You do not want clients and prospective clients' first visit to your Web site to be their last. The site needs to provide the client with a reason to come back and engage your services. Unlike an advertisement, a Web site can be not only a marketing tool, but also an information source and service delivery vehicle. At a minimum it should provide:

• Information on the firm and its services,
• Useful client information - as extensive as time and budget permits,
• Links to other information sources,
• Financial calculators for routine tasks,
• An effective interface for correspondence and feedback from clients,
• A Search function, and
• An appealing interface.

Communicate Information About the Firm and its Services
One of the first things a user will want to see is relevant information about the firm. What are your services and qualifications? How can you be contacted? Your firm's name, location, mailing address, phone number, fax number and email address should be prominently displayed so the user does not need to hunt for them. Make it easy for a new client to contact you.

Also provide information on the types of services the firm offers, including any specialties. A brief description of the firm's history and a listing of partners and associates, with direct phone numbers and email addresses, is useful as well. Pictures of firm partners are usually inadvisable since they drastically slow down the loading of the site and generally do not offer any marketing advantage (they are often used only for self-gratification).

Many firms limit their Web sites only to this type of firm information. This is really just an online brochure and does nothing to add value for your clients or to attract new clients. Your site needs to include more features to keep visitors coming back and to keep your firm's name and information in front of them.

Provide Useful Content
The most effective way to keep visitors coming back to the site is to provide a wealth of useful content. Clients are likely to need information on such things as operating a small business, tax strategies, and other financial related information, including information that helps clients with their own personal financial needs, even if this is on the fringe of traditional practice areas.

Your Web site can contain articles on these topics, tax tips, tax calendars and checklists. While it may seem like giving away some information for "free," much of it is information that the client would never ask for or information that you could not bill for.

Human psychology precludes people from asking questions that make them look ignorant. Thus, giving clients enough information to allow them to approach you with intelligent questions may encourage them to bring more of their financial problems to you. This can be a very cost-effective way of disseminating information to clients, such as you would do with a newsletter, and of alerting them to their need for professional assistance or consulting services.

The information should be presented in a user-friendly, easy-to-understand format. Clients are usually not impressed or interested in Internal Revenue Code Sections and other technical items.

The material should subtly suggest the advisability of professional guidance in particular areas. For example, offer basic information on retirement plan distributions and then suggest that, because of the complexities and need for personalized guidance, clients should seek professional advice covering their specific needs. Similarly, offer material on the tax aspects of starting a business, and encourage viewers to contact you for help in this area.

A section containing Frequently Asked Questions will free you from routine phone calls and provide a quick way for a client to get an answer to a common question. Information needs to be kept updated and provide reasons for the visitor to return periodically. For example, a Newsletter, Tax Calendar and/or Financial Planning Calendar can be provided each month to encourage the return visit. Make certain to include navigational buttons for the visitor to get around your site with ease. Engage in continuous quality improvement. If you don't your competitors will.

Linking to Other Sites
One of the real advantages to hypertext (the combination of text, graphics and links used in a Web site) is the use of links. Documents can be linked to each other within your site (internal links) and linked to documents on other sites (external links). This linking provides a way to provide more information on a particular topic without making one page or article too long.

For example, in a discussion on estate planning techniques, you might mention the use of a charitable trust and link this to a more in-depth discussion of charitable trusts. Those who are interested can follow the link while others can continue browsing the article.

In addition to the information on your site, there is an enormous amount of information on the Internet. Though much of it is meaningless and a waste of time, there are some gems among the junk. You can provide a valuable service to clients by selecting useful financial sites and providing links from your site. Examples of such sites are those that provide information on social security benefits, facts on SBA loan programs, and various types of financial calculators (e.g., whether to refinance a mortgage, how much insurance to buy, and whether it is better to buy or lease a car)

Communicate With Clients
Your Web site should provide a user-friendly interface with clients. Clients should be able to email directly to your firm from the site. Email is a very cost-effective way to communicate with clients. Typing a message requires clients to think about and formulate their questions, which can cut down on often non-billable phone time.

Aesthetics
To take full advantage of what the Internet has to offer, the site should include more than text. It should have an appealing design. However, pictures and complicated graphics should be avoided, as they will cause the site to "load" very slowly, a turnoff and a frequent complaint among Web site visitors. Keep graphics clean and simple, but use them throughout the site.

Keep in mind that not all Web browsers are alike. Your site will appear differently to the visitor depending upon the browser he or she is using. You should make certain your Web site is readable by all of the common browsers. However, new software is becoming available that will resolve this problem.

If your site is complex a site map can also be useful. Whenever you include email addresses on the site, make the hyperlink open up a blank message for the user to complete when he or she clicks on the email address.

Web Site and Content Providers
Designing and developing your own Web site can be very time-consuming - and preparing meaningful content to include in your Web site can be a Herculean task. One way to avoid this burden and still have an effective Web site is to use a "prefab" Web site provider.

The cost of a prefab site, fully customized to your firm's needs, is very reasonable - far less than it would cost to do it yourself. Some examples of prefab providers include:

Financial Strategies Online - www.GoFSO.com
Execusite - www.execusite.com
CyTax - www.cytax.com
AcctSite - www.acctsite.com

If you want to include content in your site - and this is very important if your site is to be other than an electronic brochure - look for a Web site provider that offers substantial and meaningful content. Check the track record of the provider you use, especially if it offers content. See if it served the accounting profession - and knows the specific needs of the profession - prior to its entry into the Web site business.

Determine the background and credentials of the people behind the name of the company. After all, they are going to provide the face that you present to your clients and potential clients.