Grow Your Accounting Business Online With WordPress

The web economy has not only transformed businesses globally, it has also created a number of difficult challenges and opportunities for accounting and financial services businesses.

Online Challenges For Certified Public Accountants

Accounting businesses must work harder than ever to remain competitive. Not only do you have to participate in the communities and industries you serve, you must also develop and maintain an active presence online. This includes having a website and searching for smarter ways to market your business online.

In addition to spending dollars in offline marketing activities such as advertising on newspapers, ads in industry publications and magazines, radio and tv spots, etc., you will probably find (if you haven’t already) that in order to compete with other web-marketing savvy accounting businesses, you will need to allocate a more significant amount of your budget towards developing and maintaining a website that brings new leads, engages visitors, outranks the competition in search engines and helps you create wider marketing reach online.

This means that your website not only has to look great, your web pages have to load fast, and your website has to be easy to navigate, but even more importantly, your site’s needs will change over time and sections may need to be frequently updated. This requires having a well-developed web and content management strategy.

Another challenge that CPAs (and most other professions) face online, is that they have an average of thirty seconds to give visitors 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 The Accounting Profession In The Web Economy

As well as facing significant challenges, there are also plenty of online opportunities available to businesses in the accounting profession that are willing to adapt to meet the challenges of the digital economy and can think outside the box about marketing themselves better online.

In this detailed guide, you will discover ways to attract and engage more visitors and improve your business online.

As well as providing practical tips and information on cost-effective ways to improve your web presence, we also recommend that you consider using WordPress to power your accounting or financial services business website or blog.

To learn more about the benefits and advantages of using the WordPress content management system, see these articles:

• How A Poorly Constructed Web Site Can Lose You Prospective Buyers
• A Complete Guide To Growing A Small Business Using A WordPress Blog

Useful Tips To Improve Your Accounting Or Financial Services Website

In this section we will show you ways to improve your accounting website and get better results. We will look at what pages an accounting website needs, what content you need, tips for improving your navigation structure, etc.

If you need website planning assistance, check out the detailed step-by-step guide we have written here: The Web Site Planning Process - A Basic Guide For Business Owners

Ways To Improve Your Web Pages

All websites require a number of essential web pages. Let’s review these.

Products And Services Description Page

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

It should include services such as:

• Business – business planning, formation, general accounting, payroll, financial statement compilation, bookkeeping, budgeting, financing, forecasting, strategic planning, consulting, etc.
• Taxation – preparation, planning, reviewing, auditing, advice, 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 a business, 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 direct them to your appointment booking page.

Who We Are

The ‘About Us’ page should give a description of your business and what your business stands for, its unique approach, causes supported, etc.

It’s important to mention any awards, accreditations, certifications, recognitions, publications, associations, etc., that can be used to promote the company and position it above your competitors.

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

Meet Our Team

If you are searching for quicker, simpler and cost-effective ways to sell more products or services online, then one of the things you can do, is help visitors get to know, like and trust you, your team and your business better.

You want potential clients to relate to your business. One great way to do that is to have a page that introduces your people. This page should include a photo and a mini biography. Since most visitors won’t be very well-versed in accounting terms your bio descriptions 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 prospective clients can follow individual staff members on their social pages.

In this page, don’t be afraid to humanize your team members with personal stories, hobbies, etc., but make sure to highlight your team member’s expertise and qualifications, why they are an asset to your team, and more importantly, how they can help add value to your clients’ business.

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

We have created a detailed tutorial on how to add a simple team members directory in your web site with no coding skills required here: Adding A Staff Directory: Step-By-Step Tutorial

Work For Us

List any career opportunities within your firm. This page would include training, employee benefits, opportunities for advancement, social activities sponsored or encouraged by your organization, etc. It should include case studies of graduates who have worked their way up in your company and information such as the job outlook and upcoming 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 updates list, follow you on social media, etc.

Testimonials & Case Studies

Case studies and client reviews are a great way to show prospective clients what type of financial solutions you will implement to help them solve problems. By adding a page with case studies and testimonials from previous clients, you will also help to provide visitors social proof.

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

We have created a detailed article about using testimonials, case studies and client reviews to grow your business online. To learn more about this go here: How To Improve Your Visitor-To-Lead Conversions Using Captivating Testimonials

Contact Page

Having a contact page is essential.

