In this video I join Zoe Whitman and Jo Wood from the 6 Figure Bookkeeper to discuss what Bookkeepers need to know about websites and how they can optimise their website to get more traffic from Google and turn more of this traffic into enquiries and sales.
Wondering if you need a website, what you should put on your website? Looking to get more leads and sales from your website? Need some conversion optimisation tips that will work ASAP? Check out this playlist of marketing tips to help you continue to grow your small business.
Summary notes from the video...
What makes a good website for bookkeepers?
It’s important to have a website to attract leads, and clients to your business but if it’s not done right you’ll simply send your traffic to the next website on the list.
What makes a good website if one that is easy to use, optimised for SEO (especially local SEO) and is ALL about the customer and not the business! I know that sounds backwards but hear me out.
Make it about the customer
What’s important is why someone is on the website, what’s the challenge they’re facing, why are they need help and how can you, the business help them. It’s not just about the features, the pricing and the company itself, your website needs to focus on the customer.
Once you understand the customer, their intent, their emotional triggers you can then decide what copy to use, what images to use, what social proof to add.
For example, your landing pages should start with a strong value proposition, why the customer would choose you or your service, what is the desired outcome they're looking for? And then put that as your heading i.e. ‘Expert, friendly Bookkeeper to take the pain away’ with a strong CTA like ‘book a call’.
Add social proof
Your social proof, (which by the way you should include to build trust and credibility shouldn’t be about how great you are), should be there to answer objections or road blocks your customer may have. For example admin and bookkeeping may be very daunting for your prospect and they're in a mess with their paperwork. A good social proof for this would be a testimonial from someone saying ‘i was so lost, the paperwork was piling up and I had no idea where to start, xx took the pain away for me by doing x, y, z and made it really clear and simple for me.
Make it mobile friendly
Please don’t forget to check your websites on mobiles, most people use their mobiles these days and too many businesses just look at what they look like on desktop.
Keep it simple
Don’t bombard with info and content - people don’t have time and won’t read pages of info - they will want to speak to someone. They need the core questions answered: services, pricing etc. so they know they are in the right place. Then make it easy to contact.
Do bookkeepers’ need a website?
In short, yes! For 2 main reasons…1. Having a website adds trust and credibility to your business and 2. A website helps you to generate leads.
What pages should be included on their website?
For this industry I think the website can be fairly simple.
You need a homepage for sure which can showcase your services, a bit about you, social proof. An about us page, services and a contact us page. Call to actions is so important here, every page is a sales page!
Your about us page is a valuable opportunity for your prospects to connect with who you are, what you do and why you do it.
Again, your about us page isn’t just about you or your company. It’s about why a customer should emotionally invest in your brand. It’s about why you’re the best person to solve your customer’s problem.
How can bookkeepers and accountants prevent their websites from looking boring?
It’s ok to be boring, your customers aren’t looking for funky. Your customers are looking for a solution to their problem and the best websites are the ones that are simple, easy to use and solve problems.
You’ll stand out much more from your competitors if you connect with the visitor on an emotional level. Use images that are their desired outcome i.e someone who is happy and free from all the paperwork, use terminology they use.
But you can think about things like your colour scheme, the images you use, or adding video content.
How can bookkeepers generate new leads from their website?
All your pages should be geared up with a specific call to action like a conversion. For example your call to action for a bookkeeper I would imagine would be to ‘Book a call’ ‘Book a FREE call’ and I would expect to see that throughout the page.
Landing page for lead generation (lead magnet page)
The other thing I would suggest is to have a specific landing page that is optimised for getting leads by offering a freebie piece of valuable content in exchange for their email address. You often hear these being called ‘lead magnets’. So this could be a FREE self assessment checklist, a mini course of how to use the software you work with, software comparison, a calculator spreadsheet to track expenses, a financial calendar.
You can then share your lead magnet on social media, networking groups, etc
Thank you pages
One of the biggest errors I see with these pages is businesses tend to stop the customer journey there, a simple ‘thank you for submitting’ once the form has been completed. But actually, the Thank You page is, psychologically, the best place within the funnel to actually retain your customer.
They've already taken a first step with you. They've already subscribed to your list, they've downloaded your product, or whatever they've done, they've already taken a step. Now it's your goal to basically create a relationship with them. That relationship is going to help you continue converting people and help bring them back to the product or your service.
They are warm leads to nurture. So make sure your thank you pages (this goes for contact us, email subscribes etc) continue the customer journey and are optimised to push them to the next step. This could be joining your facebook group, buying a course, reading the blog article.
And lastly, don’t forget after this to follow up with a good email sequence. This are warms leads you should be nurturing.
Exit intent strategy
Where can people connect with you?