Websites For Accountants- Design Rudiments that are Incessantly Overlooked
Website design is likely the most vital ingredient of your firm's online persona. We ordinarily spend tons of time talking about content, and content certainly continues to be "king", but now we're going to change things up a bit. There are a few rudimentary factors of website design that occasionally get pushed aside to make room for content concerns. Designing good websites for accountants takes you a long way past only content concerns. If a website's basic elements are not properly in place the quality of your content just won't matter. Elements like aesthetics and organization are hugely important. Let's take a look at three website fundamentals that need to be implemented into successful accounting websites.
Keep It Simple, Stupid: This is an accounting website, and while stuff like animations have a place don't overdo it! A few dignified animations and rolling images can give your website a polished look, but if you go too far it's going to start looking like a website for children. 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.
The same should hold true for your text and content. If it doesn't need to be on the page, and doesn't add value to your overall point, it doesn't need to be there. Keep the pages neat and easy to read. Avoid clutter. The last thing you want to do is intimidate your visitors or make them feel stupid. Keep your paragraphs short and to the point. Compile information into bulleted and numbered lists for easy assimilation. 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. Your text should be presented in short, digestible blocks. If your website looks like a technical manual very few people are going to read it.
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. Personally I'm a big fan of horizontal drop down menus, but vertical menus with dropdown sub pages are great, too. Horizontal menus are a little harder to use because the width of the browser limits the number of first tier menu items you can have, but people are already accustomed to them and find them easy to use. Start out with your main topics as your top-level navigation. "Sub pages" are organized as drop downs or roll-outs to these major topics. For example you might have a top tier menu item called "Services" and when the visitor rolls over it with his mouse it might have specific services listed like "tax preparation", "compilations", and "Business Planning". If necessary you can even create a 3rd tier of sub links. 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. Your website can even help you cross-sell your services. By keeping everything neatly organized and easy to find you increase the probability of a client finding a service he or she might need, perhaps even something that will help you generate some billable hours off-season.
Don't Play Hard to Get: 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).
Also Consider displaying the phone number at the top of the pages as part of your header. It's also nice to have a Contact page on your site that includes a map with driving directions so that clients and customers can easily find your office.
Designing excellent websites for accountants is a distinctive craft, but in these respects it's very much like designing any website. They need to engross prospects and clients and keep them interested. These fundamental design rules will help guarantee your visitors enjoy their experiences on your website. At the same time it will also expose prospective clients to your brand and position your practice as the specialists to turn to when they find themselves having tax or business planning problems.