From the Nevada CPA:

Your Web Site: More Important Than You Think?

You have never had a problem with doing a client’s taxes correctly. You have taken every CPE course available. Your reputation is great and you are respected in the accounting community. So why is business so slow? If you are doing everything right and clients aren’t pounding down your door, it may be because of one simple fact: prospective clients don’t know about you, your accomplishments, and how your services can save them time and money. An effective Web site could change that.

Getting a Web site is fairly easy. You get a domain (e.g., www.yourname.com), secure some server space to house the site, and create the pages. It is the final step, creating pages, that can make or break your Web site. The pages should reflect your style, provide complete information about you and your services, and act as a contact point for potential clients. A well-designed set of pages can easily stand out in a client’s mind as he or she does research on CPAs. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, almost 60 percent of Internet users are specifically looking for information. Factor in the 2 million new Internet users every month, including people in your community, and you can easily realize that a Web site presents an amazing marketing opportunity. Simply by having a Web site, you let people searching for a CPA find you.

Even if you already have a Web site, take another look at it. Try to consider the perspective of a potential customer. Does your site say specifically what it is that you do? You know what services an accountant performs, but your prospective customer may not. Is your site current? Is the contact information (phone, address, e-mail) accurate? When was the last time the site was updated, either in content or style? If a Web site seems out-of-date or abandoned, customers may see it as an example of your lack of follow through. Ready to get a Web site? Or update your current site? Here are a few things to remember:

• If possible, avoid “site building” or WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) software. It is possible to create a nice looking Web site, but the software often uses improper coding techniques that prevent it from working properly correctly in every browser. The software may also extra code that can actually slow down your site and prevent it from being easily updated by professionals. So, as the Web evolves, your site will not.
• To find a Web designer, look at Web sites that you like. Is there a design credit or link? If not, contact the site’s Webmaster and ask. Ask your friends and co-workers if they know of any local designers. When you find a candidate, talk with the designer about your goals and listen to her or his solutions. To make sure that you and the designer have similar ideas about the look of the site, have a few examples of sites that you like the look of so the designer can better understand your vision. Finally, the NSCPA has teamed up with Financial Strategies Online to offer certain Web services, including Web design.
• When selecting a designer, look at the designer’s portfolio using a dial-up connection (and, if possible, a variety of browsers). If the sites take more than a few minutes each to load, talk to the designer about it. Many customers may not have broadband connections—are you willing to alienate them for the sake of a large decorative graphic or an unnecessary Web plug-in? Also, if many of the sites seem similar in style, your site may end up looking like them. Additionally, the designer’s company site should be a reflection of their talent, ability, and design philosophy since they have complete control over the site.
• Discuss the software that the designer will use to design your site and find out how updates to the page will be made. Will you have to purchase the same software the designer is using? Generally speaking, the answer should be no. Who will get the rights to the site style and content? Generally speaking, it should be you.
• Talk with the designer about using cascading style sheets. These are documents that control the look of elements on a Web page. Essentially, one set of directions in one document controls what all the pages look like. Want a change in how all the pages look? Simply make the change to that style sheet page and the look of every page is changed. Previously, style changes had to be made individually, on every page. A downside of cascading style sheet is that not all old browsers equally support them.
• Talk to the designer about accessibility for viewers with disabilities. The least a designer must do is make sure that every image has an “alt” tag that informs the browser what the image is (if your designer doesn’t know what an “alt” tag is, shop elsewhere). That is only the first step (but a big one) on a long trail to making a site accessible to everyone. If your business does any accounting work with the government, it is very important that you understand the legal responsibility of accessibility.
• Finally, make sure that your contract with the designer clearly indicates what you will get and when. Are you responsible for getting the domain (e.g., www.yourcompany.com)? Do you have to provide Web space on a server? How long after you provide the text will the site be ready? What will the price be for future changes or site maintenance? A contract will protect both you and the designer from conflict down the road.

With an effective Web site, accurate and up-to-date information about your accounting work, your impressive educational background, and your outstanding professional reputation will be available to anyone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What more could an interested client want?

Ben Hubble was the Publications and Online Designer for the Washington Society of CPAs for two years. He currently has his own Web design firm, El Visible Design, at www.elvisible.com.

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