
There are currently over 1.1 billion websites on the internet, with new websites being built every second—including for business purposes across all industries. According to statistics from Forbes, 71% of businesses have a website.
More businesses have been adopting an online presence, especially in the past five years. This can be largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the lockdowns and shift to online commerce and remote work, companies went online.
Research shows that during the pandemic, consumers move drastically to online channels. As a response, companies and industries also made a rapid shift. Since the pandemic, business statistics report most customer interactions are now digital.
Having an online presence and interacting with customers through online channels is an invaluable tool for a business. If you want to ensure a successful website, hiring professional help that understands the Australian market, like a design agency in Melbourne, is critical.
If you’re an accountant on the fence about launching a website, it’s time to make a decision. A well-designed website can be a great way to market your services, attract new clients, be a platform for communication, and even keep clientele up to date.
Building a brand
Having a website and having online social channels for potential clients to interact with is essential for building a brand. Branding not only helps obtain new customers but also retains existing customers.
To build loyalty and reputation, branding is important. A website can help with enhancing an online brand through personalised content, designs, and content writing.
Marketing services
Creating a website for your accounting business is crucial for effectively marketing your services. Not only does it create a single point for all information and resources for your business’s services, but it also extends your reach.
With a website, your potential clientele and audience are expanded beyond just your local area. It has the potential to reach other towns in your state, and people across the country. For example, your business could be located in Melbourne but be marketed in Cairns.
Statistics from HubSpot report that 63% of consumers prefer to find out about brands, products, and services using their mobile phones. So, if you don’t have a website for your business, you’re missing out on a huge market.
Streamline administration
A well-designed website for an accountant can also help with streamlining administration. This will save time and resources, as well as ensure accuracy. The different ways a website can streamline administration include:
- Automated data entry through integration with accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero.
- A client portal that allows users to directly upload and submit documentation. This can reduce email clutter and centralise records.
- A website can be used to send automated reminders for document submission and follow-ups.
- An accounting website with built-in support and messaging can be an easy way to centralise communication and an efficient way to answer enquiries.
- A well-designed accounting website would also have integrated scheduling tools. This makes it easier for potential clients to book appointments and reduces back-end administration for the accountant.
News posts
A business website can be a great way to regularly update and communicate with your customers through news posts. Regular posts can be a great way to drive organic search engine traffic and boost the visibility of your business.
Data from HubSpot reveals regular posts are a great way to promote your product and services, as well as boost overall web traffic. It was revealed that brands that publish blog posts get 55% more traffic than ones that don’t.
Accounting is already a saturated field, whether you’re working independently or at a big firm. Websites and news posts are some of the few ways an accountant can get ahead and make themselves stand out.
What makes a well-designed site?
Studies have found that up to 57% of people won’t recommend a business if they have a poorly designed mobile website. When it comes to building a website for your business, it needs to look fantastic on all devices.
Data from Adobe also reports that 40% of people will leave a website if its layout or content is unappealing. When it comes to visitor retention and keeping people on your website, it needs to be attractive, and have a professional touch.
Whether you’re hiring a professional or planning to build a website yourself, we’ve listed a few accounting website design practices and tips you should follow.
- Clean and professional layout. An accounting website must always be easy to read, visually accessible, and eye-catching. Users shouldn’t ever have readability problems, and quality of life, like a dark mode, is a plus.
- Easy navigation. Messy navigation and confusing buttons are an easy way to lose a potential customer. Menus should be easy to navigate and drop-down menus should also be clickable and responsive.
- Responsive design. As Google moves to mobile-first search engine optimisation and users are primarily using mobile phones for searching, it is important to have a responsive design. Your website should be able to scale depending on the user’s device and screen size.
- Consistent branding. Brand identity is the foundation for every business, including accounting. It’s important to keep your branding consistent throughout your website and other social channels. This includes colours, logos, and iconography.
- Site speed. A slow website isn’t just frustrating for users, but it can also actively harm your business. Statistics show that 47% of users don’t want to wait more than two seconds for a website to load. Techniques like caching can help improve website loading speeds.
Images: Unsplash
This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Web Oracle