Most accounting practice websites suck. They're passive. They say, “Here we are. We exist and we offer services, just like every other CPA.” This does nothing to differentiate your practice from your competitors, or to magnetically draw clients. But done right, your website can serve as a powerful tool to differentiate yourself and grow your CPA firm.

Before I share with you my formula to create an effective website, there are at least two reasons why you would want a website: first, just about everyone's got one, and you don't want to be left behind; but second, most people make the same mistakes online that they make in print advertising, so you have the opportunity to differentiate yourself. And did I mention, this is a relatively inexpensive form of advertising with the potential to reach a large number of prospects? Marketing your CPA firm becomes a much easier task.

Here's my formula for a website that the CPA practitioner should follow:

The most important page is the home page. The primary purpose of the website is to offer a free report / E-book / free CD in exchange for prospective clients' contact information. What I am about to share is really very important and this where most CPA practitioners really miss out on. The way to monetize your website is to use it as a tool to collect contact information and build your list so you can stay in touch with these folks with a weekly Ezine.

Design your home page so it starts with a headline that gets the attention of the visitor. It has to solve a problem that is in the head of the visitor.

For example:

At last, New Jersey's most successful CPA

and tax advisor to small business owners reveals his little

known tax reduction strategies

Follow it up with a sub-headline that further engages the visitor.

For example:

“How To Drastically Reduce Your Taxes By As Much As 62% This Year Alone And Put Thousands Back In Your Pocket"

Then, you should have a few paragraphs that talk more about the problems the visitor is faced with. You then present your free report / free E-book / free CD as the solution to their problem and the reason/s why they should listen to you.

You then put a call to action for them to get this free product (in exchange for their contact info.) (When they sign, they automatically sign up for your weekly Ezine as well.) If you have a few testimonials about the free product, include them here as well.

The second page is the “About You” page or “Our Team.”

On this page, give a brief bio about each team member with a picture, their educational background and relevant work experience. Have each team member say in their own words why they are working with you or what they are passionate about. It gets the team members involved in the process and the visitor enjoys reading something that is not boring because it's written in the first person.

The third page can be titled “Services we provide.”

List the features and benefits of your services you provide. Let me give you an example.

The feature: Quick and Accurate Financial Statements.

The benefit: We will generate your Profit & Loss Statement quickly, honestly, and accurately, which will allow you to instantly Analyze Your Practice with numbers you can trust…Immediately Spot Potential Problems before they become crises… Identify Potential Profitable Trends that your practice should exploit… Recognize Areas of Improvement that need to be acted upon. Use your precious time to grow your practice and gain new patients.

The fourth page is the “Testimonial Page.”

In my practice, we serve business clients as well as personal tax clients so I make sure we have testimonials that are representative of both.

The fifth page is “Contact us.”

Give the visitor to your website all the ways they can contact you: Email address, phone number, fax number.

There you go, you now have a 5 page website that is more effective than 99% of the CPA websites out there. The main benefit to a website such as the one I described is that it becomes a 24-hour CPA firm marketing tool that prospective clients can use to find out about you even in the middle of the night when you're sleeping or on weekends when you are enjoying time at home.