Your contact page should include:

• Name
• Your address
• Telephone number
• Fax
• Email
• Google Map and directions
• Website URL
• Contact form
• Name of person to contact
• Links to social media networks
• Online chat (optional feature)

If your business operates from different areas you want to make this clear when showing your address and contact information.

Consider also including links to an FAQ page, useful pages, special offers, support page, newsletter opt-in form, blog, etc.

Add An Accounting Blog Section

A blog can be a powerful business marketing tool. Most blogging platforms typically comprise of a content management system that allows you to easily promote your business using content like news, product updates, training information, opinions and discussions, how-to videos, infographics, etc.

If you already have an existing site, then consider adding a WordPress blog to promote your services.

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

Something not many businesses know about, is that WordPress can become an automated traffic system that can help deliver new targeted traffic to your web site, simply by publishing new content on a consistent basis to your website.

(WordPress can generate web traffic automatically to your site)

To learn more about this go here: WordPress Website Traffic Blueprint – How To Automatically Drive More Web Visitors For Your Business

Legal Information

It’s vital to make sure they have a compliant website, not just for establishing credibility with prospective clients, but also to ensure that no laws and regulations are being broken wherever your do business in.

Depending on what services you provide, adding some or all of 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 (e.g. Google), and other potential sources of threats and legal inconveniences:

• Contact Us
• Privacy Statement
• Terms And Conditions Of Use
• 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

Go here if you want to learn more adding legal pages to your site: How To Add Legal Pages To Your Site

Improving The Content On Your Site

In today’s globally competitive economy, the willingness to deliver valuable content free of charge has become one of the key business differentiators.

You want to provide great content with useful advice and tips that will get your readers to share your web pages online with others and come back for more information. Publishing content is a great way to educate your visitors and prospects about your business.

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

• How balance sheets work
• Understanding profit and loss statements
• Directors’ duties and legal responsibilities
• Presenting accounts for non-profit activities
• Cashflow planning tips
• Business insurance
• Risk protection
• Structuring your self-managed retirement fund
• Things to look for when … (e.g. purchasing insurance, setting up payroll systems, etc.)

You can also create a series of informative articles that will help your readers gain a better understanding of accounting services, such as finance accounting, small business accounting, business auditing, reducing business debt, financial concepts made simple, etc.

Remember to use specific keywords and terminology in your articles that your readers will be searching for.

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

Ways To Improve Visitor Engagement And User Experience

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

Using RSS Feeds

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds can help to improve visitor engagement and UX in several ways.

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

Some of the benefits of syndicating your content to other businesses using RSS feeds, include:

• All of your updates are in one place
• Doesn’t rely on email
• Can be shared and picked up by other sites online
• Feeds allow users to subscribe
• An RSS feed provides links back to your site
• Your feeds can be submitted to RSS directories and aggregators
• RSS provides a number of ways for readers to receive your content (e.g. read your content on their mobile device using feed readers)
• It’s built into WordPress

There are also a number of benefits when it comes to adding syndicated content to 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 and industry bodies.

Here are some useful RSS feeds you could consider adding to your accounting site:

• 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 user experience.)

Add Downloadable Checklists

Checklists and forms are a great way to increase user engagement and add value to your visitors. They can give them useful step-by-step instructions and resources to get necessary tasks completed. Checklists and forms are great business planning tools.

Checklists and forms could include topics such as:

• How To Set Up A Business
• Negative Gearing Checklist
• Not-For-Profit Governance Checklist
• Disclosure Checklists
• Sole Trader Tax Checklist
• Trust Tax Checklist
• Income Tax Variation Forms

Adding Other Tools

Providing useful online tools, gadgets and applications for businesses (or links to these tools) can help increase visitor engagement and add significant value to potential clients. Calculators, such as loan and tax calculators, are useful tools you can add to accounting websites. Other applications can include time cards, or retirement and interest calculators.

In the next section, we discuss a several WordPress-based tools you can use in your website that can improve your search engine optimization, increase user engagement and generate more visitors to your business.

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This is the end of section 1.

To continue reading, click here:

• How To Build And Grow Your Accounting Online Presence With WordPress – Part 2

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