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For years, everybody's been telling professional practices that they need a website and that it is as important, if not more so, than a yellow pages listing or having business cards. If you don't have one, your existing clients will think poorly of your technological savvy, and since an accountant relies on technology for virtually every service they provide their clients, this is not a good perception to give them. Plus, how will prospective clients find you? What if they're searching and find your competitors, instead?
Well, for many small practitioners, it may not be quite this dire, even if I have personally joined in on many of the above comments in previous years. But your website is an important marketing tool, and the lack of a firm website can have implications on your practice. Likewise, a poorly designed site or one with old content can reflect negatively on the firm and does not provide your clients and visitors with much benefit. Aside from that, a website can offer you and your clients so many advantages.
The good news — make that the great news — is that getting a website up and running (and editing it now and then) doesn't have to take an extreme amount of effort or much investment. And you really don't have to know anything about how websites work, because there are many website building tools that are made specifically for accounting and tax-focused professional firms. Some of the systems are from vendors who also make tax and accounting software, while others are professional web development companies that have specialized their offerings to meet the needs of tax and accounting professionals. A few of the companies even offer inexpensive full-service options that let professionals keep their hands off of the tasks, but still provide a fully customized website with content for their clients and other online visitors.
Most of the do-it-yourself systems are template-based and provide a simple online tool for selecting key components like the general overall design scheme; naming the sections of your website (like About Us, Services, Links, etc.); adding pictures, logos or other images; and then adding your own copy and company information. They usually include pre-written descriptions of common services (like tax preparation and write-up) that can be easily customized or tailored to match the services of the practice. Some make customization and editing of text very, very easy with Microsoft Word-like tools for formatting, selecting font size, adding pictures or other tasks.
But in addition to telling your clients and other visitors a little about your firm and the services it offers, many advanced systems also provide various financial calculators, tax calendars, tips, tax and retirement planning information, and even periodically updated articles on tax and business issues. Some of the website tools also make it easy for clients to check the status of their tax refunds or have secure client portals that allow the professional and the client to send other documents or other files. These collaboration tools enhance services by speeding up data transfer, especially for client financial files from their bookkeeping system.
A few of these website building systems from vendors who also make online accounting programs also allow the system to act as the login point for clients to access their daily, in-house accounting program, and for the professional accountant or tax preparer to access their programs and document management functions. Countless other options are available, too, from client newsletters that can be sent to recipients using an included e-mail marketing tool, online data backup and storage, refund tracking functions, specialized client support materials, and password protected, client-only access areas.
Your website is an extension of your professional practice, so it's essential that it provides information and service that your clients expect and need, and also those of the clients you wish you had more of. Providing this content keeps your clients thinking about their financial situation and can prompt them to seek your guidance on additional services, like financial planning, retirement and college savings, or establishing trusts.
Investing in an interactive website with genuinely useful client content is not only a good idea, it can be a profitable one, too. A few hundred dollars a year can easily lead to thousands in additional revenue and strengthened client relationships.
author: BY ISAAC M. O'BANNON, TECHNOLOGY EDITOR - CPA Technology Advisor