Grow Your Accounting Business Online With WordPress

The online economy has not only transformed the way business is done globally, it has also created growing challenges and opportunities for certified public accountants.

Challenges Certified Public Accountants Face Online

Now, more than ever, CPAs must work harder and find smarter ways to remain competitive, find new business, and retain current clients. Not only do you have to actively participate in the communities and industries you serve, you must also develop and maintain a strong web presence. This includes having an effective website and searching for better ways to promote your business online.

In addition to spending money in offline marketing, businesses in the accounting industry are now also finding that they need to delegate a larger part of their marketing budget to develop and manage a website that will attract prospective clients, engage users, outrank the competition in search engines and help to increase their marketing exposure online.

This means that your site not only has to look professional, your web pages have to be fast-loading, and your site layout has to be easy to navigate, but it’s also important to keep in mind that your site’s needs will change in time and sections may need to be updated often. This requires implementing sound web and content management strategy.

Another difficult challenge that accounting organizations (and all other professions) face online, is that you have only around 30 seconds to provide users what they need or they will go elsewhere to find what they need.

“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 In The Digital Economy

As well as facing a number of significant business and technology changes, there are also loads of online opportunities available to businesses in the accounting sector that can evolve to meet the demands of the online economy and can think outside the box in terms of marketing themselves better online.

In this article, you will learn about ways and opportunities to source more potential clients and establish online credibility for your business.

As well as providing practical tips and information on ways to improve your business online, we also recommend that you consider using the WordPress content management system to power your accounting website or blog.

To learn more about the benefits and advantages of using the WordPress platform, see the articles below:

• Learn How A Poorly Designed Website Can Cost You Customers
• Using WordPress To Grow A Successful Business Online

Practical Tips For Improving Your Website

Let’s start by reviewing some basic information you need. In this section, we’ll look at ways to improve your accounting website and get better results online. We show you what web pages you need, what content works best for accounting and financial services sites, your layout and navigation structure, etc.

If you need assistance or help planning your accounting website, go here: The Web Site Planning Process - A Useful Guide For Business Owners

Your Website Pages

Professional business websites require several basic web pages. Let’s review the pages your  need and how to structure your accounting or financial services website for best results.

Services And Products

You need to include a page that explains your products and services.

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

• Business – business planning, incorporation of companies, general accounting, payroll, preparing financial statements, bookkeeping, budgeting, financing, forecasting, strategic planning, consulting services, 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, asset transfers, etc.
• Lending and leasing

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 why they should book an appointment with you.

About Us Page

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

It should also list any awards, certifications, recognitions, accreditations, publications, associations, etc., that could be used to promote your company and set it above the competition.

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

Staff Page

Are you searching for quicker, simpler and cheaper ideas to grow your business online and increase user interaction with your site? Then help prospective clients get to know your business better.

You want prospects to relate to your business. A great way to do that is to have a page that introduces your staff members. It should include a photo and a brief bio. Since most visitors won’t be well-versed in accounting terms your descriptions should tell who they are and what their specialties are. It should also explain what those specialties mean. It should even include social buttons so your site visitors can follow some of your team members on their social networks.

In this page, make sure to highlight each staff member’s qualifications, why they are an invaluable asset to your team, and more importantly, how they can help add value to your clients’ business.

(Make sure to add a page that introduces your employees to prospective new clients. Screenshot image sourced from: deepsky.com)

If you need help how to easily add an easy-to-manage simple team directory in your site, refer to this tutorial: Plugin Tutorial: Adding A Staff List Directory To Your WordPress Site

Recruitment Page

List any career opportunities within the company. This page would include type of training provided, employee benefits, advancement opportunities, social activities promoted or encouraged by your organization, etc. You should also include information about career opportunities in the accounting and financial services industry.

Also include 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 updates list, follow your social pages, etc.

Testimonials & Case Studies

Case studies and testimonials from past clients are a great way to show potential clients the benefits of doing business with your organization. Adding a page with case studies and client reviews also provides potential clients with social proof online.

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

We have written extensively about using testimonials and reviews improve your business online here: How To Create Better Results Online Using Compelling Testimonials

Contact Page

A contact page is essential.

