Welcome To Our New Website! New Look - Same Commitment To Innovation

 Introduction

No matter what business you're in, it's always important to update your marketing and stay fresh in the eyes of your target market. As accountants and business advisors we had a website that was almost 5 years old. It was 'ok' but it was beginning to look outdated. It was not very search engine friendly and we felt it was time to let our audience know exactly what we have been up to and better communicate the ways that we can provide genuine proactive services for their small business.

The process took us 6 months from start to finish but here are some things we learnt along the way that you may find useful if you are thinking of going through the process.

1. Does The Existing Website Look Tired?

Our old site was quite good but 5 years is a long time in today's fast moving world and if you think you would like to be seen as a leader in innovation in your field then you should ensure you look modern and up with the times. Your website says a lot about you and how you are perceived by your potential clients and customers. We sought feedback from friends and clients and to us it became clear that we could do better in getting our message across.

Figure 1: Does your existing website look run down?

2. Does Your Website Attract Online Enquiries?

When we asked this question of ourselves, the old site did in fact receive a number of enquiries. However, when we sat down and looked at the number and the type of enquiries, again we realised we could do better. It is amazing how many people do search on the web for advisors and Google keyword placement is one crucial element of our marketing strategy. Research showed us that people regularly search keywords such as small business accountants, business advisors and small business growth.

The new website contains both content and the know how behind it to keep the fresh leads coming.

3. Don't Do It On The Cheap

There are website templates in the market place that are cheap and some are even free and they will, to some extent succeed in getting new business to you in the short to medium term. Of course, generally having a website is better than not having one at all but like most things if you are going to do it, do it well and make sure it is written in a computer language that is moving with the times that will see you attract more website traffic!

4. Update Your Content

Whilst you don't need a new site to update your content, looking at our old site, we realised that there were things we weren't saying that would give potential buyers a better insight into what we actually do for business owners.

Having to take stock at what we had before and what we now offer was chalk and cheese and the exercise itself was most worthwhile all in the name of business improvement.

CONCLUSION:

If you're thinking of updating your existing site, yes it's a bit of work but it's amazing what you will come to realise when and if you decide to push the button.

A website says a lot about you and what you have to offer.

Is your site looking good at the moment or does it need a makeover?