I recently participated in a discussion on AccountingWeb where I questioned the value of including detailed technical and tax resources on accountants’ websites.  My long-held view is that such resources are a waste of money.  If I were a client, I would want to pick up the phone and get the answers I need.  I would not expect to find them for myself, “on the website”.

However, since there are many providers of technical content and many accountants including their services on their sites, I wondered if I was alone in my view – so I created an online survey and asked for responses.

With only limited public awareness of the existence of the survey, I am pleased to have received 32 responses.  I promised to publish the results and here they are (pdf format).

I believe that the results support my view including technical content on an accountancy firm’s website is not good use of the marketing budget.  Some 24% of firms had no idea if clients or prospects ever used it and less than half (47%) thought that the cost of technical content represented value for money.

Looking at all respondents, including those who did not include technical content, only 16% of firms reported receiving more than “one or two” enquiries per month from their website.  This, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority (85%) had refreshed the look and feel of their site recently (less than three years ago).

So, I stick to my view.  Accountants need a professional web presence but only something that a prospect can use to “kick the tyres” before making contact to initiate a discussion.  Existing clients will likely never visit the site, because they have no need to – and if you think tools, guides and calculators on your site will make them come you are deluding yourself.

Accountants, think for a minute – you are a supplier in your clients’ eyes.  Now, thinking about yourself, when was the last time you checked out the website of the firm’s PI insurer or stationery supplier?

Things have changed.  Changed Dramatically.

In the old days, when the web was young, we all knew that creating a website and then making it appear on the Internet was a job for specialists.  A job for trained people who understood how to write using words in strange <brackets>.  People who knew about “FTP” and “DNS” and “Hyperlinks”.

But not anymore.  Now almost anyone can do it and do it well.

The tools for the job have got much, much easier so that now, if you can use Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word, you can be your own web designer.

How liberating is that?  No longer need you wait around for your web designer to find the time to make those urgent changes you requested last week.  No longer do you have to pay high hourly rates for the work.  You now have control, which is exactly how it should be.

So, how do you get yourself a new website, or blog, sorted out in 10 minutes?

1. Get yourself a Domain Name, such as www.yourcompany.co.uk.  The hosting company you setup with (see below) may provide this free, or if not will be able to register your domain for you for about the same cost as a month’s hosting.  Alternatively, I can recommend 123-Reg.
2. Sign-up with a hosting company that offers a “one-click” install of WordPress.  The hosting company provides you with space on their servers and makes the content you put there available to the World.  WordPress is the free software that will help you create and manage your web pages.  I use NativeSpace but there are many others around – such as BlueHost.  Monthly hosting should cost no more than about £10 / $7 per month.
3. Now that you have WordPress installed on your own hosting account, you need to find a design style that you like the look of, and one that will be suited to the type of content you intend to produce.  The great news is that there are hundreds of ready-made WordPress themes available, many at no cost, so you will really be spoilt for choice.  I use WooThemes but you can find others using this Google Search.
4. Once you have found your dream theme, login your WordPress admin area and upload the theme.  Then activate the theme and you’re done!

Of course, you will then need to spend some time adding pages and writing the words for the pages but, and this is the quiet revolution that has crept up on us, the content is now separate from the design.  You only need to worry about the words you want to say  – WordPress looks after the design for you.