“Anybody can make and launch a website. What I need help with is finding clients.“
Those are the exact words a bookkeeper told me a while back.
And it’s true. ANYBODY can build and launch a website, but not all websites are successful.
The problem is that a lot of bookkeepers invest time and money in building a website, and don’t see a positive return on their investment.
In this blog post, I’m going to share 3 reasons why many bookkeeping websites fail and how you can avoid them.
Reason #1. Unclear Messaging
Your message is the foundation of your bookkeeping website — it’s how people connect with you, learn who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how you can help them.
Taking the time to clarify your marketing message will ensure that you attract the right people and build an audience of potential clients.
That’s why the first step to launching a successful website project is to plan your project.
Inside this website project planner, you’ll find:
- A Website Prep Guide to help you gather the important website details
- A Website Messaging Questionnaire to help you clarify your marketing message
- A Website Copywriting Template to help you outline all the pages and sections that will need website copy, with prompts to help you write them well.
After completing the planner, you’ll be ready to take the next step and partner with me (or any website professional) to launch your new website.
Reason #2 Poor Design
First impressions are 94% based on design but if you’re like many new bookkeepers I’ve worked with, you may be tempted to do your own website, ask a creative friend or family member to do it for you, or hire the cheapest freelancer you can find online.
The problem with this is that in the same way knowing their way around Quickbooks doesn’t make your client a bookkeeper, having website-building software doesn’t make someone a marketing professional.
A professionally designed website will ensure you make a great first impression online.
As a professional bookkeeper, you deserve a professional website.
Reason #3 Lack of traffic
Even if your website has a crystal clear marketing message and a great design, it won’t matter if potential clients can’t find it.
Just launching your website isn’t going to automatically start bringing in new leads so it’s important to market your website.
You can do this by…
- Posting on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
- Posting to your Google Business Profile to attract local clients
- Sending email newsletters
- Networking in person
- Or a combination!
Marketing your website consistently ensures that you keep your pipeline of potential clients full instead of depending solely on word-of-mouth referrals and hoping others market for you.
Your Takeaway
When you start to consider all that REALLY goes into a successful website:
1. A clear marketing message to get traffic
2. A professional design to get leads
3. A marketing strategy to get booked calls
You’ll understand that a successful website is more than just a virtual business card.
With proper preparation and planning, your website will be a 24/7 marketing tool that gets traffic, leads, and booked calls for your bookkeeping business. When you’re ready to launch a successful website, take the first step and grab this Bookkeeping Website Project Planner to make it easy.
