Why DIY Websites For Accountants Don’t Actually Lure Prospects
There are loads of good reasons for your business to retain a web presence, but typically websites for accountants are meant to bring in new clients. First impressions are imperative when it comes to keeping a prospect, and your website design can have an immense affect on how these potential clients regard your business.
Books Get Judged by the Cover
If a prospective client pulled up to your office and saw that there was litter strewn all over the ground by the front door, the office windows were cracked, and there was graffiti all over the building, chances are they’d keep on driving by. Well, think of your website’s home page as the front door to your office. If the client likes what they see, they’ll stay. If they don’t think the site looks professional then they’ll probably leave, assuming that the company’s standards aren’t very professional either. This page is an absolutely vital element of your website. If you don’t have the time (or money) to do anything else at least make sure you have a good, professional looking home page. If you don’t make your welcome page suitably welcoming all the prospect needs to do is hit the back button and one of your competitors is going to benefit from your website instead of you!
Keeping Pace With New Technologies
Keeping in line with that “first impression” idea, think about what you’re saying (without actually saying it) to visitors of your site when they see a design that looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1998. Trends in colors, fonts and layouts are constantly changing, and a designs get outdated every 2-4 years. You don’t want your clients to think you’re using outdated information to prepare their taxes, do you? Accountants with of date websites might very well be better off without a website at all. This will imply to your prospects that you’re company isn’t keeping up with the times, and the latest industry trends. Make sure your site reflects the fact that your company isn’t stuck in the last decade.
Good Content
There’s more to a good website design than colors and layouts. When designing websites for accountants good navigation is critical. People will quickly become frustrated if they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Prospects want answers to their questions, and they don’t want to have to spend a lot of time searching for them. Make sure that you’ve designed your site so that your navigation and material are user-friendly. Navigation trends are constantly changing, so lean on a designer to help you create a user friendly “nav bar”.
Your Time is Valuable
A modern web professional needs a variety of coding skills to design websites for accountants. Besides HTML a designer needs to be able to code Java script, PHP, ASP, and any of a number of other languages. It would take a long time to learn all that there is to know about design techniques, and they’re ever-changing on the world wide web. Using a professional website designer will ensure that you’re getting a site that looks great and has a modern feel to it without having to earn a masters degree in web design.
OK, don’t misunderstand me. You can likely still build a website, but it will be a bleak apparition of a serious design. Don’t let yourself look cheap or obsolete. Get a website, or website template, that was designed by an actual expert.
