"For the past couple of years I have had clients and contacts constantly asking me about my "web site" and I was always embarrassed to admit that I didn't yet have one. The prospect of creating one seemed daunting.

I really didn't know how to start or who to talk to and the reality is that I was too busy "running the business" to make this a priority.

When I met with Steve McIntyre-Smith, he immediately re-assured me that this was not going to be a huge investment of time or money on my part and he was right! We had a quick introductory meeting where I outlined my "wants" in terms of a site.

Steve then offered me the option of participating in the web design as much or as little as I wanted. (I participated very little - electing to have Steve write most of the text for me). Within one week I had a web site up and operational! Steve was then very receptive to my "edits" as I found it easier to look at something already in place and "tweak" it to suit me than to have to start something from scratch.

I am thrilled to have had this whole process completed so smoothly and efficiently with a minimum of effort and expense on my part. I would highly recommend Steve to anyone looking for web design assistance whether it's as basic as offering suggestions for improvement on an already-existing site or starting, as inmy case, with nothing at all but a wish to enter the 21st century.

Susan Larkin, CA, MBA
President
The Larkin Group
www.larkingroup.ca

Steve's marketing expertise and web site design experience gave us a comfort level which allowed us to focus on operating our business and devote minimal time to developing the web site.

I would highly recommend Marketing for Accountants.com to anyone who is looking to have a web site developed professionally and appreciates being treated as a valued customer.

Dino Stivaletti B.Comm., CMA
Director
Douglas Murray + Associates Ltd
www.mataxrecovery.com

Why do some web sites work better than others. What are some people doing that is so wrong?

There are many, many reasons why so many web sites fail to achieve results. Here is the top twelve found in our work with Accounting firms the world over.

1. Beauty and the beast. Having a beautiful looking web site is not why people buy from you. Think for a moment. Why do you go onto the web? For information. We surf to find answers to questions, to find something that will help improve our firm and give us a competitive edge.

The best-looking sites are often not the best sites! Your web site can be a downright ugly one, but if it has "killer" content that your prospects just have to have, guess what? Visitors will usually forgive you. They will appreciate you spending your budget on content. Call it substance over style.

The lesson learned here? Always spend more time/money/resources on content rather than a fancy looking design.

2. Not tuned-in to W.I.I.fm. This is the world's most popular radio station, only in this case, it's not a radio station. W.I.I.fm stands for WHAT's IN IT FOR ME. Or in this case, from your own viewpoint, WHAT's IN IT FOR THEM.

Visitors don't give a damn about how long your firm has been in business, who your clients are, how well qualified you guys are to meet their needs (this all comes later, much later).

People visit your site because they have a problem that their present adviser may not be satisfying them on, and they want to know if you have the answer.

Starting your site off with pages about we, us, me, me, me will not impress.

Instead, you need to show empathy and understanding, demonstrate your expertise, maybe give away some free advice and tips and show the visitor that your firm has the solution they seek, and, in fact, is the ONLY firm for them.

3. Hiding your contact details. Once people have decided that they want to take matters further, you have to make it easy for them to contact you.

Have your contact details on every page. Have lots of options for them - telephone, fax, e-mail, or drop-by your offices (include a map and directions).

Make it easy for them to e-mail you - have plenty of clickable images that will start up their e-mail and send you a message. This is easy to do and shows the visitor that you really do want to hear from them.

4. Make it absolutely clear what you want the visitor to do next. If you want them to telephone you, tell them. If you want them to download a free report on their problem, make it easy for them to do just that.

Too many websites are so confusing that people just give up, move on and never return.

5. Lost sight of the original purpose. You have (or need) a web site for a specific purpose. Focus. Usually that purpose is very simple - to generate more inquiries, which you aim to turn into new clients.

That's really simple, but we see so many sites that get tangled up with so many other issues that the original purpose is no longer served.

The end result is that you have an expensive collection of unrelated pages where the true benefit to the visitor is buried under corporate or political B.S.

