• Corporate finance
• 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 a business, asset transfers, etc.
• Lending and leasing

Make sure to list all of the services you provide, not just the ones you specialize in. Provide your visitors with information that will educate them about what your services do and direct them to your appointment booking page.

About Us Page

The ‘About Us’ page should give a description of your business and explain to visitors what your business stands for, its unique approach, philanthropical programs, etc.

Remember to mention any awards, accreditations, recognitions, certifications, associations, publications, etc., that can be used to promote your company and set it above your competitors.

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

Staff Page

Are you searching for quicker, easier and cheaper ways to grow your business online? Then make it easier for your prospects to get to know you, your team and your organization better.

Your business needs to be relatable. One great way to do that is to have a page that introduces your employees or team members. This page should include a photo and a mini biography. Since most visitors will not tend to be that well-versed in accounting terms it should tell who they are and what their specialties are. You may also want to explain what those specialties mean. It should also include social buttons so your site visitors can follow selected staff members on their social pages.

On this page, don’t be afraid to show the human side of your people with personal stories, hobbies, etc., but make sure to highlight each staff member’s qualifications, how their skills and knowledge add value to your team, and more importantly, how they will help add value to your clients’ business.

(Add an employee description page. Image source: deepsky.com)

If you need help how to easily create and add a simple team members directory in WordPress using free plugins, see this tutorial: How To Easily Create A Simple Staff Directory For Your WordPress Site

Job Opportunities Page

List any career opportunities available within your organization. It could include type of training provided, benefits, opportunities for advancement, etc. It should include stories of trainees who have risen within your organization and information about career opportunities in the accounting and financial services industry.

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

Testimonials And Case Studies

Case studies and testimonials are a great way to show prospective clients businesses minimize tax, increase profitability, or grow strategically. Adding a web page with client reviews and case studies also helps your accounting or financial services site to provide social proof online.

(Add a page with client reviews and case studies. Screenshot image source: pcg-services.com)

We have created a comprehensive article about using client case studies and reviews get better results online. Go here to learn more: Learn How To Improve Your Conversions With Sales Boosting User Testimonials

Contact Us Page

A contact page is absolutely necessary.

It should include some or all of the following information:

• Name
• Physical location
• Phone
• Facsimile
• Email
• Google Map
• Web address
• Contact form
• Contact name
• Links to social media pages
• Live chat feature

If your business services multiple locations you will want to make that clear when showing your address and contact info.

You can also include links to commonly-asked questions, main pages, special offers, helpdesk, newsletter, blog, etc.

Add An Accounting Blog

A blog is a powerful marketing tool. Most blogging platforms typically include a content management system that allows you to easily promote your business using timely content like news and events, updates, training articles, opinions on current topics, how-to videos, webinars, etc.

If you already have an established website, then consider adding a WordPress-powered blog to promote your organization.

If you don’t have a website yet, or your existing site is very hard to keep updated or not delivering you the results you want, then WordPress can act both as your website and your blog.

Something not many people know about, is that WordPress can become an automated traffic machine that will help begin delivering targeted traffic to your site, simply by publishing new content on a consistent basis to your website.

(An expertly configured WordPress site can automate your traffic generation)

To learn more about this go here: Web Site Traffic Blueprint – A Complete Guide To Getting More Traffic Automatically

Legal Pages

Having a website that complies will all legal requirements online is important, not just for building trust with prospective clients, but also to ensure that you are not breaking any laws and regulations wherever your business services clients.

Adding the legal pages below to your accounting or financial services website will help keep you out of legal hot water with most regulatory authorities, third-party service providers, and other potential sources of legal threats and inconveniences:

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

We have written a comprehensive article on adding legal pages to your site. To learn more, go here: Why You Need To Add Legal Pages To Your WordPress Site

Improving Your Web Content

In today’s ultra competitive online economy, being generous with content that educates and informs readers has become one of the key success differentiators for businesses.

By committing to providing great content with information and tips, you will get your visitors sharing your web pages with others and coming back for more information. Using content is the most effective way to educate site visitors and prospects about your business.

For example, for an accounting or financial services business, topics can cover:

• How balance sheets work
• Understanding profit and loss statements
• Directors’ duties and legal responsibilities
• How to present accounts for fundraising activities
• Business cashflow planning
• Maximizing business insurance cover
• Risk protection
• Structuring a self-managed retirement fund
• Things to look for when … (e.g. purchasing vs leasing, setting up payroll systems, etc.)

You can also create a series of educational articles that will help your prospective clients understand your accounting services, such as forensic accounting, small business accounting, tax planning for small business, reducing debt, financial concepts made simple, etc.

Remember to include the same keywords and terminology in your content that readers would search 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 that will show exactly how to drive more traffic to your site, 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 completely FREE!

Improve Visitor Engagement And User Experience

Improving your website’s user experience (often referred to as UX) will help to keep visitors coming back and using your site. This section will show you different ways to improve your visitor engagement and user experience.

Using RSS Feeds

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds provide many benefits for your business.

If you provide information that adds value to others, other businesses will want to syndicate your content.

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

• All of your content updates are in one place
• your content distribution doesn’t rely on email
• Your feeds can be shared and picked up by other sites online
• RSS feeds allow users to subscribe
• An RSS feed provides a way for external links to point back to your content
• Feeds can be submitted to RSS directories and aggregator services
• There are several ways your readers can receive your content (e.g. users can view your content on their mobile device using different applications)
• It’s built into WordPress

There are also a number of benefits when it comes to providing valuable content on your website from other websites, such as the fact that you don’t have to write, manage or update the content.

To find RSS feeds with useful content for your website, search online for relevant government departments or well-known industry bodies.

For example, here are some exaples of feeds you may want to add to your accounting 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

(Use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds to provide your visitors with a better UX.)

Checklists And Forms

Checklists and forms are a fantastic way to help increase visitor engagement and add value to your readers. They can provide visitors with useful instructions and resources to complete a necessary task. They can also be great planning tools.

You can provide forms and checklists covering a range of subjects such as:

• How To Set Up A Business
• Rental Property Worksheet
• Fundraising Activity Checklist
• Disclosure Checklists
• Sole Trader Tax Checklist
• Capital Gains Tax Checklist
• Income Tax Variation Forms

Unique Tools

Providing useful 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 great tools to add to accounting websites. Other applications could include time cards, or retirement and interest calculators.

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

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This is the end of part one.

Click on this link to view Part 2:

• Tips For Accountants – WordPress Plugins & Themes That Can Help To Improve SEO, Increase User Engagement And Increase Web Traffic Generation

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