Websites For Accountants Continually Overlook Design Basics

Website design matters. Where your internet marketability is concerned your site is your single most important asset. We frequently spend lots of time discussing content, and content indeed remains "king", but now let's change our focus. There are some fundamental components of website design that occasionally get unattended to make room for content issues. If websites for accountants are deficiently designed visitors may not actually see all their terrific content. Let's consider a few basic tips about basic designing CPA websites that we rarely talk about including aesthetics and organization.

Less Is More: Pictures and animations have their place, but you don't want to use them just for the sake of using them. If images tell a relevant story, or if they show your connection to the local community or illustrate your relationship to accounting or taxation then you may want to consider putting a few static images or a slowly rotating slide show on your home page. Any way that you can connect with your viewers and potential clients is a plus.

This "less is more" sensibility is pretty much a universal rule in design. The same rules apply to your copy. Here's a good rule of thumb: If it doesn't actually HAVE to be there, it probably doesn't belong on the page. Keep the pages neat and easy to read. Avoid clutter. It will overwhelm visitors to your site and will be a turn-off, potentially causing them to click away. Put your major key points (even use bullet points) on your page, and then create hyper-links if you want the user to be able to read more. Avoid the temptation to put too much information on your home page. All you need is a short introduction that distinguishes you from other accounting firms in the area. Nobody wants to read a web page that looks like a college text book, and the attention span of a website reader is even shorter than the attention span of someone reading a newspaper or magazine.

A Place for Everything and Everything in it's Place: If you ask people to search around for what they need you won't keep them long. If after two clicks a visitor doesn't feel they're on the right track most of them will just leave. Using drop-down menus is a great way to organize a lot of information in a not-so-overwhelming manner. Start out with your main topics as your top-level navigation. From there you can create your sub-links, specific pages that are logical extensions of the top tier item. You can even create a third tier if necessary. Three tiers is about the limit. If you make visitors drive down any further they'll likely get lost and frustrated with your navigation menu.

The name of the game is to keep clients on your site. Keeping the site easy to navigate is essential to this end. By making it easy to check out all the services you offer you'll find that well organized websites for accountants can actually increase your billable hours by cross selling your services.

Contact Information: Don't make it difficult for a prospective client or customer to get in touch with you once they decide they need an accounting firm. Have your contact information on the footer of every page of your site (at least phone number and/or email address).

Designing superior websites for accountants is a special craft, but in these three respects it's precisely like designing any website. They must engross visitors and hold their interest. By following these rules you'll ensure your website patrons have a pleasant online experience!

Brian O'Connell is the President and founder of CPA Site Solutions, one of the United States' leading edge website businesses oriented entirely to superior websites for accountants.