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Websites for CPAs:
8 Things To Ask Before Buying A CPA Site
There are a ton of companies offering websites for CPAs. Before you commit to one, run through this checklist to make sure you’re not just getting a new website, but that you’re also getting one that will attract and convert new clients each month.
Why spend thousands of dollars on a site that no-one will ever see?
Too many CPAs firms invest money into a new site and nothing ever comes from it. Your website is your firm’s unique brand image online. But more than that, it should be generating a monthly flow of high quality leads and its own ROI. That’s what we aim for with our CPA clients.
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Here’s 8 questions to ask providers of websites for CPAs
- Do you have experience building CPA firm websites?
- Can you get my site to rank and generate leads?
- Do you use templates or custom designs?
- Who writes the content and is it original?
- Will my site be mobile friendly?
- Who owns my website?
- Can I add a secure client portal?
- What about ongoing maintenance?
Examples of a few websites for CPAs that we’ve built.
1. Do you have industry experience building websites for CPAs?
Most website companies simply don’t understand the unique needs of CPA firms. They lack a deeper knowledge of what goes into your service offering, the language used and who your target audience really is. When that happens, there’s two possible outcomes.
- All the heavy lifting, like writing all the content, falls on you, or,
- You end up with a very generic, bland website.
Your website should reflect your professionalism and be tailored to the accounting industry. It’s no good just saying that you do bookkeeping services, for example. Your CPA website provider should know what goes into bookkeeping services, the different types of services (like cleanups vs ongoing bookkeeping and reporting), and how that practically benefits your clients.
Look for a company that specializes in websites for accountants, like MITCO Digital, and has experience working with firms like yours. These companies will be familiar with the features that matter most, such as secure document sharing portals, tax calculators, and writing the content.
2. Can you get my CPA site to rank and generate new clients?
The best CPA firm websites all have one thing in common – great SEO. Your provider can make your site look as beautiful as an autumn sunset but if no-one ever sees it, what’s the point?
And if you’re working with a company that expects you to write all the content, you can be sure that the SEO is going to be sub-par, unless you took some part-time SEO courses while studying for your CPA exam.
At MITCO Digital, SEO and competitor research is a key component of the development phase of building your website. Because we work exclusively with accounting firms we know the keywords and how to get your new CPA website to rank on search engines.
We make sure that your new site has a powerful SEO backbone built into its DNA. We also provide ongoing monthly SEO and content services to ensure that your website continues to grow in authority and rankings for a wider range of search terms.
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3. Do you build a custom website for CPAs or use a template?
When it comes to building your CPA firm’s website, you’ll often be presented with two options: custom websites or templates.
A template will provide you with an easy, cost effective CPA site solution but most of the time, those sites don’t rank well. If you’ve ever bought one of these just take a look at your organic performance using tools like Google Analytics or Google Search Console.
Is your website generating you any leads?
A custom design allows for a unique brand identity that differentiates your firm from competitors. There’s also a lot more work put into the search engine optimization and content writing which improves your chances of ranking well and generating leads via your CPA site.
A custom website also allows you to incorporate features specific to your business, like niche service offerings (for example, outsourced CFO services, tax relief services, etc) or targeting niche industries such as real estate accounting.
At MITCO Digital we offer template solutions as well as highly customizable websites for CPAs, depending on your budget and/or needs.
4. Who writes the content for my CPA website? Is it original?
We mentioned this up top, but it’s worth repeating. You do not want to hire an agency to build your CPA website and then discover that you’re expected to write all the content for the site, from your home page, to individual service pages, about us, contact etc.
Or that they lack the technical or creative ability to write in a way that speaks to your audience.
Too many CPA website headings are some variation of ‘let us handle the books so you can focus on your business.’ This generic language, that doesn’t get to the core pains or goals of your client, won’t set you apart or help drive conversions.
Writing the content for a CPA site requires a lot of time, understanding and strategy. Leave it to experts like MITCO Digital to handle that for you.
Choosing the right keywords is also an important aspect of content writing. There’s the obvious keywords which everyone is competing on, like ‘accountant near me’ or ‘tax resolution services’, etc, but then there are those less obvious terms that we’ve come across over the years and use for our clients to generate easy wins.
Search engines like Google place a lot of value on the originality of your content. When you work with a CPA site solution provider that offers generic, template websites, or you buy stock content from online libraries, your content is not original and you’ll struggle to rank on Google.
5. Will my CPA website be optimized for mobile and load quickly?
Many clients and prospects will visit your CPA website from a mobile device, and if your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you risk losing potential business. Slow-loading websites can turn visitors away and negatively impact your search engine ranking.
Any reputable company offering websites for CPAs should have expertise in creating responsive, fast-loading sites that offer a seamless user experience across all devices.
At MITCO Digital we ensure that your new website is built for mobile so you don’t face these issues down the road. We also optimize for speed, both in how the site is built and designed, as well as on the hosting platform you choose, using content delivery networks (CDNs), and by using speed optimization plugins if required.
6. Do I own my website?
We can’t tell you the number of new clients that we’ve onboarded who didn’t realize that they didn’t own or have control over their website.
Many of these CPA site solutions give you a great starting template, but those websites are owned and hosted by the website provider.
We’ve seen CPA firms run into issues such as:
- they weren’t able to move hosts
- they lost their domain
- they didn’t have the rights to the content on their own website
- or their previous website company wanted to charge a premium to help them move their site to a new provider.
You need to ensure upfront that you have ownership of your site and its content, and in the event of the relationship ending, you’re able to easily transfer the website to a new host, or do whatever you want with the site – it is your website after all.
At MITCO Digital, we don’t own your website or your hosting. We help you get set up with a reputable hosting provider, like Kinsta.com or GoDaddy. We build your CPA website in a WordPress account that you own and control. At any stage you can access your own website or hosting plan and make any changes you require
7. Can I add a secure client portal to my website?
8. Is there ongoing support and maintenance?
A website is never “done.” It requires regular updates to stay secure, relevant, and optimized. When choosing a CPA website development company, ask about their ongoing support and maintenance plans. Can you easily update content yourself, or will you rely on their team for changes? Is there a support team you can contact if something goes wrong?
At MITCO Digital we give you two options:
- We can build the website as a once-off project and then hand it over to you to manage and update. This comes with a one time fee.
- We can build the new website for free as part of our monthly plans.
Why choose us for your CPA website?
At MITCO Digital, we specialize in designing high-performing websites for CPAs. We work exclusively with accounting firms and understand the unique challenges that you face. We’ll work with you to create a website that reflects your firm’s professionalism and expertise, but also one that generates you a reliable stream of organic leads.
Ready to take your online presence to the next level?
Contact us today to learn how we can build a website that attracts and converts clients for your firm.
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