For many people, hiring an accountant is potentially the difference between getting audited and receiving an income tax refund. Although there’s a lot of software out there now that can enable the average person to get through the process of filing a federal income tax return, it isn’t the same as hiring a tax professional. So, if you look forward to January through April being the time of year where you are the busiest, you can majorly benefit by having a professionally developed website. Just like it’s best to pay a professional to do taxes, it is smart to hire a web developer to create a beautiful website, and here’s why.
Maximizing Your Local Web Presence
For the most part, consumers get their taxes done locally. As an accounting masters’ degree recipient, you can get requests ranging from working for large local companies to attracting clients who have massive real estate portfolios. When people trust you to do both personal and business taxes, you have the benefit of getting more business from a variety of filers. So, putting up a website that helps to establish your presence locally is an absolute must. You want your business address to be listed on search engine results pages, and you need to ensure that customers are aware of your company each time they do a local search.
Developing Leads in Your Sleep
Professional accountants only have a few different ways that they can advertise and develop leads, at least in a tasteful manner. You can’t call warm leads at 11 p.m. and you certainly cannot canvas the neighborhood for businesses to connect with while you are home in bed. On the other hand, your professionally developed website can drum up a lot of business for you around the clock. Plus, remember that having a website created is just another tax expense that you get to write off at the end of the tax period.
Cutting Down on Customer Service
If you have been working as an accountant for a while, then you know how often your phone tends to ring during tax season. You’ll get potential clients calling to ask you when you open and when you close, asking about fees and services, and how long it will take for their tax returns to be processed. When these kinds of phone calls come in, they normally don’t disturb concentration, but during peak periods they can make it harder for you to service current clients. With a professional website up, you can put up the answers to all these questions and even more. Have your website developer write some code that will enable website visitors to even search all its content to find the answers they seek.
Consider Investing in Further Education
While all of the above is valuable information that should help you get your professional accounting website set up before tax season begins, it can also be worth your while to look into the additional things you can do to improve your online portfolio. One of these things is taking your education to the next level. By studying for an accounting masters degree online you will gain even more in depth knowledge in the field that you are in without having to take a break from your business. Plus, by displaying your qualifications on your website, you will gain an advantage over many of your competitors who haven’t put in the time and effort to achieve their masters. This can boost business even further and make you appear even more trustworthy than you currently are.
An accountant with a professional business website is an accountant who wants a lot of business, end of story. You will get more local customers who need your help as well as clients from the opposite side of the country. Be prepared to stay busy all next tax season by investing in a great tax accountant website.