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How accountants name their practices
Popular website colour combinations
The most used social media platforms
The average number of Google reviews
Common positioning statement phrases
Use of logos, photography and colour
Calls to Action and blog writing
Website performance metrics and more!...
We based our research and analysis on the results returned from Google Maps when searching for the term ‘Accountants in 'Town Name'’ for example.
We wanted to search for accountants in a way we felt that anyone might do themselves if they turned to Google, and felt that location-based results were a fair and democratic way to approach this.
We didn’t use any special software to look at site metrics, other than free tools provided by Google and Mozilla, and of course, using our own trusty eyes. We looked at some technical metrics (which would affect the quality of the viewer’s experience) and we looked at some elements of the site design itself such as brand colour and hierarchy of information.
We also looked at factors such as whether the site contained a blog, calls to action or links to social media profiles.
What did we look at?
We looked at which accountants’ websites were mobile compatible, meaning the sites were ‘responsive’ and displayed properly on mobile devices. We also looked to see which sites were ‘secure’, meaning they displayed https at the beginning of the url, (rather than http) denoting the site had a SSL certificate.
Why is it important?
Some 60% of visitors who visit a website for the first time will do so on a mobile device, so it is important that your site is optimised for these devices. A non-secure or non-optimised website will suffer in terms of performance and will not rank as highly in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). On some browsers a non-secure website will also display a warning informing visitors that the site is not secure, before giving them the option to proceed or go back.
What did we look at?
Did the websites feature any original blog articles that demonstrated the practices’ views on their areas of expertise or offer content that would be helpful to their audience? How did the practices demonstrate their points of difference through their content?
Did the sites feature prominent calls to action (CTAs) that encouraged visitors to take a further action?
Why is it important?
81% of people that contact you will visit your website first, and 30% will dismiss a company because their website is poorly designed, hard to navigate, or simply does not state clearly how the company can help the prospect. Having suitable CTAs help guide your visitor through your sales funnel. In the majority of cases your site visitors will not be ready to buy from you, so it is important to guide them to blogs, case studies or service pages that explain clearly how you can help them when the time comes.
What did we look at?
We looked at how many accountants displayed social media links on their websites and what profiles were being shown. We also looked at the number of Google Reviews each practice had received.
Why is it important?
Content and social media strategies are effective ways for accountants to connect with potential customers and their existing audience. They are also excellent ways to show your audience you are a credible expert in your field by posting engaging, helpful and useful content. This will of course drive more traffic to your website and increase your number of potential leads.
What did we look at?
We looked at each website to see which brand colours were predominant, and to see which practices used colour as a way to differentiate themselves. We looked at the use of a main colour and a secondary colour.
Why is it important?
The colour that accountancy practices choose to represent themselves and their brands with will create an impression with the website visitor. There are of course the well-known tropes on colour theory, blue for trust, red for danger, green for nature, for example, but when companies use branding as a tool for deliberate differentiation we wanted to discover just how far accountants were using colour to stand out from their competition.
If you'd like to talk to us about how we help Financial Advisors and Accountancy Practices prosper through effective design and branding please get in touch.
Call us on 01787 866 003
