Accountants looking over templates for their practice’s CPA websites can sometimes become overwhelmed. Second-rate providers will highlight what they believe will grab your eye rather than the services your accountancy most needs. There are any number of reasons you’ll hear.

First of all, slap-’em-up sites are easier to produce. Long term marketing warrants a bunch of special add-ons and features which add to design hours.

Would-be marketers new to website development also buy into the fantasy of visitor conversions.  Realistically, conversions are just the start. Some infinitesimal part of your brand new traffic are going to be seeking the services of a business like yours. Almost always web users come in need of information. If folks can’t see those resources on your web site, they will click away – regardless how pretty your website or well-written your copy appears.

There are a lot of reasons not to push too hard for a first visit sale. People seeking out your webpage for an accountant are already likely to buy.  Coming across as pushy can turn them off.

Unfortunately the reality is that not many of your visitors are going to be immediate buyers. Maybe our visitor already has an accountant he or she likes. Maybe he or she is still able to use the short tax forms. This doesn’t mean they’re not a good prospect!

Most client/CPA relationships last about six years. That means statistically speaking just about everyone visiting your site is a long term prospect. Maybe their accountant is at the end of his or her practice. Maybe the accountant will get married and move, or take a job with a large firm. You can’t know what will happen down the road.

Someone without much money now may need your help next year. Income changes. People get married. They start businesses and buy property. I’ll never forget the panic I felt the first time I laid eyes on a 1040 long form and knew I needed to fill it out. Suddenly hiring an accountant became very compelling!

In addition to quality of information, think quantity.  You want to have so much great content that the visitor finds many reasons to return. Envision the difference.  Your competitors are offering just a service description and a contact sheet. What you offer is a caring compilation of valuable resources. Every time clients visit, they connect with your brand. Long term marketing isn’t about making a sale, it’s about positioning yourself as the natural solution to turn to when the prospect is ready to buy.

At some point, who doesn’t need an accountant?  If the person has already been counting on you for months or years, you are likely to get their business without even “selling” them on it. They’ll have already sold themselves thanks to your pre-existing relationship.

So when you’re looking at templates for CPA websites, how do you pick the ones built for long term marketing?  It’s fairly simple really. Look for content.

Valuable soft-sell tools like financial guides and free reports will keep visitors returning to your site again and again. They also offer a great side benefit in that they can help you cross-sell your off season services to your existing clients. Expert materials strategically showcase your skills and ability to save your clients money. Make sure visitors can access them easily. They should be divided up by topic and searchable by keyword.

Encourage return visitors with other great features.  How about interactive financial calculators?  Tax due date pages?  Downloadable tax forms and publications?  Make sure to offer a newsletter.

Impatient website marketers may counsel you to make people jump through hoops for this content. DON’T TRUST THAT ADVICE! They’ll recommend you use info to “trap” email addresses for future marketing.  The minute you start demanding contact information you’ll turn away your highest prospects. Anything they don’t get from you, they understand they can find from via your competition.

So, in looking at templates for high quality CPA websites, keep long-frame planning in mind. In addition to standard features comprised of services pages, a map to your office and contact mechanisms, your web site should tie in the long range approach explained above.  You will see that sustainable website marketing can not only win you more conversions over time, it can also attract better clients.

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