Most accounting firm websites were built to prove the firm exists. That was enough when nearly every new client came through a referral. Today, even referred clients check your website before they call, and a growing share of new clients find you through search.
Here’s what your website needs to do that job well. If you’re missing more than a couple of these, your site is probably costing you clients.
Work through the list with your current site open on your phone, and be as honest as a prospect would be.
1. A home page that says who you’re for
A visitor should know within five seconds whether you’re the right firm for them. Say who you help, like small businesses, medical professionals, tradies or families, and what changes for them when they work with you.
“Tailored accounting solutions” doesn’t pass that test. “Tax and advisory for medical professionals, from your first practice to your last” does.
Under that headline, add one line that backs it up, such as how long you’ve been in practice or the kinds of clients you work with, and a button that books a first meeting. Everything else on the home page should help a visitor decide whether to press that button.
2. A page for every service
Tax returns, business advisory, bookkeeping, SMSF and payroll each deserve their own page. People search for one service at a time, and Google can’t rank a single page for all of them at once.
Each service page should answer four questions: what it is, who it’s for, what’s included and how to start.
It’s worth going one step further and answering the questions clients ask you on the phone. A bookkeeping page might explain how often you reconcile, which software you work in and what the client needs to send you each month. An SMSF page might cover set-up, annual compliance and the audit. Written this way, each page does some of your first meeting for you, and the people who get in touch already understand what you offer.
If you specialise in an industry, give that its own page too. A page written for dentists or builders will always feel more relevant to them than a general page that mentions them in passing. For a wider view of which pages a service business needs, see the seven pages every service business needs.
3. Pages that match how people search nearby
Many people search for an accountant with a place in mind, like “accountant Parramatta” or “bookkeeper near me”. Make it easy for Google to connect your firm with the suburbs you actually serve.
Put your suburb and city in your page titles and on your contact page, and make sure your address and phone number match your Google Business Profile exactly. If you have more than one office, give each its own page with the address, a map, parking notes and the people who work there.
Resist the temptation to publish thin pages for every suburb within twenty kilometres. Pages that only swap the suburb name add little for visitors and can do more harm than good. One genuinely useful page per office is the better approach.
4. Real people, with real photos
Accounting is bought person to person. Show the partners and the team with real photos, their qualifications and what they specialise in. Stock photos of handshakes make you look like every other firm.
A short paragraph in each person’s own voice helps too. Prospects want a sense of who will answer their emails and sit across the table at tax time, and a team page is often the second page they read.
5. Clear information on fees
You don’t need to publish a full price list, but explain how you charge, whether that’s fixed fees, packages or hourly, and what a typical engagement looks like. Firms that explain their fees get enquiries from better-fit clients.
A simple approach is to give a starting price for your most common services, like an individual return or monthly bookkeeping for a sole trader, and explain what moves the price up. Say what’s included and what’s quoted separately, so there are no surprises in the first invoice. If you offer packages, lay them out side by side so a visitor can see which one fits.
6. Software badges that mean something
Clients increasingly choose an accountant partly on the software they use. If you’re a certified Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks partner, show the badge and explain in a sentence what that means for the client, such as help with set-up, migration or training.
Only display badges and partner levels you currently hold, and follow each provider’s rules for how their logos are used. A tidy row of logos you’re entitled to use builds trust, while an out-of-date one does the opposite.
7. The trust signals your profession expects
Keep every claim factual and avoid anything that implies a guaranteed tax outcome. If you’re a registered tax or BAS agent, show your registration where your professional body or regulator requires it, and list your memberships, such as CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants ANZ or the IPA, where you’re entitled to.
Publish a clear privacy policy and explain how clients share documents with you securely. Never ask for tax file numbers or bank details through a general contact form. Point people to your portal instead, and say so on the form.
If you’d like to use client testimonials, check your professional body’s guidance first, and only publish genuine ones with the client’s permission.
8. Deadlines, updates and plain-English guides
A regular article on tax deadlines, rule changes or common questions does two jobs. It shows prospects you know your stuff, and it’s the content that brings in search traffic month after month. One useful piece a month is plenty.
Write about the questions you hear most often, in the words clients use. An article that clearly explains what a sole trader can claim for a home office will be read, shared and found long after a generic end-of-year newsletter is forgotten.
9. One obvious way to book a call
Put a single, clear call to action on every page, like “Book a first meeting”, with a short form or a calendar link. Say how quickly you reply. Hiding your contact details on one page at the bottom of a menu loses enquiries.
Keep the form short. Name, email, phone, the service they’re interested in and a message box are usually enough to start a conversation. If you offer a free introductory call, say how long it is and what you’ll cover, and let people choose a time themselves. On a phone, your number should be one tap away.
10. Links to the tools clients already use
Link your client portal, whether that’s Xero, Karbon, FuseSign or something else, from the header, so existing clients can find it without calling you. A small “Client login” link keeps your existing clients happy and keeps your front desk free for new ones.
11. Speed, phones and search basics
Most people will first see your site on a phone. It should load in about a second, work properly on a small screen, and have the search basics in place: page titles, descriptions, a sitemap and, if you’re replacing an old site, redirects from every old address.
Slow sites usually come down to oversized images, heavy themes and too many plugins. If you’re not sure how your site performs, run it through Google’s free PageSpeed Insights and look at the mobile score first.
How does your site measure up?
Give yourself a point for each item you can tick with confidence. If you scored eight or more, your site is in good shape and small improvements will do. If you scored fewer than six, it’s probably time for a new one.
We build websites for accountants and bookkeepers with all eleven of these in place, written for you and live in seven days. We’ve built for Valere Advisory, an accounting firm, and for Vinyl and RadiusCore, two software companies that serve accountants, so we know how your clients think and search. You can see that work on our work page, and every package is priced in full on our pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How many pages does an accounting firm website need?
Most small and mid-sized firms need between five and twelve pages: a home page, an about or team page, one page per core service, a fees page, a contact page and a place for articles. Firms with several offices or industry specialties usually need more.
Should an accounting firm publish its fees online?
You don’t have to publish every price, but explaining how you charge and giving starting prices for common services helps. It filters out poor-fit enquiries and gives good-fit clients the confidence to get in touch.
Can I show Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks logos on my website?
Yes, if you hold the relevant partner or certification status. Follow each provider’s logo guidelines, keep the badges current, and explain briefly what your status means for the client.
How long does it take to build a new accounting firm website?
With us, a build starts on a Monday and your site is live for review the following Monday. You fill in an online brief that takes about 15 minutes, approve the copy on Day 3, and get two rounds of revisions before handover.