Your contact page should provide:

• Business Name
• Physical location
• Phone
• Facsimile
• Email address
• Map and directions
• Website URL
• Contact form
• Request for information – contact details
• Social media links
• Live chat (optional feature)

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

You can also include links to an FAQ page, frequently-visited pages, special offers, support page, newsletter opt-in form, blog, etc.

Blog

A blog is a very powerful marketing tool for your business. Most blogging platforms typically include a content management system that allows you to easily promote your business using content such as announcements, product releases, useful articles, opinions and discussions, how-to videos, infographics, etc.

If you already have an accounting or financial services website, then consider adding a WordPress-powered 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 serve both as your website and your blog.

Not many businesses know this, but an expertly configured WordPress site can turn your web presence into an automated traffic-generation machine that can help begin delivering an ongoing stream of new visitors to your web site, simply by adding content on a consistent basis to your website.

(WordPress can drive traffic automatically to your website)

Go here to learn more: Web Site Traffic Blueprint – A Complete Guide To Growing Your Website Visitors Automatically

Legal Information Pages

It’s vital to have a compliant website, not just for establishing trust and credibility with prospective clients, but also to ensure that you are not breaching local, regional and federal laws and regulations in whichever area you provide services to.

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

• Contact Page
• Privacy Policy
• Terms Of Use
• Website Disclaimer
• Affiliate Agreement
• Anti-Spam Policy
• Compensation Disclosure
• DMCA Notice
• Earnings Disclaimer
• External Links Policy
• Financial Disclaimers
• Refund Policy
• Video/Audio Terms
• etc.

We have written a detailed article about adding legal pages to your website here: What You Need To Know About Adding Legal Pages To Your Site

Ways To Improve Your Web Content

In today’s highly competitive digital economy, being generous with content has become one of the key business differentiators.

Providing great content with information and tips will get your readers sharing your content and coming back for more. This is the most effective way to inform and educate your visitors and prospective clients about your business.

For example, topics for an accounting business can cover:

• Explanations of balance sheets
• Overlooked tax deductions
• Directors’ duties and legal responsibilities
• How to present accounts for non-profit activities
• Business cashflow planning advice
• Business insurance
• Protecting revenues
• Structuring a self-managed retirement fund
• Dos 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 your prospective clients gain a better understanding of your services, such as forensic accounting, small business accounting, business budgeting, reducing debt, understanding financial conventions, etc.

Remember to include the same keywords and terminology in your content that prospective clients would search for online.

We recommend subscribing to our Content Marketing Email Training Series. You will receive regular training emails with actionable information that will teach you how to drive more traffic to your web site, save money creating useful content for your site 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 User Experience

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

Using RSS Feeds

RSS feeds can help to improve visitor engagement and user experience in many ways.

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

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

• All of your updates are kept in one place
• your content distribution doesn’t rely on email
• RSS feeds can be shared
• Feeds allow users to subscribe
• An RSS feed provides links to your site
• Feeds can be submitted to RSS directories
• There are several ways your readers can receive your content (e.g. read the content on their mobile device using a feed reader)
• It’s built into WordPress

There are also benefits when it comes to adding syndicated content to your website from other sites, such as the fact that you don’t have to write, manage or update the content.

You can find RSS feeds with useful content for your website by searching online for relevant government departments or respected industry bodies.

Here are some RSS feeds you may want to add 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 feeds to provide your visitors with a better UX.)

Add Online Forms And Checklists

Checklists and forms are a great way to help increase user engagement, add value to your readers and set yourself apart from the competition. They can provide visitors with useful instructions and resources to get necessary tasks done. Forms and checklists are also great business planning tools.

You can provide online or downloadable checklists and forms (or links to these) covering a range of topics such as:

• How To Set Up A Company
• Negative Gearing Worksheet
• Fundraising Governance Checklist
• Disclosure Requirements
• Partnership Tax Checklist
• Capital Gains Tax Checklist
• Income Tax Variation Forms

Provide Unique Tools

Providing unique online tools, gadgets and applications for businesses (or links to these tools) 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 you can add to accounting websites. Other tools could include time cards, or retirement and interest calculators.

In part 2, we will be discussing a number of WordPress plugins and themes you can add to your website that can help to improve your seo, improve user engagement and generate more traffic to your business.

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This is the end of part 1.

To view the rest of this article, click this link:

• Online Business Tips For Accountants – WordPress Plugins That Improve SEO, Improve User Engagement And Increase Traffic Generation

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