We’ve already taken a look at what makes a top-notch website for an accounting practice. Now let’s get specific by putting the website for our client, Accounted4, under the microscope. Here at Rocketspark, we were recently tasked with giving Accounted4’s site a makeover. In this post, we’re going to go through the various key features we highlighted in our websites for accountants page and show you how we incorporated those features into Accounted4’s new site.
Feature 1: “A beautifully simple website”
An accounting practice needs a website that’s attractive but clean. So the first order of business was to tidy up the spiel that enjoyed pride of place on Accounted4’s old site. Why? Too long. There’s no time to delay—your homepage needs to get the essential information across in as short a time as possible.
The prime real estate of a homepage is the left-hand side. Eye-tracking studies have shown that users spend over two-thirds of their time looking at left side of the page. So we made sure that the key message and call to action were positioned on the left.
Apart from putting the most important stuff on the left, the core information should appear “above the fold” (i.e., the upper part of the page that appears on screen without having to scroll down). So we efficiently packed in the most vital content above the fold without making it feel cramped. It doesn’t all have to go right at the top though; Accounted4 has plenty of information below the fold too. That’s because most people are quite happy to scroll. In fact, users—even computer-averse ones—are more likely to scroll than click links.
There’s plenty more to say here, but we’ll just highlight one: the sticky menu. We’ve used it on the “About Us” page. Scroll down and the menu follows you, “sticking” to the top of the screen. That makes for easy navigation from any part of the page.
Feature 2: “Keep your website up-to-date yourself with drag-and-drop simplicity”
Websites have to be current; there are few things more frustrating for users than a site that’s out-of-date. Accounted4 keep their information relevant and recent by using Rocketspark’s content management tools, which make updates easy, intuitive and fast. Simple updating was one of the key ingredients Accounted4 was looking for in their new site, as business manager, Christine Stevenson, points out: “We wanted a website that was original, vibrant, easy to navigate and to update ourselves…and that is exactly what we got!”
Feature 3: “Look your best on all devices”
These days, over half of Kiwis use their smartphones to access the internet, so it’s not enough to look good only on a computer. Accounted4’s site is mobile optimised, so it looks tiptop no matter what device it’s viewed on. It’s streamlined to look and work great on other devices without sacrificing content.
Feature 4: “Make it real—showcase the team and tell your story”
Even a really attractive site can still leave some users reluctant to call you. They might be impressed, but still nervy about making contact. Nothing helps eliminate those barriers like coming across as human. And nothing helps you come across as human than, well, pictures of humans! (Smiling faces increase conversions—it’s a scientific fact.) That’s why we featured a picture of Christine on the homepage. Now site visitors know exactly who’s going to pick up when they make the call.
It really helps to know what makes your practice’s strengths are and play to them. What makes your practice special? For Accounted4, it’s their history and collective experience, so we featured it: “Over 170 years of collective experience between our 9 chartered accountants...Accounting in Cambridge for over 55 years.” And just beneath it there’s a clear link to customer stories that testify to that strength.
Feature 5: “Give away a little of your expertise to show you have it”
Blogging is a great tool for attracting new customers. Sharing a few tips and pointers can draw fact-hunters to your site who, with a little luck, might just become your new clients. We added a link to Accounted4’s blog to the top-right corner to every page, meaning that the blog is only ever a click away. The blog is fully integrated with the rest of the site, so moving between the two is seamless.
Feature 6: “Make it easy to contact you…”
Okay, you’ve wow-ed users with your good-looking site. Now what? You want them to make contact. We’ve made it as easy as possible for Accounted4’s potential clients to get in touch with them by including their contact information at the bottom of every page. It pays to have some kind of call-to-action at the bottom of every page of your website. That way, users stay engaged and always know where to go next.
Feature 7: “...and easy to keep in touch”
On the contact us page we’ve added a form to sign up to Accounted4’s email newsletter. When someone completes the form their data is automatically added into Accounted4’s email database.
And see that line-up of buttons at the bottom of each blog post? That’s where the social media integration happens, making staying in contact with clients that much simpler. It also makes it easy for users to share blog entries with friends through social media, which means they’re effectively creating a forum for online word-of-mouth to happen.
There you have it! Accounted4 have an appealing, contemporary and easy-to-use website—ideal for a modern-day accounting practice. If you’re an accounting firm looking for a site makeover, get in touch with us. We’ll create a site for you that’s just as usable as Accounted4 but tailor-made for your practice.
