Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/707157
8 July 2016 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com WEBSITE BUILDERS Reviews Building the Right Website Takes Tools By Mary Girsch-Bock R esearchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology have determined that it takes less than a second for a person to form an initial opinion about a website. Today, you only have one chance to make a good first impression with your website, an impression that will engage visitors and encourage them to remain on your website. In fact, marketing experts have agreed on one thing, every business, even a very small business should have a website; but that it's beer to not have a website at all than to offer visitors a sub-standard experience on your website. What does your website look like? In website design, as in so many other things, less is more. A simply designed website will likely have a higher conversion rate just because no one likes confu- sion and cluer. Spending precious browsing minutes trying to figure out where to click to find information will likely result in that visitor moving on to the next website. Another thing to avoid is slow load times. While patience may be a virtue, even the most patient person will become frustrated waiting for a website to load. Make it easy for users to get into your website, not harder. And once they're in, make it easy for them to navigate through the system. Large navigation tabs and a common sense structure may not seem exciting, but they'll likely ensure that visitors will stay on your website longer than 30 seconds. You'll also want to make sure that you provide an easily accessible list of services that you provide, and a way for those interested to get in touch with you. Online appointment forms and 'request more information' options on your website are a stress free way for users to get in touch with your firm, growing your firm in the process. A client portal is another feature that is vital for accounting firms. e ability to safely and securely exchange documents will make your life and your client's life a lot easier. W hile everyone does not blog, more accounting firms are finding the value in creating a blog for cur- rent and potential clients. While tools such as financial and tax information should be part of any accounting firm's website, blog- ging adds a personal touch to a firm, and offers clients the opportunity to get to know you and your firm a lile beer. I'll ask again: What does your website look like? e web-building products reviewed in this issue are designed specifically for accounting firms, with most offering common tools such as financial reports, news- leer capability, and calculators. ey were grouped into two groups, with six products rated based on very similar feature capabilities. ose products are: • Accounting and Financial Site Builder from Tenenz • Accountants World Website Relief from Accoun- tants World • CCH Site Builder from CCH Wolters Kluwer • CPA Site Solutions • GetNetSet for Accounting Firms • Web Builder CS from ĉomson Reuters We also looked at solutions from CPAsites.com and Build Your Firm, but they were not rated in the same way as the other products. is is because they offer website design and editing options, and various full-service options not available with other traditional website builder solutions. Before deciding on a web-building product, it's important to determine how much time and energy you or your staff has to design a website. Do you want to be 'hands-on,' or do you prefer that someone else do the work? Does your firm constantly update web content, or do the pages remain fairly static? Are you comfortable using a template design or would you prefer to have a custom look to your website? Of course, for many firms, pricing levels need to be considered as well. Most of the vendors offer potential users a free trial to try out the product, explore the templates available and see if the product is a good fit. W hile web-building products are not new, they certainly are not the same product from even five years ago. If it's been a while since you looked at web-building products, you owe it to yourself to take another look. Chances are you'll have that sleek website running a lot sooner than you might imagine. Mary Girsch-Bock Mary Girsch-Bock previously worked as an accountant and is now a writer specializing in business, human resources and tech issues. She can be reached at mary.girschbock@ cpapracticeadvisor.com EASE OF USE TEMPLATES/ CUSTOMIZATION AUTOMATED CONTENT MARKETING/SEO/ CLIENT TOOLS HELP/ SUPPORT OVERALL RATING AccountantsWorld Website Relief CCH SiteBuilder - Wolters Kluwer CPASiteSolutions GetNetSet Tenenz AFSB Thomson Reuters – WebBuilder CS