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Simple Techniques For Using Websites For Accountants To Promote Your Accounting Company
Back in the old days a CPA's lobby was believed to be the most imperative design constituent in a working CPA practice. It was the initial impression most prospective customers got of a firm, and as such they spent absurd sums on fancy furniture and art. Well these days websites for accountants say a lot more about a firm than their lobby. Their CPA site is generally the first impression that visitors get of a new firm, so when they visit a CPA site having a first-rate design is crucial. Having a site that looks out-of-date will imply that your practice is also out-of-date. Ive taken the liberty of compiling some basic ideas to help you honestly appraise your company website. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it will certainly help get you started.
Let the Experts Handle the Design
If you're not design-savvy, don't build your own website. Everyone's first websites suck. Even seasoned professionals will admit their first two or three websites were just plain bad. Your website needs to attract new clients, not drive them away. The website needs to look and feel like a professional site, and unless you're an experienced website designer I can guarantee that any site that you build yourself is going to be kinda lame at best. Yes. It's going to cost more. But you get what you pay for. If your site looks unprofessional, you look unprofessional. It's really that simple.
Even Professional Sites Get Old
Not long ago Flash animation was all the rage in website design. Not so much anymore. There are still uses for this kind of website. They're still popular and effective for game, movie, and music sites. But every 2-3 years website designs become outdated. Technology changes, but as "simple" sites are coming back into fashion that's not really a big deal at the moment. What really changes are design trends like site layouts and color themes. A few short years ago the most popular color scheme for websites was what we called "microsoft blue". Now, for obvious reasons, blue has become something of a website design cliche and "fall" colors (browns, golds, and oranges) are exceedingly popular (with reds and burgundies looking like the up-and-coming trend). You want a website that's easy to navigate so that the user can quickly find what they're looking for. There's no excuse for having old school static menus and hub pages any more. Use "drop down" (or "fly out") navigation instead.
If you can create a home page that isn't text-heavy, and that maybe incorporates some imagery to break up the text, this will be an attractive feature to your visitors. Modern users are very demanding. They won't give you more than a few seconds to convince them to stay on your page. Don't overwhelm clients or potential clients with all of the details of your company on your home page. Just offer them a quick summary and make the links they need easy to find. This not only gives visitors options, it also keeps your home page simple and clean.
A Matter of Personality
Let's start by looking at your images. Most of us fill our sites with stock images, but actual photos of your staff and firm are better able to speak to your clients and prospects. Of course, you'll want to put some though into this. Include an "About Us" page with staff pictures. Y'all don't need to be pretty, the idea is to make the prospect more comfortable by giving him some idea who's picking up the phone. It's about building a sense of trust.
Feel Free to Splash
A popular trend in websites today is to use a "splash page" an introduction to your website. Mind you music is still out, at least on accounting sites. But interactive animations, rotating images, and even some sound effects are still very popular on splash pages. But a splash page doesn't need to have rotating images. The main difference between a splash page and the other pages of your site is that the splash page tends to have a slightly different layout/look/feel to it than the other pages of your site. Splash pages are placed in the index position making it the first page you see when you type in the domain. The function of the page is not to provide information, but to quickly and easily help you find the information you're looking for. It does tend to be a bit more showy than the other pages of your site, so having a splash page can be a good way to show clients or prospective clients that your company is modern.
Choosing Your Colors
There are a lot of theories behind what different colors imply. Some people say that red suggest anger, while blues and greens suggest calmness. Personally I don't worry too much about color. Every monitor displays color differently, so rather than worrying about exactly what shade of green to use, I try to find a color that represents your company. Especially if you've already branded your company with a logo and other printed materials, you'll want to make sure that this transitions over to your website as well. A red logo probably won't look very good on a green website. Some CPAs are willing to change their firms logo to match a website they particularly care for, but think thoroughly before compromising your branding. Just because you have an internet presence it doesn't mean you should range far afield from your existing company branding.
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