6. Poorly Promoted Sites. I have even seen firms who have a pretty good site, not promote their www address on their business cards, letterheads and other obvious places. Sometimes people will call the office and ask for their web site address - but come on people - we should never get to that stage.

Awareness is one of the key elements - I remember a corny-but-true saying from my early marketing days:

"He who whispers down a well
About the goods he has to sell
Will never make as many dollars
As he who climbs a tree and Hollas!"

7. Poor On-line Promotion. Taking this to the next level, you have to make the site as easy to find as possible. This includes registering with all the major search engines, getting your META TAGS correctly set up and having the right key words in your title bar.

All of these elements add up and will contribute to how many people find you.

For instance, if you are a CA called Valance D. Books looking to generate visits from small business owners in Calgary who want to save taxes, then don't concentrate on words like "Valance" and "Books".

Instead, use key words and phrases like: " Free Tax Saving Tips for Calgary Business Owners"

8. It takes too long for the page to download. A really common mistake and one that the visitor does not forgive. Today people want and expect "Instant Karma". If they don't get it, it's "bye, bye" and they are gone forever.

Make sure that your pages load quickly.

9. No way to capture the visitor's e-mail address. If someone takes the time and trouble to visit your site always, always, always offer them something free as a "thank you".

The best way to do this is to offer a free newsletter by e-mail. And guess what? You need to get their e-mail address in order to send this to them. This is a highly ethical way in which to keep in touch with prospective clients who have visited your site.

You will find that if you send them a newsletter by e-mail, say once a month or once a quarter, they become more familiar with your firm, you develop a relationship with them, and, more often than not, when the time is right for them, they will come to you as a fee-paying client.

10. No reason to return. If you don't update your content on a regular basis, when visitors return and see that nothing has changed they are less likely to come back again.

Keep your site fresh by adding new stories or new free information and new downloadable reports that will keep people coming back for more.

One swallow does not a summer make.

Likewise, one visit does not a client make.

11. Running out of steam. Many firms get real excited when they launch their web site. They tell all their clients, all their contacts, their staff tells all their friends, they may even send out a press release and get a small mention in the local press.

These techniques generate a few visitors, but then the "promotion" of their site is over, and the number of "hits" drops like a Piano from a twelfth floor apartment balcony.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Continuous promotion is essential, advertising executives call it reach. Just how many Volkswagen cars do you think would be sold if VW only aired each new advert once?

You must keep the momentum going and continuously promote your site.

12. If it doesn't say "dot-com" it isn't really "dot-com". There are exceptions, but generally speaking, people expect to see a web site domain to end in dot-com. Call it snobbery or prestige, but it's the simple truth.

Dot-com addresses are so easy to remember. If you are in Ontario and have a "dot-on-dot-ca" extension, you are rarely remembered, and if the visitors who do find your site do not add you to their favourites on their first visit, they are unlikely to ever return again. Furthermore, for any visitor in the know, it tells them you got the domain name free courtesy of the Ontario Government. It just doesn't portray the right approach.

CA firms in Canada are something of an exception. Like every good rule, there ARE some exceptions.

With the dot-ca address available for Canadian companies, many CA firms, who only work in Canada can use this perfectly well. Their clients remember it, and it works best for sole practitioners. For example, www.johndyson.ca looks like the address for the web site of a CA called John Dyson (take a look).

Until there is a dot-cpa address available, then CPA firms best stick with dot-com.

So there you have it. Twelve quick and simple reasons why so many web sites do not achieve what they intended. You can avoid these and all the other expensive mistakes in the world wide web, by using our Web Site services to create a site that actually gets results.

Everything You Need To Know BEFORE You Get A Web Site For Your Accounting Firm.

A comprehensive look at the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the web.

Includes:

• What tools do you need to do it yourself?
• What are META TAGS and why are they so important?
• Getting personal and interactive with visitors.
• Turning visitors into clients.
• The essentials of a good site.
• Why many sites fail to get results
  
  And Much more, Value $39.95
  - Yours Free, just for visiting our site.