Creating a memorable 'About Us' page for your site
Posted by AccountingWEB in Technology, Accounting & Auditing on 02/16/2011 - 17:15
By Chad Brubaker, CEO, Emochila, www.emochila.com
It is tax season again, which means that people are shopping for accountants. When potential clients are researching and evaluating your firm, the first step will be to do a quick Google search and find your web site.
Beyond the first impression of the Web site design, visitors will go to your About Us page to learn more about your firm and you as a person. Emochila recently did a study that found the About Us page is one of the top three pages visited on Web sites for accountants. Thus, I encourage you to invest some time and create an About Us page that is memorable for your clients and new visitors.
Following are three tips to help your accounting firm's About Us page:
1. Personalize your About Us page
Many Web site developers for the accounting profession provide Web sites that are loaded with prewritten content, ranging from IRS forms to financial calculators. The benefit is that you save hours of time writing content, but still provide valuable information for your clients and Web site visitors. The downside is that this prewritten content does not necessarily reflect your firm. Think of your About Us page as your opportunity to personalize your Web site.
One of our clients, Cheri David, is a shining example of someone who has created a great About Us page on her Web site at http://www.cheridavidcpa.com/. Through her About Us page, a visitor immediately makes a personal connection with Cheri. Visitors notice the photo of Cheri smiling and personally welcoming you to her Web site.
Right off the bat, she states her values and what she stands for. She includes photos of her family, as well as a rundown of her activities outside the office. After spending only a few minutes on this page, you get a sense of who Cheri is.
2. Professional accolades
Visitors (and prospective clients) are looking to become more familiar with you and your firm, and you need to provide them with information. Cheri provides her background and affiliations in a very thorough yet unassuming manner. She includes her education, professional affiliations, publications, and community service.
If you have a particularly interesting background to your firm, do not be afraid to share this story. For example, if your CPA firm is the oldest firm in town, include this information on your Web site. Lastly, do not be afraid to brag a little bit. For small or new firms, visitors might not know much about your firm and this is your opportunity to shine.
3. Incorporate social media into the page
By including social media links, you provide visitors with more avenues to get to know you. Cheri actively blogs and lets clients connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter on the homepage of her Web site.
In additional to testimonials on your Web site, you can receive recommendations from your professional network on LinkedIn. Client testimonials and recommendations demonstrate the value of your firm and can be an incredibly powerful marketing tool.
About the author:
Chad Brubaker is president and CEO of Emochila: Custom Websites for Accountants. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Brubaker has worked as a developer for several Web-based companies and as an Internet security consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Clients included Daimler Chrysler, American Airlines, WellPoint Networks, Unocal, and Transora.
Related articles:
- Why Google's local search results is an opportunity for small accounting firms
- Tips for improving a company blog
- 3633 reads
Tags
Accounting and Auditing
Administrative
AICPA
Auditing
Bad guys news
Busy Season Daily Workplace Exercises
Careers
Celebrity news
CFO
Consulting
Conversations
Economy
Education
Education and careers
Excel
Excel tips
FASB
Financial Reporting
Firm news
Government
Guest articles
Health care
Human Resources
IFRS
Income tax
International
IRS
IT
Legal issues
Legislation
Marketing
Mergers
PCAOB
Personal Finance
Practice Development
Practice Management
QuickBooks
Retirement
Sarbanes-Oxley
SEC
Self-Improvement
State and Local
Students
Tax
Technology
Training
Trends
Watchdog
Workplace Fitness
Workshops
Gail Perry, CPA
Great about us pages
I've helped build several websites for my co-founders and friends over the last few years. Most marketers say the About Us page should be designed to build confidence and trust in your service. A lot of the QuickBooks users who come to our site actually end up commenting on our About Us page too.
-- Jason Fritz is a limited partner at AccountingSoftwareDeals.com, the web's best resource for QuickBooks coupons and reviews on the web.